Don't you also pronounce the "h" in hotel? I always say (and write) "a hotel" instead of "an otel".

Depends what part of the UK you're in, where I grew up the H would be dropped. But yes, the proper English pronunciation would be "a hotel".

Thanks. English is not my first language and I never heard it with the H dropped before, so I was afraid I was just chronically exposed to an error and copied it.

Right, and occurring to the GP, you _don't_ pronounce the H in Hotel. The exact opposite is true in the US.

The neat thing is (to me), his rule still makes sense. If I were listening to someone who spoke a dialect of English different than mine, it would still sound natural if they chose their "a" vs "an" in the "right" way:

# yes a hotel an 'otel

# no an hotel a 'otel