1: Hi, my name is Olivier.

3: Welcome to Oxford Online English.

6: Do you travel abroad, for work or for pleasure?

10: If so, do you normally stay in hotels?

12: Are you comfortable using English to reserve a room, check in or out, and deal with any

19: problems you have during your stay?

21: In this lesson, you can learn how to use English in common hotel situations.

25: It can also help you if you work in a hotel.

28: Imagine you're traveling abroad and you need to arrange a hotel.

33: What's the first thing you need to do?

38: Nowadays, you'll often reserve your hotel room online, but sometimes you might need

44: to make a reservation by phone, or even in person.

47: Let's see how you can do this:

49: Hi, I'd like to make a reservation.

51: Yes, of course.

53: When would you like to check in?

54: On the 3rd of November.

57: And how many nights would that be for?

60: For three nights.

61: And what kind of room were you looking for?

64: A double room.

65: It's for my husband and me.

67: Ok.

68: We do have one double room available for those dates.

72: It's $80 a night, so that comes to $240 for the three nights.

78: Yes, that's fine.

80: Great.

81: Can I take your name?

82: Yes, it's Sarah Banks

84: Thank you, Ms. Banks.

86: Can I just take a credit card from you to make the booking?

88: Yes of course, here you are.

91: Okay Ms. Banks, that's all finished.

95: Is there anything else I can help you with?

97: Yes, could I have a confirmation emailed to me?

101: Yes of course, what's the email?

103: It's s dot banks at gmail dot com.

108: Okay, I'll send that over to you now.

111: Excellent, thank you very much.

113: You're welcome.

114: We look forward to seeing you.

116: Thank you, goodbye

117: Goodbye.

118: Let's look at some key phrases and useful vocabulary from this section.

124: You can start the conversation by saying something like:

127: I'd like to make a reservation for the 3rd of November, for three nights, please.

133: Of course, you can change this to suit your situation, like this:

138: I'd like to make a reservation for the 20th of May for one night, please.

144: The receptionist might ask you:

147: What kind of room are you looking for?

149: What could you say here?

151: You could ask for a single or a double room.

154: If you're travelling with a friend, you might ask for a twin room, with two separate

160: beds.

161: You could also ask for a triple room for three people, or maybe a family room, which might

166: have four or even more beds.

169: Finally, if you need a lot of space, you can ask for a suite.

173: A suite is like an apartment, with a living room, possibly a kitchen, and one or more

179: bedrooms.

180: The dialogue you just heard was easy-there were no problems or surprises-but what if

185: the hotel is full on the dates you want?

187: I'd like to make a reservation for the 20th of May for one night, please.

192: Very well, sir, and what kind of room do you need?

194: I'd like a triple room, please.

196: I'm sorry sir, but don't have any triple rooms available on that date.

201: It's a holiday period and we're almost fully booked.

204: I could offer you a family room, which has four beds.

207: Would that work for you?

209: That could work.

211: How much is it?

212: It's $195.

214: Ah, I see.

217: That's more expensive than the triple.

221: Is there any way you could offer a discount?

223: I'm sorry sir, as I said before, it's a holiday period and we expect to be very

228: busy at that time.

230: I see.

231: Alright, then.

232: I'll take it.

234: That's fine.

235: Can I take your name for the reservation?

237: This time, the conversation didn't go so smoothly.

240: The receptionist said:

242: We don't have any triple rooms available on that date.

245: The receptionist also gave a reason.

248: Do you remember what it was?

250: She said:

251: It's a holiday period and we're almost fully booked.

257: Fully booked means that every room has already been reserved.

262: You might also hear something like:

264: I'm afraid we don't have anything free on those dates.

269: Luckily, this time you were able to get a room, even if it was more expensive than you

275: were hoping for.

276: What's the next step?

282: You arrive at your hotel and go to reception to check in.

285: Do you know what you should say here?

287: Let's look together!

289: Hello, welcome to The Palm Hotel

291: Hello, I have a reservation; the name's Sarah Banks

295: Yes, I see that here.

298: I have you in a double room for three nights; is that correct?

304: Yes, that's right.

306: How many keys would you like?

307: Two, please.

309: Okay, here you are.

311: Enjoy your stay, Ms. Banks.

313: Thank you.

314: OK. That seemed easy.

317: And usually, it should be.

319: But perhaps there's a problem.

321: Let's look at an example that doesn't go so well.

326: Hello, welcome to The Palm Hotel Hello, I have a reservation.

330: What name was it under?

331: Sarah Banks.

333: I'm sorry, I don't have a reservation under that name.

338: How did you make the booking?

340: I did it on the phone.

341: I actually have a confirmation here with me, would that help?

345: Yes, please.

346: OK, yes, now I see the reservation.

350: I think there was a problem with the spelling.

353: I do apologize.

354: It's no problem.

355: Now, you've checked in and you're ready to enjoy your stay.

359: What next?

364: You might need to go back to reception to arrange extra services, or to ask about the

368: hotel's facilities.

370: Let's look at our first dialogue:

373: Is there anything else I can help you with, Ms. Banks?

375: Yes, I would like a wake-up call tomorrow, if possible.

378: Yes of course; what time would you like the call?

381: 7.30 please, actually. better make it 7.

386: Okay, no problem.

387: I'll make a note of that.

390: Also I need to go to the airport on Wednesday morning.

392: Do you offer a shuttle service?

394: Yes, we do.

396: What time's your flight?

397: It's at 10.30am.

399: Okay, we have shuttles to the airport every hour, so I think you could take the 8am shuttle.

406: Perfect, thank you.

408: The guest asked for two different things.

412: Do you remember what they were?

415: She asked for a wake-up call, and she asked about the airport shuttle.

421: A shuttle is a bus which drives between two places.

