caravanserai

noun4

1. •
   (historical) A roadside inn, usually having a central courtyard where caravans (see sense 3) can rest, providing accommodation for travellers along trade routes in Asia and North Africa.

   • But not in sumptuous Caravansary / The adventurer idles there, / Nor satiates wonder with her pomp and wealth; […] — 1801
2. •
   A place resembling a caravanserai as being a place for resting temporarily, or a meeting place (especially one that is busy, or where people of different cultures encounter each other).

   • Only in Paris, a cosmopolitan caravansary in itself, did Americans and other foreigners fall nicely into the picture and spoil nothing in the charm of the place. — 1952
3. •
   Synonym of caravan (“a convoy of travellers, their cargo and vehicles, and pack animals”).
4. •
   (no longer used) A hostelry, an inn; also (humorous), an (upscale) hotel.