tokens: estimated using the total luminosity derived from spectral energy distribution fitting. Traditionally, MYSOs have been found to have luminosities similar to those of OB stars. Spectral types have rarely been determined directly in MYSOs, and not at all in the case of RMS MYSOs. Previously, Kendall, de Wit Yun ( 2003 ) observed H -band spectra of three MYSOs, IRAS 171753544, IRAS 174412910 and IRAS 180791756 at intermediate resolution ( R 5000). They found photospheric absorption lines in IRAS 180791756 and IRAS 171753544, and assigned spectral types of B3V and O7-8V, respectively, to these two objects. Most of our MYSOs show strong, broad H i emission, due to a stellar wind (see also Section 4.3 ). However, two of the objects in this sample (G015.128800.6717 and G034.050000.2977_A) display absorption in the Br10, Br11 and Br12 lines. There are also hints of absorption in Br and Pa, alongside the dominant emission in these two objects. The RMS survey quotes G015.1288 as having L bol =13000 L . This corresponds to a spectral type of B0.5 for a zero-age MS star, using the values from Straizys Kuriliene ( 1981 ). The absorption profiles in the H band of G015.1288 were compared with spectra of normal stars from the surveys of Hanson etal. ( 2005 ) and Meyer etal. ( 1998 ). A spectral type of F or later would be hard to reconcile with the MYSO data, as F stars have a large number of metal lines. In addition, early O spectral types do not match either, as their Brackett lines are weaker and narrower than observed for G015. Late O and B1-5 stars show a He i line at 1.70 m, at comparable or higher strength than the hydrogen absorption lines, and is not present here. We note that the NIR spectral surveys of Hanson etal. ( 2005 ) and Meyer etal. ( 1998 ) do not have complete spectral and luminosity type coverage. The only B-type sample spectra available are those for B1, B5 and B8. Therefore, given the presence and absence of diagnostic absorption lines, a spectral type later than B5 and earlier than A9 would be expected for G015.1288. However, the Br10-12 absorption in the B5-A9 stars is much stronger than observed for G015.1288. It is possible that a significant amount of excess could veil the H i absorption to a comparable level to our observations. This is illustrated in Fig. 2 , which zooms in on the Brackett lines in the H -band spectra of a number of normal B8-A7 stars with added excess continuum emission. Overplotted on these are the GNIRS data for G015.1288. A B8 star with added excess does not match the observed H i profiles, as the lines in this star are considerably narrower than in G015.1288. In addition, the He i line is still strong enough to be observed. The A0Ib profiles match the observations in strength, but are narrower. An A0V star has broader wings in the Brackett lines than G015.1288. In the absence of more observational MS star spectra to compare our data with, we conclude that G015.1288 has the spectrum of an early A giant or
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