At hotel
This week we have some phrases that might be useful when working in the hotel industry and the tourist trade.
Cleaning and chambermaid work:
Your duties will include cleaning the rooms and doing the hotel laundry.
You will have to clean the rooms and do the hotel laundry.
We don't do the guests' own laundry, but if they ask, there is a laundrette opposite the station.
Change the bedclothes whether they need changing or not.
(Make the bed means put the bedclothes back on the bed so someone can sleep in it.)
The vacuum cleaner is kept in the cupboard behind the kitchen.
(A hoover is another name for a vacuum cleaner.)
Room eight has run out of soap. Could you replace it?
Could you bring some fresh towels to room fourteen?
If someone has a card with DO NOT DISTURB on their door handle, don't clean their room but come back later.
Receptionist work:
We have a double room or we can offer you two singles.
All the rooms have en suite facilities. = All the rooms have their own toilets and bathroom.
If you go out of the hotel, could you leave your key at reception, please.
We'll need some identification. Do you have a driving licence or passport?
Could you sign the register here please? Thank you.
Breakfast is served from seven to nine in the morning.
If you would like breakfast in bed, you will need to order it from reception.
You can contact room service and reception from the phone in your room.
If you would like to make an outside call, first dial 0. The call will automatically be billed to you.
Tourist attractions:
Tickets cost ten pounds for adults and five pounds for children and concessions.
(Concessions are people who get a reduction in ticket prices such as students and senior citizens.)
Here are your tickets and your receipt. Enjoy your visit.
Would you like to buy a guidebook as well?
There are guided tours every hour. They cost extra.
You can hire an audio guide as you go round the museum. Put the headphones on and turn this knob to select the language. The second control is the volume.
There is a souvenir shop just next to the exit. You can buy postcards and gifts there.
What could you say in these situations?
Situation one: You are working as a chambermaid and a guest says:
Excuse me, there's no hot water in my room.
Which of these is the best answer?
a) Turn on the hot tap.
b) I'm sorry, but that's not really my job. I'm just the cleaner.
c) I'll speak to the manager right away.
Situation two. You have a job as a hotel receptionist. A guest comes up to you with a document in their hand and asks:
Could you tell me if it is possible to send a fax from this hotel?
Which of these is the best response?
a) Yes, it is. Our fax number is 0045 177 833.
b) Unfortunately we don't have a fax machine for the guests' use.
c) No, you can't.
Situation three. You are selling tickets at Canterbury Cathedral and a tourist asks:
Where can I see the place where Thomas Becket was gunned down?
Which is the only appropriate reply, and why?
a) The place where he was killed is in the cathedral. There's a sign on the wall that shows the exact place.
b) I'm not sure myself. I'll have a look in the guidebook.
c) Listen you stupid tourist, Thomas Becket was killed with swords, not guns. Guns hadn't even been invented then. Honestly are you thick or something?
KEY
1c 2b 3a: It's not a good idea to start working in a famous tourist attraction unless you have made yourself familiar with what it is most famous for. It's even worse to be sarcastic to customers, however tempting it may be!