hôtel

plural hôtels

1. archaicArchaic spelling of hotel.

   Personal merit and talent had been more considered than mere rank at the hôtel of the marquise, yet the most illustrious of the aristocracy frequented it.

   1878, Catherine Charlotte, “Les Coteries Précieuses”, in Old Paris; Its Court and Literary Salons, volume II, London: Richard Bentley and Son, page 90

   2 more examples

   The residences of some of the nobility in London were at one period called Inns, which has the same signification as hôtel, and several of the Inns of Court, as Gray’s Inn, Furnival’s Inn, Lincoln’s Inn, and Clifford’s Inn, were originally the residences of Lords Gray, Furnival, Lincoln, and Clifford. […] Many of the hôtels in Paris contain within their enclosed walls an extensive garden, spacious court, stables, and offices.

   1840, Charles Knight, “The Antiquities of France.”, in The Penny Magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, volume 9, page 204

   The price is high in the large and elegant hôtels in the opulent quarters; but more moderate rate in those situated in the interior of the city, where lodgings are simply neat and convenient. The hôtels the most splendid and expensive, are those of the quarters of Palais Royal, Tuileries and Chaussée-d’Antin. […] All these prices include the portage from the hôtel to, and from packet-boat to the hôtel. […] Among the many old Hôtels, the traveller, will notice: the hôtel of the Bouvardière; the hôtel of Drouges, and the episcopal palace.

   1840, Jean-Marie-Vincent Audin, The Traveller’s Classical Guide Through France