Song chords
Hotel California chords
Eagles
An eight-chord cycle in B minor that never repeats a chord until it comes back around, which is why it sounds like a story rather than a loop. It is the hardest chart on this list by some distance.
Before you start
The chords you need.
8 shapes covers the whole song. Tap any diagram’s play button to hear it, or open its page for every voicing on six instruments.
The chart
Section by section.
Key of B minor, no capo. Eight chords per cycle: Bm–F#–A–E–G–D–Em–F#. The unaltered F# major against a minor tonic is the harmonic-minor dominant, and it is what gives the song its Spanish edge. Hit play on any section to hear it walk through at 75 bpm.
Verse
8 barsEight chords, one per bar — no chord repeats inside the cycle.
Chorus
8 barsNeed it in a different key, or without the capo? Run it through the transposer — move every chord by the same interval and the song is unchanged.
Playing it
What actually trips people up.
Five of the eight shapes are barres. Learn the cycle at half speed with the F# as a simple two-finger power shape first, then fill it in.
The chart above is the commonly played arrangement — the version a competent player would hand you, not a bar-for-bar transcription of a specific master. Section labels are there to orient you; live and studio versions repeat, extend and drop sections freely, and none of that changes which chords you need.
About this page
Chord names and song structure are facts; for lyrics and official notation, support the artist. This page carries no lyrics on purpose — Hotel California was written and recorded by Eagles, and the words belong to them. What you get here is the harmony: the key, the capo, the tempo, and which chord goes where.
Next
Songs that sit near this one.
FAQ
Questions people actually ask.
What key is Hotel California in?
Hotel California is in B Minor, and it is played in that key with no capo — the chords you read here are the chords you hear.
Do I need a capo for Hotel California?
No. Hotel California is played open in B Minor. A capo will only move it out of the recorded key, which matters if you are playing along with the record.
What chords are in Hotel California?
Bm, F#, A, E, G, D, Em and F#7 — 8 chords across 2 sections. Key of B minor, no capo. Eight chords per cycle: Bm–F#–A–E–G–D–Em–F#. The unaltered F# major against a minor tonic is the harmonic-minor dominant, and it is what gives the song its Spanish edge.
What is the easiest way to play Hotel California?
Advanced overall. Five of the eight shapes are barres. Learn the cycle at half speed with the F# as a simple two-finger power shape first, then fill it in.
How fast is Hotel California?
About 75 bpm. Every section on this page plays back at that tempo, so you can hear how long each chord is meant to be held before you try it yourself.
Can I play Hotel California in a different key?
Yes — the progression is the song, not the letters. Move every chord by the same number of semitones and it still works. The transposer will do the arithmetic, or you can move the capo and keep these shapes.