UPP.INT.12.6. HOTELS

I. CHECKING IN TO A HOTEL 

1. HOTEL FEATURES

Rooms and beds

The names for room types vary widely from hotel to hotel, but names for bed sizes are fairly standardized. The standard room comes with a queen-sized bed or two doublebeds. The deluxe suite comes with a king-sized bed. Extras When you stay at a hotel, make sure you know what extras (extras) come with the room and what you must pay for separately. With the executive suite, you get complimentary breakfasts in  the executive lounge. With the classic room, you get free Wi-Fi. Incidental charges You will almost always have to leave a deposit (deposit) when you check in. This is to cover incidental (incidental) expenses.

Your deposit covers anything you eat or drink from the minibar.
Long-distance phone calls and special movies are incidental charges.


2. CHECKING IN TO A HOTEL

Checking in

The initial part of checking in to a hotel is very straightforward. A: Hi. I'd like to check in. B: May I see your passport, please? A. Here you go. A: OK, Mr. Jackson. You're here for three nights. You booked a standard, nonsmoking room. B: That's right. Discounts and upgrades Hotels often will try to upsell customers by offering discounts for more expensive rooms, especially in the off-season. We're running a special offer right now.Our deluxe suites are 30% off.I can offer you a big discount on a deluxe suite. Checking and confirming Don't hesitate to ask questions or paraphrase information to make sure you understand what is being offered. Once you have all the details, you can accept or decline the upsell.

Could you give me more information about the deluxe suites?
How much does it cost to upgrade?

In other words, for an extra $40, I get a bigger room and bed, free Wi-Fi and breakfast?

So, what's the deposit for?

The upgrade sounds good. I'll do it.

No, thank you. I'm not interested.

2. LISTENING FOR NUMBERS

When you check into a hotel, listen carefully for numbers. Remember that numbers that end in –teen, such as thirteen and fourteen, are easy to confuse with numbers that end in –ty, such as thirty and forty. Numbers that end in –ty have emphasis on the first syllable.

If you aren't sure if you heard correctly, ask for confirmation by saying each number individually.

A. You'll be in room 1316.

B. Sorry. That was 3016?

A. No, 1316. Room 1-3-1-6.

II. RESOLVING PROBLEMS WITH A ROOM 

1. PROBLEMS WITH YOUR HOTEL ROOM

Technical problems

There are a number of electronic devices in hotel rooms that can cause problems. The remote control for the TV is broken. The thermostat isn't working. It's really hot in my room! The bathroom lights aren't working. The smoke detector went off at 3 a.m. Other problems Here are some other problems you might have with your room. The sheets are dirty. My nonsmoking room smells like cigarette smoke. There's a large stain on the carpet. There are no towels in the bathroom. 2. HOTEL ROOM PROBLEMS Reporting a problem and asking for help After you ask for help, the front desk will send someone from maintenance for technical problems or housekeeping for most other problems. Notice how the verbs have and send are used in the dialogues.

A: My sheets are dirty. Could you have someone from housekeeping come up?
B: I'll have someone go up now.

A: The remote for my TV isn't working. Could you send someone from maintenance? B: Someone will be right up. Two useful expressions for dealing with the front desk are on the way and on hold. A: Do you mind if I put you on hold? I need approval from my supervisor. B: No, I don't mind. A: My thermostat is broken. Could you have someone from maintenance come up? B: He's on his way.

III. GETTING HELP FROM THE CONCIERGE 

1. MAKING ARRANGEMENTS

Asking the concierge for help

In large hotels, it is the job of the concierge to help guests make arrangements for travel and entertainment. A: Excuse me. B: How may I help you? A: I was wondering if you could help me plan my evening. B: I'd be happy to help. What are you interested in? A: Well, I'd really like to see some of the city. Considering possibilities A good concierge can give you many options or possibilities and help you make reservations. B: There are two options: a river cruise and a double-decker tour bus. A: A river cruise sounds good. Indirect requests When requesting help from a concierge, it is common to use an indirect, or polite, expression. Notice that the word wondering can be followed by if or whether. Is there anything in particular that you're interested in? I was wondering if there's a city tour available. I was wondering whether you could help me find a good Chinese restaurant. What I was thinking about was a jazz nightclub. I'd be happy to take care of all the arrangements. 2. EXTRA INFORMATION WITH "WICH" Adding information with *which* To add extra information to a sentence, you can use a clause with which. Notice that, because these clauses add non-essential information, there is a comma (,) to mark off the clause. The river cruise, which would show you some of London's most famous monuments, includes dinner. I don't recommend the double-decker bus, which is crowded and noisy. The Ink Spot, which is very near here, often has famous jazz bands.3. CONFIRMING ARRANGEMENTS When you have decided what you want to do, confirm with the concierge that everything is complete. A: So, I'm OK for both the restaurant and the nightclub?B: Yes. You're all set. A: It sounds as if it's all taken care of.B: Yes. I've made all the arrangements. A: Do I need tickets or anything?I'm printing out your voucher for the cruise now.

IV. WRITING A HOTEL REVIEW 

1. DESCRIBING A HOTEL

Here are some ways to describe a hotel experience.

It's a very upscale hotel with lots of amenities.
The staff was very attentive and friendly.
The room was very spacious, and the bathroom was very luxurious. It even had a spa!
The carpet in the lobby was in poor condition.
The concierge was incompetent and disorganized.
The level of cleanliness could have been better.


2. STRONG FEELINGS

Expressing strong feelings about your hotel

When you stay in a hotel, you may have some very strong feelings or opinions about aspects of your experience.

Overall, it was a fantastic experience! The rooms were luxurious and spacious. The amenities were absolutely perfect. The location can't be beat! It's right in the middle of the upscale shopping district.I was terribly disappointed by the level of cleanliness. The rooms smelled bad.I was pleasantly surprised by the exceptional service we received. Everyone was pleasant and competent.I really wasn't expecting the staff to be so unfriendly and incompetent.We had a mixed experience here. The staff was lovely, but the hotel is in very poor condition. It needs new paint and carpet badly.3. HOTEL REVIEW Writing an online hotel review Online hotel reviews have some special characteristics. They are short and not always written in complete sentences. Your review may be read by hundreds of people, so give a fair and balanced view. Notice these characteristics in the review below. Good location and facilities, room service and daily cleanup were very poor. Food quality was disappointing. Swimming pool and spa were quite nice.