A hotel is a small town: a gym, a car park, a machine that sells water at midnight. Most of what you need to say is one question — where it is, and what time it shuts.
1. Finding the gym
Mei: Is there a gym in the hotel?
Staff: On the lower ground floor, next to the pool.
Mei: What time does it shut?
Staff: It doesn't. Your card gets you in at any hour.
Mei: That suits me. I run early.
2. Something valuable
Dan: Is there a safe in the room?
Staff: In the wardrobe, behind the doors.
Dan: Do I set my own number?
Staff: You do. Four digits, then the lock button.
Dan: And if I forget it?
Staff: Call down and we'll open it for you.
3. Washing clothes
Priya: Do you have a laundry service?
Staff: We do. There's a bag in your wardrobe.
Priya: If I leave it out tonight, when do I get it back?
Staff: Tomorrow evening, if it's out before nine.
Priya: That works. Thank you.
4. Water at midnight
Tom: Is anything open at this hour?
Staff: There's a vending machine by the stairs.
Tom: Does it take cards?
Staff: Cards and coins, both.
Tom: Perfect. I only want water.
5. Where to put the car
Noor: We've driven down. Is there a car park?
Staff: Underneath the building. The ramp is on the left.
Noor: Is it extra?
Staff: Twelve pounds a night, added to your bill.
Noor: Fine. Do I need a ticket?
Staff: Your room card opens the barrier.
6. Ice and a bucket
Leo: Where's the ice machine?
Staff: Every second floor, by the lift.
Leo: Is there something to carry it in?
Staff: There's a bucket in your room.
Leo: Found it. Thanks.
7. The bar upstairs
Ivy: I've heard there's a rooftop.
Staff: There is. Take the lift to nine and walk up one.
Ivy: Can anyone go up?
Staff: It's residents only after seven.
Ivy: Even better. What time does it close?
Staff: Eleven on weekdays, later at weekends.
8. Getting online
Sam: How do I get on the hotel wifi?
Staff: Pick the network, then put in your room number.
Sam: No password at all?
Staff: Room number and surname, that's it.
Sam: Easier than most places.
Words to know
| gym | The room with running machines and weights. Short for gymnasium, but nobody says the long word. Is there a gym in the hotel? |
| safe | The small locked box in your room for a passport or money. It is a safe, not a safe box. Is there a safe in the room? |
| laundry service | The hotel washing your clothes for you. You leave a bag out and it comes back clean. Do you have a laundry service? |
| vending machine | The machine in the corridor that sells drinks and snacks when everything else is shut. There's a vending machine by the stairs. |
| car park | The place you leave the car. Americans say parking lot or garage. Is there a car park? |
| ice machine | The machine on each floor that gives out ice, free, in most hotels. Where's the ice machine? |
| rooftop | The flat top of the building, often with a bar and a view. Worth asking about in any city hotel. I've heard there's a rooftop. |
| residents only | For guests staying in the hotel, not for people walking in off the street. It's residents only after seven. |
Quick practice
Complete each line with a word or phrase from this lesson.
1. You want to run before breakfast.
“Is there a ________ in the hotel?”
2. You have a passport you would rather not carry around.
“Is there a ________ in the room?”
3. You have worn every shirt you brought.
“Do you have a ________?”
4. It is midnight and you want a bottle of water.
“There's a ________ by the stairs.”
5. You have arrived by car and need somewhere to leave it.
“Is there a ________?”
6. The bar at the top is not open to people off the street.
“It's ________ after seven.”
Show the answers
1. gym 2. safe 3. laundry service 4. vending machine 5. car park 6. residents only
Common mistakes
Not: Can I put my passport in the safe box?
Say: Could I put my passport in the safe?
The thing is called a safe on its own. Adding box turns a normal word into one that staff have to work out.
Not: I want to do the laundry service.
Say: I'd like to use the laundry service, please.
You do the laundry when you wash it yourself. When somebody else washes it for you, you use their service.
Not: I want to leave my car in the hotel.
Say: Could I park at the hotel?
Bags are left; cars are parked. Leave my car also sounds like you are giving it away and walking off.
Your turn
Say these out loud. Change the floor, the closing time and the price so the answers match a hotel you have really stayed in.
- Ask whether there is a gym and what time it shuts.
- Ask where the safe is and how to set your own number.
- Ask about the laundry service and when your clothes would come back.
- It is late and everything is shut. Ask where you can buy water.
- You have arrived by car. Ask where to park and whether it costs extra.
Quick review
Two questions cover the whole building. Is there a ________ in the hotel? and What time does it shut? Then learn the six nouns that answer them — gym, safe, car park, laundry service, vending machine, ice machine — and the sign you will meet at the door of the good places: residents only.