Almost nobody walks into a hotel at exactly the right hour. You are early and the room is not ready, or you are landing at one in the morning. Both situations run on the same handful of sentences.
1. Four hours too early
Mei: We're a bit early. Is the room ready yet?
Staff: Not until two, I'm afraid.
Mei: Can we leave our bags somewhere?
Staff: We can look after them until two.
Mei: That's a relief. We'll come back then.
Staff: I'll have your key card waiting.
2. Asking to get in sooner
Dan: Is there any chance of an early check-in?
Staff: Let me see what's free upstairs.
Dan: I've been on a night flight.
Staff: I can get you in at twelve, not before.
Dan: Twelve is fine. I'll wait.
3. Landing after midnight
Priya: We land late. Will anyone be here?
Staff: The front desk is open all night.
Priya: Good. It'll be a late arrival, around one.
Staff: I'll note it. Otherwise the system marks you a no-show.
Priya: That's exactly what I was worried about.
Staff: Don't be. The room will be waiting.
4. Somewhere to sit
Tom: Is there somewhere to sit while we wait?
Staff: The lobby, just past the lift.
Tom: Is there coffee down there?
Staff: There is, and it's free until eleven.
Tom: That'll keep us going.
5. Two cards, one room
Noor: Could we have two cards for the room?
Staff: Of course. One each.
Noor: Does it open the front door at night?
Staff: It does. Hold it against the grey pad.
Noor: Good to know. Thank you.
6. Coming back at two
Leo: We're back. Is the room ready now?
Staff: It is. Room 304, third floor.
Leo: And our bags?
Staff: Already up there. The lift's on your left.
Leo: That was quick. Thank you.
Staff: Enjoy your stay.
7. A whole day late
Ivy: Our first flight was cancelled. We're a day late.
Staff: I'm sorry to hear that. Your room is still here.
Ivy: Will we be charged for last night?
Staff: For the first night, yes. The rest is unchanged.
Ivy: I understand. Thank you for keeping it.
8. Checking in for someone else
Sam: I'm checking in for my parents. They're just outside.
Staff: No problem. Are they staying the same nights?
Sam: Same nights. Near us, if that's possible.
Staff: I can put them across the corridor.
Sam: That works. Thank you.
Staff: Here are both sets of cards.
Words to know
| front desk | The counter where you check in, ask questions and hand back your key. It is staffed day and night in most hotels. The front desk is open all night. |
| key card | The plastic card that opens your room, and often the front door too. I'll have your key card waiting. |
| lobby | The open area just inside the entrance, with chairs. Where you wait when your room is not ready. The lobby, just past the lift. |
| look after | To keep something safe for someone for a while. Hotels look after bags; they do not keep them. We can look after them until two. |
| ready | Cleaned and free for you to go into. A room is ready, never finished. Is the room ready yet? |
| lift | The small room that carries you up to your floor. Americans say elevator; both are understood. The lift's on your left. |
| no-show | A guest who books a room and never arrives. Tell the hotel if you will be late so the computer does not treat you as one. the system marks you a no-show |
| late arrival | Getting to the hotel after the usual hours, often after midnight. Say it in advance and the room is held. It'll be a late arrival |
Quick practice
Complete each line with a word or phrase from this lesson.
1. You get there at ten in the morning and want to go up.
“Is the room ________ yet?”
2. You have three suitcases and nowhere to put them.
“We can ________ them until two.”
3. You ask where you can sit for a couple of hours.
“The ________, just past the lift.”
4. Your plane gets in at half past twelve at night.
“It'll be a ________, around one.”
5. You want to know whether anyone will be there at that hour.
“The ________ is open all night.”
6. The staff member gives you the thing that opens your door.
“I'll have your ________ waiting.”
Show the answers
1. ready 2. look after 3. lobby 4. late arrival 5. front desk 6. key card
Common mistakes
Not: Can I deposit my bags here?
Say: Could we leave our bags here?
You deposit money in a bank. Bags are left with the desk, or the desk looks after them for you.
Not: Is my room finished?
Say: Is my room ready?
Finished means the work has stopped. A room you are allowed to walk into is ready, and that is the word on every hotel sign.
Not: If I come late, do you cut my room?
Say: If I get in late, will you still hold the room?
Nobody cuts a room. A hotel holds a room for you, or releases it to someone else. Hold and release are the pair to learn.
Your turn
Say these out loud. Change the times, the floor and the number of bags so the lines belong to a hotel you might really walk into.
- You arrive four hours early. Ask whether the room is ready and what you can do with your bags.
- Ask for an early check-in and give one reason why you are asking.
- Your flight lands at one in the morning. Tell the hotel and ask them to hold the room.
- Ask where you can sit while you wait and whether there is anything to drink.
- You are checking in for two people who are still outside. Ask for their cards and for rooms near yours.
Quick review
Early and late are the same conversation turned around. Early: ask Is the room ready yet?, then Can we leave our bags somewhere? Late: say It'll be a late arrival before you travel, so nobody marks you a no-show. In between sit the four words you will hear at every front desk in the world — lobby, lift, key card, and ready.