Stephenson:Neal:Quicksilver:559:Hotel d'Arcachon (Neal Stephenson)

From the Quicksilver Metaweb.

In the time and place of this novel, the word "Hotel" means something different from what it means today.

Today, it means a commercial establishment where people can pay for temporary lodging.

In Paris in 1685, it meant a private residential compound owned and occupied by a noble family; basically, it is their power base in the capital.