Staying at a Hotel
  

hotel registration desk

The registration desk is near the lobby.

Vocabulary:

accommodations: anything you get when you stay at a hotel: number of beds, quality of the room, access to a pool or fitness center, etc.

allow: permit; to say something is okay

breakfast buffet: an all-you-can-eat experience

check in:

once: when

tip: extra money given to a worker as a way of expressing appreciation for effort.

upgrade: additional service or accommodations at an additional cost.

 

Where do you like to stay when you go on vacation? You can stay with friends or relatives if they happen to live in the area that you are visiting, but many people who are on vacation have no other choice but to stay at a hotel, which is okay because the hotel experience can be the best part of the trip.

It’s a good idea to look up hotels online before you go on vacation. Websites such as TripAvisor.com, Expedia.com, and Hotels.com allow for easy comparisons of rates and accommodations. Once you find a hotel, go directly to the hotel’s website to compare rates. Some hotels have special discounts and offers that are available only by checking the website.

Some hotels allow guests to check in early. Check-in time is normally in the afternoon around three or four o’clock p.m.; however, if you arrive at the hotel early, it’s worth asking the hotel desk clerk if your room is available. There’s no harm in checking in early and it shouldn’t cost you any extra money.

Upgrades to a hotel room may include a breakfast, access to a fitness center, or a larger room. It might be worth considering an upgrade, but weigh that against the cost of eating out at a restaurant away from the hotel. If you need physical fitness, going for a long walk or jogging outside is a free alternative to the fitness center. You can also go swimming at the pool which is usually available with the cost of the room. However, everything depends on the number of people you are traveling with. If a breakfast buffet costs an extra $20 per night and there are four or five people in your room, that might be worth the extra expense, especially if the members of your group are all adults.

When you are ready to leave, consider leaving a tip for the housekeepers. These are people who work very hard for little pay, and just like a server in a restaurant, it’s customary to leave them a tip. I usually leave ten to twenty dollars, depending on the quality of the accommodations and how responsive hotel workers were to any special requests.

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Now you try it. Read the paragraph above. If you have a microphone, you can record your voice and compare it to my voice.

 

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