What is Italian for hotel?
There are so many different words flying around, referring to slightly different kinds of accommodation, it’s hard to know which one to use!
The short answer: it’s either hotel or albergo most of the time.
But what’s the difference between them? And how do you pronounce them? Read on to find out. You’ll also learn 10 bonus words that’ll come in really handy during your stay in Italy.
Hotel vs Albergo - What’s the Difference?
Good news! There isn’t really much difference between hotel and albergo: they’re synonyms.
This means you don’t need to worry about making mistakes, you can use either in pretty much any context, and you’ll get it right.
There’s only a subtle difference in the feel of the word. When you say hotel in Italian, it comes across as a bit more international and modern. Albergo meanwhile is the Italian word, and feels perhaps more traditional.
So now you know the Italian for hotel: hotel or albergo. Let’s learn how to pronounce these words like an Italian!
How to Pronounce Hotel and Albergo in Italian?
How do you pronounce hotel in Italian? It’s slightly different compared to English:
L’hotel - the hotel (sounds like “loh - tel”)
The biggest difference is that we don’t pronounce the “h” at the beginning of words, so we say ‘otel. Then, when we add “the” (apostrophe L) at the beginning, it ends up sounding like “lotel”.
To pronounce hotel like a pro, there’s one last subtle difference to get right: the final L.
Say “hotel” in English. What happens to your tongue when you say the last L sound? Notice how it touches the roof of your mouth at the back?
In Italian, we pronounce it at the front! It’s similar to the L of “elephant” or “telephone”.
Just imagine you’re saying o-telephone - but cut the word short.
O-telephone… o-tele… o-tele… otel… otel… hotel!
That’s it!
Next, let’s move onto albergo:
L’albergo - the hotel (sounds like “lal - berg - oh”)
To remember albergo, think of towns and cities called something-burg: Pittsburgh, Hamburg, Edinburgh… They all share the sound: “berg” which originally meant “place of refuge”. See the connection with al-berg-o?
The trickiest part to pronounce is the -r- sound: you need to flick the tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind the teeth, before pronouncing the “g”.
The good news is, if you can do an American accent, you can already pronounce this Italian -r- sound! It’s actually the same as the -t- sound in words like better and matter.
Try swapping the -r- for the sound you make when you say “better” in an American accent:
albettergo
Try saying it faster and faster, and hear how it eventually morphs into the Italian word:
albettergo… albettergo… albettego… albettego… albergo… albergo… albergo!
Once you’ve got that tricky -rg- sound, the other challenge is not to say “go” like in English “go home”. If you listen carefully, in English we put a little “w” on the end, like “go(w)”.
Not so in Italian! Avoid the final “w” and make it a short Italian -o.
Not albergo(w), but albergo.
Now you know the main two words for “hotel” in Italian, there are three more that you should also know before packing your bags.
Other names for “hotel” in Italian
Perhaps you’re looking for something a bit more authentic from your Italian hotel.
Tourism is big business in Italy: it makes up about an eighth of the economy, so it’s no surprise that regular hotels can often feel quite impersonal.
If you’re looking for a personal touch and maybe to also meet the Italians who are renting the room, you’re looking for an Italian “bed and breakfast”. But how to say this in Italian?
It’s pretty tricky…
Un Bed and Breakfast
Yep, Italians don’t hesitate to borrow words from the English language. And happily for Italian learners, “Bed and breakfast” is another example.
Like the Italian hotel, you have to make the effort to say it in a more Italian way. Make sure, for example, you do the Italian -r- for breakfast.
You can use a similar trick as before, and try using this -d- sound instead of the -r-:
b-de… b-de… b-de… b-deakfast!
When you stay in a bed and breakfast, you might not have a five-star hotel experience, but the friendly atmosphere and opportunity to meet locals makes up for that.
For an even more unique experience there’s also this wonderful Italian hotel concept you might not have thought of…
Agriturismo
An agriturismo - literally “agricultural-tourism”, is a rural hotel that’s often an extension of a farm or vineyard. If you like relaxing countryside locations, beautiful views and farm-to-table meals, this could be the perfect place for your stay.
You’ll probably need a car to access most of them, but once there you can enjoy a really authentic experience of rural Italy.
If you want to see what one looks like, Matteo and Katie made a video all about what it’s like to stay at an Italian agriturismo hotel.
But what if you’re on a tight budget?
Ostello
Maybe you’ve left it late in peak season and all the hotels are booked up. Or perhaps you’d like to save a little money before splashing out elsewhere in Italy…
An ostello, which is Italian for “hostel” could be just the thing you need. Ostelli tend to be a bit cheaper than regular hotels, and as you would expect from hostels, they offer basic accommodation.