425: Many hotels offer airport shuttles, which drive between the airport and the hotel.

431: Let's look at some of the polite language from this dialogue.

434: To ask for a wake-up call, I said:

437: I would like a wake-up call tomorrow, if possible.

442: Adding if possible on the end of the sentence is not necessary, but it makes it sound more

447: respectful and polite.

449: To ask about the airport shuttle, I said:

452: Do you offer a shuttle service?

454: You could use this question to ask about other hotel facilities.

459: For example:

460: Do you offer 24-hour room service?

464: Do you offer a dry-cleaning service?

467: Do you offer conferencing facilities?

472: Can you think of anything else you could ask about here?

477: Let's see some more ways to ask about hotel facilities:

481: Hello, how can I help you?

483: Yes, hello.

485: I need some restaurant recommendations.

487: Okay, no problem.

489: Our concierge on the other side of the lobby can recommend a good restaurant and help you

495: to make reservations.

496: Thank you.

498: Also, I wanted to ask: what kind of gym facilities do you have?

503: We have a complete gym and small swimming pool just down this corridor.

508: The swimming pool also has a sauna and a steam room.

511: Wonderful!

512: Thanks for your help.

514: Oh, actually, one last thing: what's the WiFi password for the hotel?

519: It's Palmbeachhotel.

521: All one word, with a capital P at the start.

526: And that works everywhere in the hotel?

528: Yes, it does.

529: Thank you very much.

531: You're welcome.

532: Let's look at some of the useful language from this dialogue.

535: A concierge works in a hotel and can help guests to arrange things in the local area.

541: For example, a good concierge can help you to book theatre tickets, find the best Thai

546: restaurant in town, or organize a sightseeing tour of the city.

550: The phrase I wanted to ask is a good way to introduce a question politely.

557: You can use it in many ways.

559: For example:

560: I wanted to ask: is it possible to check out one hour late?

566: I wanted to ask: what time is breakfast?

569: Okay, at this point, you've checked in and you're getting comfortable.

575: But what if something goes wrong?

581: Hello, do you need any help?

583: Yes, I have a few problems with my room.

587: Okay, I'm sorry to hear that, what seems to be the problem?

592: Well, first of all there's an issue with the heating.

595: It's very hot, and I can't seem to turn it down.

598: Okay, I'll send somebody to take a look at that.

601: Was there anything else?

603: Yes, actually.

604: I'm not sure if it's normal, but my key doesn't always work in the door.

609: Sometimes I have to put it in five or six times before it works.

612: Am I doing something wrong?

614: I'm sure you aren't, madam!

616: Sometimes, older key cards don't work so well.

620: Let me make you a new key right now.

622: That's great; thanks so much for your help.

624: You're very welcome.

626: Here's a good phrase to use if you have a problem during your hotel stay:

630: There's an issue with.

632: For example:

633: There's an issue with the sink in the bathroom.

637: Can you think of any other ways you could say this?

641: You could say something like:

643: Something's wrong with the sink in the bathroom.

647: I think there's a problem with the sink.

650: Next, let's look at one more example where things don't go so well.

656: Yes, can I help you with something?

658: I'd like to make a complaint.

660: My room hasn't been cleaned properly.

663: I'm very sorry about that, sir.

665: What exactly is wrong?

667: There's dust everywhere and I found a hair on the pillow which definitely isn't mine.

675: I have to say this is unacceptable.

678: If I'm paying this much money, the least I should be able to expect is clean bedding.

684: I completely agree sir, and once again, I'm very sorry.

687: Here's what I can do for you: I can offer you a complimentary upgrade to a deluxe room.

693: I'll also make sure that housekeeping double-check the room before you use it, so that we can

697: be sure it's perfectly clean.

699: Well, that's fine, but still, this sort of thing shouldn't happen.

705: You're right, of course.

707: I'll communicate this issue to our management so we can investigate and find out exactly

711: why this happened.

712: When can I move rooms?

714: As soon as you're ready.

716: Just call reception and we'll send someone to help you with your bags.

720: This time, the situation was a little tenser.

723: However, you can see some good phrases here to express anger without being rude.

730: For example:

732: I have to say this is unacceptable. This sort of thing shouldn't happen.

739: The least I should be able to expect is.

743: These phrases are interesting, because they're quite formal, but they also express quite

748: strong emotion.

750: Normally, formal language is cold-sounding and emotionless, but using phrases like these

756: shows that you're really unhappy with the situation.

759: Now, your problems have all been solved and it's time to go home again.

763: What's the last thing you have to do?

768: Hi, I'd like to check out please.

771: Yes of course; how was your stay?

773: Very nice, thank you.

776: Here is a copy of your bill.

778: The room and tax are already paid, so these are just the extras.

782: That seems fine, can you put it on my credit card?

785: Yes of course, I'll just do that now.

788: What extras might you have to pay?

792: You might have to pay for any drinks or snacks you take from the minibar.

796: You might also be charged for phone calls, room service, or movies.

801: In the dialogue above, everything was fine.

805: What if there are things on your bill which you don't agree with?

808: Hello, can I help you?

810: Hi, I'd like to check out please.

812: Certainly.

813: Here's your bill.

817: The total seems higher than I expected; what exactly are these additional charges?

822: Let me have a look. OK, this payment is for the water and snacks

828: you had from the minibar, and it looks like this is a phone call that was made to the

834: United States.

835: Right, I see now.

836: Yes, that's fine.

838: I'd like to pay cash, if that's OK?

840: Yes, no problem.

843: Thank you for staying with us.

844: Now, the next time you stay in a hotel and need to use English, you should know what

848: to say in any situation!

850: You can find more free English lessons on many different topics on our website.

855: Check it out: Oxford Online English.com.

859: Thanks for watching!