Hotel and Restaurant Interactions
Hotel Check-in and Check-out
G: Hello, my name’s Ana. I have a reservation. R: Oh, yes. Good evening, madam. Welcome to the Hotel. Could you fill in this form, please? G: Sure. R: Can you sign here, please?… Thank you. Here’s your keycard. G: Thanks. Could I have an early-morning call? R: Yes, of course. At what time? G: At 6:45, please.
G: Good morning. Could I have my bill, please? R: Certainly, madam. Did you have anything from the minibar last night? G: No, nothing. R: Fine. Here’s your bill. G: Thank you. R: How would you like to pay? G: Can I pay by credit card? R: Yes, that’s fine. G: Good. I’ll pay by Mastercard then.
Ordering Food at a Japanese Restaurant
H: Right. Let’s order. G: Oh, I’m afraid I don’t know anything about Japanese food. What do you recommend? H: Well, for a starter, what about yakitori? G: Yakitori? What’s that? H: It’s small kebabs, with pieces of chicken and a vegetable called naganegi. G: Yes, I’d like to try that. H: Now, how about the main course? The shabushabu is usually very good here. G: What’s shabushabu? H: It’s thin pieces of beef and various vegetables which we cook at the table. G: Fine. I’ll have that.
G: Mm. This drink is delicious, but it’s quite strong. What is it? H: Umeshu. It’s a type of spirit made from barley and plums. Would you like some more? G: Thanks. Just a little. H: Now, what about a dessert? G: Thank you, but I couldn’t eat any more. H: Are you sure? Would you like coffee, then? G: Yes, that would be very nice. Thank you for a wonderful meal. H: You’re welcome.
Useful Phrases
- Recommending: What do you recommend? / The… is usually excellent here / I recommend…
- Offering: Do have some more… / What about…? / How about…? / Would you like…?
- Thanking and responding: Thank you for a really excellent meal / Thank you for a lovely evening / I’m glad you enjoyed it.
- Ordering: I’ll-We’ll have… / I’d-we’d like… / Could we have…?
- Declining: Thank you, but I couldn’t eat any more / No, thank you / No, but thanks all the same.
- Accepting: Yes, I’d like that / Yes, that would be very nice.
Vocabulary
Hotel
A double room has a double bed, a twin room has two single beds. You sit or lie in a bath but stand under a shower. A suitcase is one item of luggage and is a count noun. Luggage refers to several suitcases and is a mass noun. Half-board is bed, breakfast, and evening meal; full-board is bed, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A keycard is like a credit card; you put it into a slot to open the door. A bill shows the amount you have to pay. A receipt shows you have paid. Lift = British English, Elevator = American English.
- Car park
- Restaurant
- Lounge
- Cocktail bar
- Fitness room
- Hairdryer
- Air-conditioning
- Safe
- Conference facilities
- Swimming pool
Hotel facilities: Restaurant, cocktail bar, lounge, sauna, fitness room, car park, business center.
Guest rooms: Satellite TV, multi-line phone, computer and fax point, air-conditioning, minibar, 24-hour room service, hairdryer.
- In a guest room
- Over a door
- By a fire alarm
- and 5. Hanging on the door of a guest room
- and 7. By a phone in a guest room
Food
- Meat: Duck, beef, lamb, pork, chicken
- Fish/Seafood: Tuna, prawns, salmon, Dover sole
- Vegetables: Red pepper, cucumber, red cabbage, onions, potatoes, courgettes, aubergines
- Fruit: Lemon, pears, strawberries, grapes, peaches, cherries, apples
- Grilled
- Roast
- Boiled
- Fried
Focus on Functions
Hotel Booking
R: Hotel. Good morning. How may I help you? C: Hello. I’d like to book a single room. R: Yes, certainly, madam. When is that for? C: For Wednesday the 16th of June. R: And for how many nights? C: For one night. R: Ok. And could I have your name, please? C: Yes, it’s Ana. R: Fine. I’ll reserve a room for you immediately.
Mass and Count Nouns
- Mass: relaxation, stress, alcohol, coffee, butter, research, energy, traffic, information, news, money, advice
- Count: hours, computer, office, sandwich, parks, vegetables, healthy, meeting, business trip, article
- Mass and count: exercise/exercises, time/times, wine/wines, fruit/fruits, cheese/cheeses, sport/sports
| some | any | a lot of/lots of | much | many | a little | a few | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | x | x | x | x | x | ||
| Mass | x | x | x | x | x | ||
| + | x | x | x | x | x | ||
| – | x | x | x | ||||
| ? | x | x | x | x | x |
Grammar
- Present simple: (+) Subject + verb in -s or -es (-) don’t/doesn’t + verb (?) Do/Does + subject + verb?
- Present continuous: (+) Subject + are/is + verb in -ing (-) Subject + aren’t/isn’t + verb in -ing (?) Are/Is + subject + verb in -ing?
- Past simple: (+) Subject + verb in -ed or irregular (-) Subject + didn’t + verb (?) Did + subject + verb?
- Present continuous and going to + infinitive: (+) Subject + are/is + going to + verb (-) Subject + aren’t/isn’t + going to + verb (?) Are/Is + subject + going to + verb?