What's the common word for restaurant?

[Blackfist]

I have been working through both the Pimsleur Mandarin 2nd edition program and the Michel Thomas Mandarin program and sometimes I find contradictions between them. This is one such an occasion.

The pimsleur disks use the word 饭店 for restaurant. However the Michel Thomas disks use a different word, 餐馆. I wouldn't normally be thrown by hearing two different terms for the same concept, but Michel Thomas also said that 饭店 used to mean restaurant and now it doesn't anymore. If you say 饭店 everyone understands that as hotel. Google translate, meanwhile, has a third word as the most likely word for restaurant: 餐厅.

So my question to the group is: what word is most commonly used for restaurant and is there some subtle difference between the meaning of these words? Also, does the commonly used word for hotel vary a great deal by region?

My second question is: what is the commonly used word for hotel? Michel Thomas is saying 饭店 and Pimsleur is saying 酒店.

[abcdefg]

...but Michel Thomas also said that 饭店 used to mean restaurant and now it doesn't anymore. If you say 饭店 everyone understands that as hotel.

Michael Thomas is wrong.

There are lots of ways to say almost anything in Chinese, and subtle differences exist, some of them regional. Would respectfully suggest that you don't get hung up on such matters right now as a beginner.

Learn a couple of words for restaurant now and a couple of words for hotel now, while you are at this early stage in the learning process. Then as you gain real-world experience, let the refinements creep in on their own.

Any attempt to overthink things like this when you are just starting out is likely to be counterproductive. At least that's my opinion; I'm sure others will have different, and equally valid, takes on it.

[Silent]

Without any doubt someone more knowledgeable will have a better answer as my Chinese is limited and had only two trips to China and in the first trip virtually all chinese signs were beyond me. I'ld say what is used more often depends on region and type of esthablishment. Possibly also a matter of personal preference.

As I recall it most eateries, at least the lower end ones, tend to advertise the type of food they serve rather then the fact that it's an eatery. So something like 串， 火锅 etc. In my perception 饭店 and 酒店 are often used by mid priced or above restaurants, hotel-restaurants etc. 餐厅 I've seen mostly used for low end restaurants and in the countryside. Personally I don't recall 餐馆 to be used.

饭店 and 酒店 are both commonly used for hotels. Usually midrange to higher range where I've the impression 酒店 is on average a bit more upmarket. I've the impression 宾馆 is most commonly used for a hotel, but I may be biased as these tend to be more lowbudget but still very adequate and consequently had my preference.

Edit:

I agree with abcdefg to not get hung up on the different words for the same thing too much. The use tends to be a bit fluid, get the general idea and the nuances will sink in with experience.

[skylee]

飯店/ 餐館 / 餐廳 are all ok for restaurant.

飯店/ 酒店 /賓館 are all ok for hotel. 旅館 is another applicable term. Also, I have once stayed in a place in Pingyao that calls itself 客棧 (this is a very old term).

The OP might want to take a look at the thread "Same thing, different names".

[WestTexas]

I think 饭馆 is probably the most common, generic word for restaurant around here. I don't think people usually refer to restaurants in general in conversation as 酒店. This is used in the names of lots of restaurants, but I think most people would use 饭馆，饭店，or 餐厅 to refer to restaurants in general, not 酒店. Could be wrong.

[Silent]

旅馆 is very good addition from Skylee. In general lower end then 宾馆, basicly always local standard (squat toilets/shower communal, often not too clean)。 Actually many 旅馆 felt like a rip off (clearly over charging a westerner), sometimes even a bit dodgy.