innkeeper

American  

[in-kee-per] / ˈɪnˌki pər /

noun

1. a person who owns or manages an inn or, sometimes, a hotel.

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innkeeper British  

/ ˈɪnˌkiːpə /

noun

1. an owner or manager of an inn

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Etymology

Origin of innkeeper

First recorded in 1540–50; inn + keeper

Example Sentences

Often have I recalled the scene in John Buchan’s spy thriller “The 39 Steps” when the protagonist, Richard Hannay, tells his true but unlikely story to an innkeeper.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

But Ms. Rolikova, the innkeeper, thought it was important to see it, and so she opened the padlocked door to reveal a palimpsest of Russia over the past century.

From New York Times • Aug. 6, 2023

The innkeeper, for instance, is infatuated with a guest named Jack, an actor who may also be a fugitive; he claims to have pensions from both the Confederate and Union armies.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2023

Audience members also got a glimpse of Olivia Colman as a Cockney innkeeper and Sally Hawkins as Wonka's mother.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2023

The Inn of Bree was still there, however, and the innkeeper was an important person.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien