noun

• (chiefly 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.
• (by extension) A place resembling a caravanserai (sense 1) 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).
• (by extension) Synonym of caravan (“a convoy of travellers, their cargo and vehicles, and pack animals”)
• (by extension, archaic) A hostelry, an inn; also (humorous), an (upscale) hotel.