Where Did the Word “Arms” For Prestigious Hotels and Apartment Buildings Come From?

Some buildings are titled manors or halls and some call themselves arms, like the Windsor Arms in Toronto.

The use of the word arms is a practice dating back to old English inns, which proudly displayed the coat of arms or heraldic insignia of the local lord above the front entrance.

In America, there were no dukes or earls.

Instead, they used the word arms to convey prestige.

And that’s why prestigious hotels and apartment buildings are sometimes known as “Arms”.