In a hotel – A2 English Vocabulary

In a hotel

In this Pre-intermediate Vocabulary Lesson about Hotels, you will learn the different types of rooms and accommodations available, what amenities and services you can expect, and useful verb phrases to use at a hotel. Check the pictures and read the definitions and examples below.

Types of rooms and accommodation

1 A single room is a room with a single bed, which is a bed designed for one person, and 2 a double room is a room with a double bed, which is designed for two people. 3 A twin room is also designed for two people, but instead of having one double bed, it has two single ones.

• I stayed in a single room with just a narrow bed and a desk in it.
• Lucy and Fred booked a double room with a huge bed in the middle of it.
• The children slept in a twin room right next to their parents’ room.

If you are staying in a hotel by the beach, you can ask for a room with 4 a sea view, which means that you can see the sea from your room.

• I stayed in a big room with a sea view. 

If you stay at a hotel and have 5 half board, your breakfast and one meal, usually the evening meal, are included in the price. If you choose the 6 full board option, it means that all your meals are included in the price.

• We only booked half board because we wanted to try different places to eat.
• As we’d booked full board, we ate all our meals in the hotel restaurant.

Places and services in a hotel

7 The reception desk (UK) or the front desk (US) is the desk where you go when you arrive at the hotel and where you can ask questions if you need any assistance. Most hotels have someone working at the reception desk 24 hours a day.

• I waited at the reception desk to ask for some information.

8 When a hotel has room service, you can order food and drinks, and they bring them to your room.

• It was too cold to go outside, so I called room service and ordered a sandwich.

9 Housekeeping is a service that includes cleaning rooms and changing the sheets and towels. Most hotels have housekeeping services, which means that rooms are cleaned every day.

• The housekeeping service was excellent, and the rooms were cleaned each day.

10 A spa is a feature that you find in more luxurious hotels. Spas often feature a pool and a sauna and may offer various beauty procedures, such as massages and skin treatments.

• I spent an hour in the spa getting a relaxing massage.

11 A conference room is a large room with lots of chairs designed for conferences. Many businesses rent out conference rooms when they hold large meetings.

• The company had booked the conference room for their three-day national conference.

12 When a room includes internet access, it means that there is Wi-Fi in the room. If internet access is not included in the price of the room, guests usually have to pay extra to connect to the internet.

• I need a room with internet access, so that I can work and have video calls.

13 A laundry service is a service in which the hotel washes guests’ clothes. Guests usually put the clothes that need washing in a bag, and then the hotel staff return them cleaned later that day.

• I used the laundry service to have my shirt cleaned.

14 Many hotels have parking facilities where staff and guests can park their cars.

• Unless the hotel has parking facilities, we won’t be able to take the car.

15 If you ask for a wake-up call, you to ask the hotel staff to wake you up at a certain time the next morning. Guests are usually woken up by a phone call to the phone next to their bed.

• Tom requested a wake-up call for 7 am the next day.

Verb Phrases

16 To book a room means to reserve a room that you wish to stay in at a later date. People often book their rooms online these days, but you can also do so over the phone.

• I booked the room online as soon as I’d finished booking our flights.

17 When you check in at a hotel, you give your name and show your passport at the reception desk, and they give you the key to your room.  18 When you check out, you return your room key and 19 pay the bill for your stay before leaving at the end of your stay.

• As soon as we arrived, we checked in at the reception desk.
• We were told we would have to check out of the hotel by 11:30 at the latest.
• I paid the bill at the reception desk before leaving the hotel.

20 If you request something, you ask for it politely. Guests may call the reception desk to request room service if they are hungry or a wake-up call if they need to be woken up the next day.

• Peter was feeling hungry, so he called the reception desk to request room service.
• Joe requested a wake-up call because the alarm on his phone was broken.

After completing the exercises in this lesson on TOPIC, you can use the unit’s Vocabulary Flashcards to revise and help you memorize the terms.