Crossword Genius

Respectful way to address male relative keeping a hotel (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

sahib

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'respectful way to address male' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'relative keeping a hotel' is the wordplay.
'relative' becomes 'sib' (sib is short for sibling).
'keeping' means one lot of letters goes inside another (some letters kept inside).
'hotel' becomes 'h' (phonetic alphabet: alpha, bravo, charlie etc.).
'a'+'h'='ah'
'sib' going around 'ah' is 'SAHIB'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for sahib that I've seen before include "European in India" , "Cultured man" , "Asian title" , "Sir (raj)" , "A term for an Englishman in India" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.