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Komforthotel

English translation: comfortable hotel

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Komforthotel
English translation:comfortable hotel
Entered by: Courtney Sliwinski

23:16 Mar 21, 2008
German to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - Tourism & Travel / Hotel Description
German term or phrase: Komforthotel
Is there an actual term for this in english. I can't use comfort hotel because this is a hotel chain (and this hotel is not part of it). Boutique hotel doesn't fit the description either. Any suggestions, I'm tired!
Courtney Sliwinski
Local time: 22:08
Hotel plus description/adjective
Explanation:
I always hate encountering such Gerlish hybrids.
My advice:
1) Keep English grammar & common sense firmly in mind and write only "hotel" -- you can build in the adjectives "comfortable" or "luxury" or whatever your context calls for somewhere,
or 2) Ask the client to specify what they mean by that non-word: i.e. luxury, high-quality, etc..... If they don't offer a proper answer, see #1.

IMO, it's not my job to incorporate a German author's false assumptions about what the Engl. language will tolerate.
HTH, Beth

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 hrs (2008-03-22 12:34:40 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I was not intending to claim that Komfort is English, Nicole, and your extremely inappropriate and disturbingly unprofessional email sent to my personal account has been deleted. Ende der Geschichte.

Working as a translator in Austria for two decades now, I've lost track of how often I've seen "Komforthotel" used, and when I'd ask the client about it, they most often said they meant the obvious – their hotel is "schön, komfortable, ruhig". (Not a one using 'Komforthotel' ever "admitted" they ran a luxury hotel, strangely enough.)

Anyway, I often ended up doing some research about the hotel itself and incorporated that description, to help it sell itself, thus avoiding slavishly translating the term 'Komforthotel' literally.

I see David and Chris's suggestions tend toward this solution too, and I agree with their versions. Your context/client will tell you for sure.

Continuing good luck in parsing this favourite (Austrian-tourism) Gerlishism, Courtney!
:-)
BJ
Selected response from:

Beth Jones
Austria
Local time: 22:08
Grading comment
Ahh Gerlish. Even if the word may not be of English origin, I think you are on the right track. Thanks!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2first-class/excellent hotel
David Moore (X)
5Luxury Hotel
Chris Hughes
4 +1Hotel plus description/adjective
Beth Jones


Discussion entries: 4





  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Luxury Hotel


Explanation:
Comfort would be inappropriate here - the common term for this is simply luxury - which conveys the same idea

Chris Hughes
Local time: 22:08
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Barbara Wiebking
4 hrs
disagree  David Moore (X): No, Chris - "luxury" is reserved for five-star hotels, which this isn't! Whatever its proprietor may say..."Komforthotel, which he does say, is not a "Luxushotel", or he'd SAY so.
7 hrs
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9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
first-class/excellent hotel


Explanation:
We must bear in mind that hotel standards - and their attendant star ratings - vary widely from country to country. Have you ever stayed in a four-star hotel in Italy? (IMO, they'd need at least ten to reach the English or German "five-star" standard.)

But the site below gives a very fair guide to what the general perception is:

The Human Resources Glossary: The Complete Desk Reference for Hr ... - Google Books Result
by William R. Tracey - 2003 - Business & Economics - 824 pages
... same bunk at different times. hotel classifications In meeting management, ... first class (four star), standard (three star), and economy or budget. ...
books.google.co.uk/books?isbn=1574443518

David Moore (X)
Local time: 22:08
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 81

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Nicole Schnell: Not bad. If hotel rooms / Starbucks coffee / condoms: small is the new medium, medium is the new super-duper. :-)//@Writeaway: Full service hotel?? As opposed to a B&B or Hotel Garni? Sorry, ouch.//The LA Ramada has cockroaches.
2 hrs
agree  writeaway: or full-service hotel? @Nicole. ounch? really? "the Ramada Plaza Hotel is a six-year old outstanding full service hotel offering amenities and service for the most discriminating http://www.albahotels.com/dir/102982x494634x495592-Shelton.h...
3 hrs
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30 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Hotel plus description/adjective


Explanation:
I always hate encountering such Gerlish hybrids.
My advice:
1) Keep English grammar & common sense firmly in mind and write only "hotel" -- you can build in the adjectives "comfortable" or "luxury" or whatever your context calls for somewhere,
or 2) Ask the client to specify what they mean by that non-word: i.e. luxury, high-quality, etc..... If they don't offer a proper answer, see #1.

IMO, it's not my job to incorporate a German author's false assumptions about what the Engl. language will tolerate.
HTH, Beth

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 hrs (2008-03-22 12:34:40 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I was not intending to claim that Komfort is English, Nicole, and your extremely inappropriate and disturbingly unprofessional email sent to my personal account has been deleted. Ende der Geschichte.

Working as a translator in Austria for two decades now, I've lost track of how often I've seen "Komforthotel" used, and when I'd ask the client about it, they most often said they meant the obvious – their hotel is "schön, komfortable, ruhig". (Not a one using 'Komforthotel' ever "admitted" they ran a luxury hotel, strangely enough.)

Anyway, I often ended up doing some research about the hotel itself and incorporated that description, to help it sell itself, thus avoiding slavishly translating the term 'Komforthotel' literally.

I see David and Chris's suggestions tend toward this solution too, and I agree with their versions. Your context/client will tell you for sure.

Continuing good luck in parsing this favourite (Austrian-tourism) Gerlishism, Courtney!
:-)
BJ

Beth Jones
Austria
Local time: 22:08
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
Ahh Gerlish. Even if the word may not be of English origin, I think you are on the right track. Thanks!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Nicole Schnell: Wondering about "G. author's false assumptions". A Komforthotel is a hotel with a minimum of three stars, rooms with internet access, etc. Not every word that remotely looks like English is an anglicism.//E. was nice&pointed out typos&hysterical grammar
52 mins
agree  casper (X): What's a "Gerlish hybrid", Beth? I've never come across this before.//Hmmm..I knew the word "Denglish",but hv just learnt a new word ["Gerlish"].Thanks, Beth
2 hrs
  -> Sorry Chetan, I was wrong to assume something like that would be clear. I meant "Ger(man-eng)lish" AKA "Denglisch usage; that is, a word is invented, (too) often without a correct or grammatical meaning.
agree  writeaway: I agree with what you mean. I encounter this a lot in Dutch as well. Attempt to sound 'chic' by incorporating (meaningless or incorrectly used) English or other foreign languages. I had no idea 'comfort hotel' is a Latin term ;-)
12 hrs
  -> Yes, that's what the hotels do a lot here -- can't blame them. How many ski shacks in Colorado are called "chalets"? ;-)
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