Hotel Vocabulary

Welcome to our video on essential hotel vocabulary! In this video, we’ll cover the most important terms and phrases you need to know when staying at a hotel. From checking in to making special requests, we’ve got you covered. Perfect for travelers, this guide will help you navigate your next hotel stay with ease. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell for more language learning videos!

Vocabulary

Practice how to use Hotel vocabulary.

Introduction:

Host: Hello and welcome to the English Magnet. Today’s video: Hotel Vocabulary Made Easy! What’s not to love about hotels: you don’t have to make your bed and you can usually watch TV while in bed! We hope you all get to enjoy a relaxing stay in your favorite exotic land! Familiarizing yourself with key hotel terms can significantly improve your experience. So in this video, we’ll cover key words related to booking, arriving, staying and staying a hotel. Plus, we’ll explore essential phrasal verbs and common questions. Let’s get to it!

Part 1: Booking

You’re at home and making a reservation for your hotel of choice, it’s all about planning!

Reservation / Booking: Holding a hotel room for a stay.

Availability: Referring to a hotel room being free or not booked.

Check-in date: The date on which a guest (that’s you!) is scheduled to arrive. Check-out date: You guessed it, the date on which a guest is scheduled to leave.

Confirmation number: A unique number provided to confirm a booking. (if you lose it, it’s probably in your inbox, no stress)

Deposit: An advance payment to secure or hold a reservation.

Cancellation policy: The rules regarding the undoing of a reservation. (check for the date allowing a refund)

Rate: The cost of a room per night.

Package deal: A special offer that combines several elements, such as room and breakfast, at a discounted rate.

Room preference: Specific requests for room types (e.g., single, double, suite).

Non-refundable: Once payment is made, it cannot be returned or reimbursed if you cancel or change your plans.

Part 2: Arriving

Best part, you have arrived at your hotel!

Check-in: The process of registering and receiving a room key upon arrival. (yes, that’s happening on your check-in date)

Front desk: The reception area where guests check in.

Lobby: The main entrance area of a hotel.

Room Key / Room Card: A regular key or an electronic card used to access the room.

Concierge: A hotel staff member who provides guests with information and assistance.

Valet parking: A service where a staff member parks the guest’s car.

Elevator/Lift: A machine used to transport guests and their bags to different floors. You’re on vacation, skip the stairs!

ID Verification: A document, such as a passport or driver’s license, used to verify a guest’s identity.

Tourist tax: A tax on visitors who stay in hotels in touristic areas (usually about a couple of dollars per person per night)

Room Upgrade: An offer for a better room category than the one originally booked, often as a courtesy or for an additional fee. (maybe you get an upgrade just by asking nicely, can’t blame someone for trying!) 😉

Part 3: Staying

Ok, that’s actually better than simply arriving at the hotel, now you actually get to enjoy yourself!

Housekeeping: The service responsible for cleaning and maintaining rooms.

Mini-bar: A small refrigerator stocked with drinks and snacks in the room. You will pay a lot of money for these snacks, but it’s pretty convenient.

Room service: A service that delivers food and beverages to rooms. A simple phone call or online order and the food and drinks will be sent to your door.

Complimentary: Something given free of charge like a breakfast or a coffee kit.

Wake-up call: A phone call from the hotel to wake up a guest at a specified time. Usually for people on a business trip. (and without an alarm on their phone!) 😉

Do not disturb: A sign indicating that the guest does not want to be bothered. Peace and quiet!

Room amenities: Additional features provided in the room, such as toiletries (shower gel, shampoo, soap and so on), a coffee maker, or a safe.

Safe: A secure box in the guest room for valuables.

Bed Sheets: Large pieces of cloth that cover a mattress.

Breakfast buffet: A self-service meal offered in the morning. Go big, you might even skip lunch! 😉

Part 4: Leaving

All good things must come to an end, time to go back home.

Check-out: The process of paying the bill and returning the room key when leaving the hotel.

Bill/Invoice: The written information on the charges incurred during the stay.

Luggage room / baggage room: A service that allows guests to leave their bags after checking out. Maybe your flight or train leaves later than your check-out time.

Late check-out: An arrangement to leave the hotel later than the standard check-out time.

Shuttle service: Transportation provided by the hotel to nearby locations, such as the airport.

Receipt: A document confirming payment.

Room Inspection: A check conducted by hotel staff to ensure everything in the room is in order once a guest has left. Keep things in decent shape and you won’t have any extra charges.

Feedback form: A form for guests to provide comments about their stay.

Express check-out: A faster check-out process where guests settle their bill in advance.

Taxi Service: Ordering of a taxi by the front desk after a request by a guest. You can order a taxi for a night in town or when leaving for the airport, it’s up to you!

Part 5: Useful phrasal verbs

Plenty of phrasal verbs (verb + preposition) are used in a hotel context. Let’s go over their meanings and some examples.

Look forward to: To expect something will happen with a sense of pleasure.

Example: We look forward to enjoying the hotel’s spa services.

Check in: To register and get a room upon arrival at a hotel. Check out: To settle the bill and leave a hotel.

Example: We will check in at the front desk when we arrive.
Example: We need to check out by noon tomorrow.

Settle in: To become comfortable in a new place.

Example: It took us a few hours to settle in after we arrived at the hotel; unpacking and showering helped a lot.

Turn on: To activate or start a device. Turn off: To deactivate or stop a device.

Example: Could you turn on the air conditioning in our room?
Example: I forgot to turn off the TV last night, I woke up this morning and it was still on.

Turn down: To reduce the volume OR To refuse.

Example: Could you turn down the TV? It’s too loud.
Example: We turned down the free shuttle service since we’re not going to the airport.

Hang up: To end a phone call.

Example: Sir, your booking is confirmed you may hang up. Have a pleasant day!

Freshen up: To quickly wash and make oneself feel clean and refreshed.

Example: After our long flight, we need to freshen up before dinner.

Drop by: To visit briefly or casually.

Example: You can drop by the concierge desk if you need any information.

Run out of: To use up all of something.

Example: We ran out of towels and had to call housekeeping for more.

Check over: To examine something carefully.

Example: Make sure to check over your room before you check out to ensure you haven’t left anything behind.

Part 6: Common questions

Being away from home in a hotel often requires assistance because you’re outside your normal comfort zone. So here is a list of common questions travelers tend to ask to facilitate their hotel experience. Let’s look at them:

When booking a room (you might be asking these questions over the phone or in writing):

Is breakfast included in the price?

Do I need to pay anything extra on arrival?

Can I book a room with a view?

Can I check in early?

How do you accommodate a late check-in?

At check-in:

What time is breakfast served?

Where can I find the elevator/lift?

Can I get assistance with my bags?

Is there a concierge service?

How do I request an invoice?

During your stay:

How do I connect to the Wi-Fi?

Can I get extra towels / pillows?

How do I access the gym/pool/spa?

Is room service available 24/7? (24/7 = 24 hours 7 days a week, so all the time!)

Can you recommend a restaurant nearby?

At check-out:

Can you store my baggage after check-out?

Can you arrange transportation to the airport?

Can you call a taxi for me?

Do I need to settle any charges?

How do I leave a review for my stay?

Hotel staff are dedicated to assisting you, but a ‘sorry’, ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ generally go a long way too. 🙂

Wrap up

Host: There you go, hotel vocabulary made easy. Enjoy your next stay at a hotel, but enjoy yourself out on the town as well! And if you’re in the mood, watch more of our videos as you settle in your hotel room! A link to some free material to practice by yourselves can be found in the description below. Keep practicing, and you’ll get the hang of it. Thank you for watching. Until next time!