Learn Hardcore Hungarian: A szállodában nemcsak turisták vannak, hanem üzleti vendégek is. - In the hotel there are not only tourists, but also business guests.

However, in the specific correlative structure with „hanem (is)” — not only … but (also) — the one-word form „nemcsak” is often preferred in more careful or formal writing:

A szállodában nemcsak turisták vannak, hanem üzleti vendégek is. ✅

Using „nem csak” here is not wrong in everyday usage, but „nemcsak … hanem … (is)” as a fixed pair is a common recommendation in style guides.

Why is „vannak” used here? In Hungarian you often drop “is/are”, right?

Hungarian often omits the verb „van / vannak” (to be) in present tense when it’s just linking a subject and a predicate noun/adjective:

Ő tanár. = He is a teacher. (no van)
Ők tanárok. = They are teachers. (no vannak)

But when you express location, time, or existence, you must use „van / vannak”:

A könyv az asztalon van. = The book is on the table.
A szállodában turisták vannak. = There are tourists in the hotel.

In your sentence, „A szállodában … vannak” describes who exists / is present at that location, so „vannak” cannot be omitted:

A szállodában nemcsak turisták vannak, hanem üzleti vendégek is. ✅
A szállodában nemcsak turisták, hanem üzleti vendégek is. ❌ (sounds wrong)

Why is „is” at the end of „üzleti vendégek is”? What does it do?

„is” is a focus particle meaning “also / too / as well”.

It normally comes right after the word it modifies:

turisták is = tourists too / also
üzleti vendégek is = business guests too / as well

In the pattern „nemcsak X, hanem Y is”:

X = not only X
Y is = but Y as well

So „üzleti vendégek is” means “business guests too”, and putting „is” at the end of that phrase is the normal Hungarian position.

Why is there a comma before „hanem”?

In Hungarian, „hanem” (meaning but rather / but instead / but) is an adversative conjunction, and it is normally preceded by a comma when it connects larger sentence parts:

Nem kávét kérek, hanem teát.
Nemcsak turisták vannak, hanem üzleti vendégek is.

So the comma in:

… nemcsak turisták vannak, hanem üzleti vendégek is.

follows a general punctuation rule: put a comma before „hanem”.

Why is it „szállodában” and not just „szálloda”? What does „-ban” mean?

The suffix „-ban / -ben” is the inessive case, meaning “in / inside”.

szálloda = hotel
szállodában = in the hotel

The choice between -ban and -ben depends on vowel harmony:

Words with back vowels (a, á, o, ó, u, ú) → -ban
Words with front vowels (e, é, i, í, ö, ő, ü, ű) → -ben

„szálloda” has the back vowel „á”, so:

szálloda + ban → szállodában

Hence:

A szállodában = In the hotel

Why is it „turisták” and „üzleti vendégek” without any article like „a / az”?

Hungarian often omits the article when talking about people or things in a general, non-specific sense, especially in plural:

Turisták vannak a városban.
There are tourists in the city. (tourists in general)
A turisták vannak a városban.
The tourists are in the city. (some specific tourists we both know about)

In your sentence:

turisták = tourists (in general)
üzleti vendégek = business guests (in general)

So:

nemcsak turisták vannak, hanem üzleti vendégek is
= there are not only tourists, but business guests as well (in general, not particular ones)

If you said:

nemcsak a turisták vannak, hanem az üzleti vendégek is

you would be referring to some specific, known groups of tourists and business guests.

What exactly does „üzleti vendégek” mean, and why is „üzleti” used?

vendég = guest
vendégek = guests (plural)
üzlet = business / shop
üzleti = business (as an adjective: business-related)

The ending -i often turns a noun into an adjective-like form:

ország (country) → országi (of/from a country)
üzlet (business) → üzleti (business-related)

So:

üzleti vendégek = business guests
i.e. guests who are there on business, not for tourism.

Can I change the word order, for example:
„Nemcsak turisták vannak a szállodában, hanem üzleti vendégek is.”?

Yes, that sentence is correct. Hungarian word order is flexible and mainly used for emphasis (focus).

Two natural variants:

A szállodában nemcsak turisták vannak, hanem üzleti vendégek is.
– Slightly more emphasis on „In the hotel” as the setting.
Nemcsak turisták vannak a szállodában, hanem üzleti vendégek is.
– Slightly more emphasis on the contrast between “tourists” and “business guests”.

Both mean essentially the same in everyday conversation. The difference is mostly which part you highlight.

Could I also say:
„A szállodában nemcsak turisták, hanem üzleti vendégek is vannak.”?

Yes, that is also correct and sounds very natural:

A szállodában nemcsak turisták, hanem üzleti vendégek is vannak.

Here, „vannak” is placed at the end and logically applies to both noun phrases:

nemcsak turisták … vannak
hanem üzleti vendégek is vannak

Comparing the two versions:

… nemcsak turisták vannak, hanem üzleti vendégek is.
… nemcsak turisták, hanem üzleti vendégek is vannak.

Both are grammatical; many speakers would use them interchangeably. Version 2 makes it a bit clearer that „vannak” belongs to the whole „nemcsak … hanem” pair.

What is the difference between „csak turisták vannak” and „nemcsak turisták vannak”?

csak turisták vannak
= there are only tourists (no one else, exclusively tourists)
nemcsak turisták vannak
= there are not only tourists (there are tourists and others as well)

So in your full sentence:

A szállodában csak turisták vannak.
There are only tourists in the hotel. (no other type of guests)

vs.

A szállodában nemcsak turisták vannak, hanem üzleti vendégek is.
In the hotel there are not only tourists, but business guests as well.

Can I use „hotelben” instead of „szállodában”? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:

A hotelben nemcsak turisták vannak, hanem üzleti vendégek is.

„szálloda” and „hotel” are very close in meaning. Differences:

szálloda – native Hungarian word; often a bit more neutral or formal.
hotel – international word; widely used, especially for branded hotels or in colloquial speech.

Grammatically, they behave the same:

szálloda → szállodában
hotel → hotelben (front vowels → -ben)

The choice is mostly style and vocabulary, not grammar.