Whether you finally end up staying in a five-star albergo, or a cute bed and breakfast, these next few words will surely come in handy…
Useful Italian Vocabulary for Hotels
After you decide where to stay, a few extra words can make a real difference to your trip. Here’s our top ten words you should know for hotels, as well as a few phrases to use them in.
There’s a lot here, so don’t worry about learning them all at once. Pick a couple, then come back later on to refresh them. Or just check them out on your phone when you need to use them!
Psst… we also have a mini quiz at the end to practise everything you’ve learned.
1.La camera / la stanza - The room (interchangeable)
La camera è pronta - The room is ready
La stanza non è pronta - The room isn’t ready
Il servizio in camera - Room service
2. La chiave - The key
Ecco la sua chiave elettronica - Here’s your electronic key-card
Lasci la chiave alla reception - Leave the key at the reception
3. Il check-in / Il check-out - Check-in / check-out
Vorrei fare il check-in - I’d like to do the check-in
A che ora è il check-out? - What time is the check-out?
4. La colazione - Breakfast
La colazione è inclusa - Breakfast is included
La colazione è dalle sette alle undici - Breakfast is from seven to eleven
5. La piscina - Swimming pool
Also useful for the pool:
L’asciugamano - Towel
Dov’è la piscina? - Where’s the swimming pool?
Avete un altro asciugamano? - Do you have another towel?
6. Il wi-fi - The wifi
C’è il wi-fi? - Is there wifi?
C’è il wi-fi nelle camere - There’s wifi in the rooms
7. La password - The password
Qual è la password? - What’s the password?
La password non funziona - The password doesn’t work
8. L’ascensore - The elevator / lift
L’ascensore è a destra/sinistra - The elevator is on the right/left
Prendere l’ascensore - Take the lift
L’ascensore per il secondo piano - The lift to the second floor
9. L’aria condizionata - The air-conditioning
L’aria condizionata non funziona - The air-conditioning doesn’t work
Non c’è l’aria condizionata - There’s no air-conditioning
Now you know what Italian for hotel is, as well as some of the most important words and phrases you’ll need when staying in Italy. Before you test your knowledge with our quiz, here’s a review of the main points.
What's Italian for Hotel: Review
There are two ways to say “hotel” in Italian:
L’hotel
L’albergo
They mean the same thing, but watch out for their slightly tricky pronunciations!
You’ve also got these other kinds of hotels to consider:
Il bed and breakfast - Bed and breakfast
L’agriturismo - Rural hotel - usually based around a farm
L’ostello - Hostel
Then you learned 10 words that will undoubtedly come in handy on your trip:
La camera / la stanza - The room
La chiave - The key
Il check-in / Il check-out - Check-in / check-out
La colazione - Breakfast
La piscina - The Swimming pool
Il wi-fi - The wifi
La password - The password
L’ascensore - The elevator / lift
L’aria condizionata - The air-conditioning
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Vocabulary: What’s Italian for Hotel?
l’hotel = hotel
l’albergo = the hotel
il costume = swimming costume
andare = to go
la montagna = mountain
la piscina = swimming pool
la camera / la stanza = the room
di lusso = luxury
la colazione = breakfast
partire = to leave
il bed and breakfast = the bed and breakfast
la chiave = the key
albergo di lusso = a luxury hotel
il check-in / il check-out = check-in / check-out
il wi-fi = the wifi
la password = the password
l’ascensore = the elevator / lift
l’aria condizionata = the air-conditioning
Quiz: What’s Italian for Hotel?
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: What’s Italian for Hotel?
Flashcards: What’s Italian for Hotel?
Remember the vocabulary from this lesson by downloading the digital flashcards
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
Transcript: What’s Italian for Hotel? (+ 10 Travel Words You Need to Know)
Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.
K: When Matteo and I go on holiday, like a lot of Italians we love to travel…
M: There are so many interesting places to visit in our own country, we don’t need to go far.
K: We often stay with friends, but if we’re going somewhere new, we look for accommodation in an airbnb or a hotel.
M: Recently airbnb has been getting expensive, so we’re back to hotels!
K: Here’s a typical conversation we might have as we’re preparing for our trip:
M: Katie è tardi!
K: Non trovo il mio costume
M: Ma andiamo in montagna…
K: Sì, ma l’albergo ha la piscina!
M: Interessante, c’è la colazione in camera?
K: Nooo, non è un hotel di lusso… Ok ho tutto, partiamo!
M: Aspetta… dov’è il mio costume?
K: …(sospira)
K: Let’s break that down. First, Matteo said:
M: Katie è tardi! - Katie, it’s late!
