guesthouse

guesthouse — noun

1. a small, affordable hotel, often simpler than a standard hotel, where travellers

1.nounA2
Definition

a small, affordable hotel, often simpler than a standard hotel, where travellers can sleep overnight or stay for a short period.

Example

The Seaside guesthouse near the harbour offers rooms for just fifty dollars.

position phrase: near the harbour

Tariq and his sister stayed at a guesthouse while exploring the old city.

Common collocations
  • stay at a guesthouse
  • book a guesthouse
  • run a guesthouse
  • budget guesthouse
  • cosy guesthouse
  • small guesthouse
Synonyms
  • inn

    typically an older building that also serves meals and drinks to the public

  • hostel

    often has dormitory-style shared rooms and is cheaper than a guesthouse

  • B&B (bed and breakfast)

    usually someone's private home with just a few rooms; breakfast is included

Antonyms
  • resort

    a large hotel complex with extensive facilities and higher prices

Usage Note

This sense describes a business that accepts paying guests. Guesthouses are usually smaller and less expensive than hotels, and are common in tourist towns or rural areas.

Common Mistakes

We checked into a guesthouse and it had a huge gym and a swimming pool.
We checked into a guesthouse and it had a small garden and a shared kitchen.
guesthouses are small and simple, not large resort-style hotels.

2. a separate small house on the same property as a main house, built or set aside

2.nounB1
Definition

a separate small house on the same property as a main house, built or set aside for visitors to sleep or live in during their stay.

Example

The Okafor family built a guesthouse near the swimming pool for visiting relatives.

purpose clause: for visiting relatives

Élise uses the guesthouse as a quiet home office when no guests are staying.

Common collocations
  • build a guesthouse
  • stay in the guesthouse
  • private guesthouse
  • separate guesthouse
  • guesthouse on the estate
Synonyms
  • guest cottage

    nearly identical; cottage often suggests a more rustic or charming style

  • pool house

    specifically located by a swimming pool and may not have full bedroom facilities

  • annex

    often attached to or structurally connected to the main building, rather than fully separate

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 (BUDGET HOTEL). This sense refers to a private residential building for invited guests, not a business open to the public. The main house and guesthouse are usually part of the same private property or estate.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These words all describe places where travellers pay for overnight accommodation. An 'inn' is traditionally an older building that also serves meals and drinks to the public — think of a country pub with rooms upstairs. A 'hostel' offers shared dormitory-style rooms and is cheaper, with common kitchens and communal areas. 'B&B' (bed and breakfast) is usually someone's private home where you rent a bedroom and breakfast is included in the price. A 'motel' is designed for car travellers, with rooms opening directly onto a parking lot, typically found near highways. A 'guesthouse' sits between these options — smaller and more personal than a hotel, but more private than a hostel. For example, you might book a guesthouse for a weekend city break, stay at a hostel to meet other backpackers, or pull into a motel for a single night on a long drive.

inn ↗hostel ↗B&Bmotel ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • guesthouse owner
  • guesthouse room
  • guesthouse garden
  • guesthouse kitchen

Phrases

  • run a guesthouse
  • stay at a guesthouse
  • book a guesthouse
  • convert a house into a guesthouse

Prepositions

  • at a guesthouse
  • in a guesthouse
  • near the guesthouse
  • behind the main house

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'guesthouse' comes from Old English 'gæst' (a visitor) and 'hūs' (a building for dwelling). The two parts were joined into a single compound by the Middle English period, originally meaning any house where guests were received. By the 1500s, it had taken on the sense of a house offering paid lodging to travellers — the ancestor of the modern budget hotel meaning.