I stress the 2nd syllable ( ho-TEL), but it is soft.

Hi! I am a native speaker and a professional teacher. ☺️ We pronounce it ho-TEL. I hope this helps. If you need any more help, I teach pronunciation classes. Feel free to look at my profile!

You don't need to stress either syllable - just make them equal.

I also stress the second syllable, but I think I've heard other native English speakers stress the first.