# guesthouse

/ˈɡɛstˌhaʊs/ (US) · /ɡˈɛsthaʊs/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/guesthouse
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. a small hotel or B&B

noun · CEFR B1

a private house where you can pay to stay in a room and often have breakfast.

For teachers: a commercial lodging establishment, often a converted private residence, providing rooms and meals to paying guests.

- We stayed at a lovely guesthouse near the beach instead of a big hotel.
- The family-run guesthouse offered a more intimate experience than the local resorts, with the owners providing personalised recommendations for hiking trails.

### 2. a separate building for visitors

noun · CEFR B2

a small, separate building on someone's property used for visitors to sleep in.

For teachers: a secondary building on a residential estate designed to accommodate non-paying personal visitors.

- When my cousins visit, they usually sleep in the guesthouse in the garden.
- The estate includes a primary residence and a detached guesthouse, which the current owners have converted into a private studio for visiting artists.

## Examples

- We stayed at a small guesthouse near the beach.
- The local guesthouse provides a cozy atmosphere for travelers looking to explore the countryside without the noise of a city hotel.
- While the luxury resort offers high-end amenities, the nearby guesthouse provides a more authentic experience, allowing visitors to interact directly with the local community and enjoy traditional regional cuisine.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.