È = it’s
Tardi = late
K: Then:
M: Non trovo il mio costume - I can’t find my bathing suit (or swimming costume)
Non - not
Trovo - I find
Il - the
mio - my
costume - (swimming) costume / bathing suit
K: In British English, we say “swimming costume”, which is especially useful to remember the Italian word il costume. Then Matteo said:
M: Ma andiamo in montagna… - But we’re going to the mountain…
Ma - But
Andiamo - We go
In montagna - in mountain. That’s how Italians say it: in montagna.
M: Sì, ma l’albergo ha la piscina! - Yes, but the hotel has a pool
Sì - Yes
Ma - but
L’albergo - the hotel
Ha - has
La piscina - the pool
K: Here’s our first word for ‘hotel’ in Italian.
M: L’albergo
K: That’s L apostrophe (which means “the”) followed by albergo. Together, L apostrophe + albergo sounds like “lalbergo”.
M: L’albergo (x 3)
K: A - L - B - E - R - G - O. There’s an Italian R there! The trick we recommend is to imagine you’re saying “better” in an American accent. The double -t- sound is the same as the Italian R. Say better, then insert it into the word albergo. Better, better, better, al - better - go, al - better - go, al - better - go. Get faster and it will morph into the Italian word: al - better - go, al - better - go, al - better - go, al-better-go, al-better-go, al-better-go, albergo, albergo, albergo!
M: Albergo!
K: The ‘o’ at the end is also interesting. In English, we tend to say ‘o’ with a little “w” at the end, like “go(w)”. Italians don’t do that. Keep the -o- short and straight:
M: O (x3). Albergo x3
K: Next, Matteo said:
M: Interessante, c’è la colazione in camera? - Interesting, is there breakfast in the room?
Interessante - interesting
C’è - Is there
La colazione - the breakfast
In camera - in room
K: Then I said:
K: Noooo, non è un hotel di lusso. - No, it’s not a luxury hotel
Non - not
È - it’s
Un hotel - a hotel
Di lusso - of luxury
K: Here’s our second word for a hotel.
M: It’s the English word, but with Italian pronunciation.
K: You’ll often hear this as l’hotel. That’s “the hotel”: L apostrophe, hotel. What’s the difference between hotel and albergo?
M: They’re pretty much the same. Hotel feels more international, albergo is more classic Italian. You can use either without making a mistake.
K: If you chose the English word, hotel, you’ll need to pronounce it like an Italian! Italians don’t have an ‘h’ sound, so instead of “hotel”, it’s ‘otel.
M: Hotel
K: The final L sound is interesting, too. In English, L at the end of a word is pronounced at the back of your mouth. Try saying ‘all’ or ‘hotel’. Can you feel the back of your tongue lifting up? ‘L, L, L’ (back L)
Not so in Italian! L is always at the front - the tip of the tongue comes up just behind the teeth: L, L, L (front L)
You might notice that Italians tend to do this when they speak English too - instead of ‘all’ (back L) they say ‘all’ (front L). Instead of ‘hotel’ (back L), they say ‘otel’ (front L)
To say ‘otel’ like an Italian, you need to do the same thing. For the final L, the tip of the tongue comes up just behind the teeth: L, L, L. Listen to how Matteo pronounces the L.
M: Hotel x3
K: Once you get the hang of it, you’ll feel amazing as you pronounce these tricky words in Italian! Next, I said:
K: Ok ho tutto, partiamo! - OK, I’ve got everything, let’s go!
Ho - I have
Tutto - everything
Partiamo - we leave
K: Finally, Matteo said:
M - Aspetta… dov’è il mio costume? - Wait where are my swim trunks?
Aspetta - wait
Dov’è - where is
Il - the
Mio - my
Costume - swim trunks
M: There’s just one thing not quite right about this conversation…Normally, we only realise we forgot something once we’re at the albergo…
K: Yes… I can confirm… speaking of trying to not forget things - let’s hear the conversation again:
M: Katie è tardi!
K: Non trovo il mio costume
M: Ma andiamo in montagna…
K: Sì, ma l’albergo ha la piscina!
M: Interessante, c’è la colazione in camera?
K: Nooo, non è un hotel di lusso… Ok ho tutto, partiamo!
M: Aspetta… dov’è il mio costume?
K: …(sospira)
K: Albergo and hotel aren’t the only places you can stay in Italy… and there are a few more must-know words we’ve included in our blog on this topic. To see everything written down, and get bonus materials, like vocabulary cards and a quiz, head over to our website by clicking on the link in the description. Or go to joyoflanguages.com/italianpodcast and search for episode 102.
M - See you next time.
K - Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
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