53. Topic “Form of Address to Guests and Greetings”

Nowadays people travel on business and as tourists more than in the past. No businessman can avoid being a paying guest every now and then. In big cities there are a lot of good hotels. Accommodations as well as rates vary from hotel to hotel. There are deluxe hotels, the most luxurious and the most expensive, resort hotels used for entertainment or recreation. Still, if you do not want to get disappointed, it is advisable to book accommoda¬tion beforehand by fax or telephone, especially if you are visiting the town during the summer months.Rooms in most hotels have all modern conveniences: central heating, air conditioning, bathroom, hairdryer, trouser press, telephone, satellite TV and others. Service is usually quite satisfactory. You can take a single room, a double room or a suite, charg¬es varying accordingly. If you can't stand the noise of the street, do not take an outside room, ask for an inside one. Service is supposed to begin at the door. When your taxi stops at the entrance to the hotel the doorman and the bellboy help you with the luggage. The doorman is very important during the reception procedure. He is stationed at the entrance to the hotel and assists the guests in and out of taxis and cars, calls for cabs. In the lobby of a hotel there is a registration or front desk where the guests check in and out, pick up and deposit keys and so on. The guest is given a registration card to fill out the name and permanent address. The desk clerk or receptionist enters the guest’s room number, the room rate, and the arrival and departure dates into the computer.

Addressing strangers in public places

Sir – addressing a man:

Madam – addressing a woman:

Miss – addressing a young woman:

Forms of address in correspondence

The salutation at the beginning of a letter is a phrase like Dear Sir (or Dear Madam, Dear Mr. Smith, Dear Ann) that serves as a standard greeting in correspondence. The salutation is followed by a comma both in formal correspondence (Dear Sir,) and in informal correspondence (Dear Robert,). But a colon is used after the salutation in American business correspondence (Dear Sir:).

Formal forms of address are used in the salutation in official and business letters, for example, Dear Mr. Smith, Dear Ms. Taylor, Dear Professor Green, Dear Dr. Briggs. If you don't know the surname of the person you are writing to, you can use the following forms of address in the salutation: Dear Sir, Dear Madam, Dear Sir or Madam.

Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings (as well as other animals) intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship or social status between individuals or groups of people coming in contact with each other. While greeting customs are highly culture- and situation-specific and may change within a culture depending on social status and relationship, they exist in all known human cultures. Greetings can be expressed both audibly and physically, and often involve a combination of the two. This topic excludes military and ceremonial salutes but includes rituals other than gestures. A greeting can also be expressed in written communications, such as letters and emails.Greetings are often, but not always, used just prior to a conversation. Some epochs and cultures have had very elaborate greeting rituals, e.g., greeting of a king. One thing that a traveler to another country notices is that the rules for saying hello are very complicated, and can be quite different than the way it is at home.

54. Topic “Leisure and Entertainments in Hotel. Extra-service”

55. Topic “Room Reservation in hotel. Booking process.”

If you're about to make hotel reservations for the first time, there are a few things you ought to know before you book a room for your honeymoon or romantic getaway. The hotel can be one of the most expensive parts of your trip, so make sure you don't spend more than you need to on reservations.

Here's How:

Understand that hotel room rates vary. To get the best one you will need to spend some time researching and may be able to negotiate price when making reservations.

Learn the "rack" or published rate. This is generally the highest rate a hotel charges for a room and what people who don't know any better pay for their reservations. Now you know better. So expect to play less.

Decide what kind of hotel you want -- budget, mid-price, chain, luxury, three-four-or-five-star -- where, and what type of location (e.g. near an airport, city center, attraction) before making reservations.

Once you have an idea of the hotel you want to stay in, begin researching online travel agent sites to find prices for reservations. If you want to be systematic about it, open a new Excel worksheet and plug in search returns so you can build a price comparison in front of you.

After you have a general idea of what the hotel you want to stay in costs, visit a few other sites before booking reservations. I like to look at hotels on Quikbook and Hotwire to see if I can do better on price there than the online travel agents offer. But that's not the last thing I do.

Here's a secret most people don't know: Hotels generally set aside their worst rooms for guests who book reservations through an online travel agent or discounter. Your goal is to get the best room at the best price.

So my next-to-last stop is the hotel's own Web site. There you should be able to find the best reservations prices. In theory. And you should also be able to find out the different types and levels of rooms available on the hotel's reservations site.

Now you're in the final stretch. After you've noted all the different prices for a room at the same hotel, pick up the phone and call the hotel directly. The reservations manager at the locale will have a far better idea of the occupancy level for the dates you want than the hotel's Web site -- and may be able to offer a discount if you can visit during a less-busy time.

Understand that even within a hotel, not all rooms are alike. Some are bigger; some have better views. Some are on higher floors (generally a good thing, as views improve and there's less ground-level noise). Some are closer to an elevator (good if walking is a problem, bad if you want quiet). Some have double beds versus kings. Some may be renovated and some may not be. Ask about all these variables before making reservations.

When you're moments away from booking, use the killer sentence: "What is your best rate?" Pause for the answer. Then repeat: "Is that your very best rate?" Pause again. Then try one variation: "Are there any special packages that offer an even better deal?" By then you'll have the knowledge that you've given it your best shot.

This is the time to also ask if the hotel offers further discounts for AAA members (if you don't have an AAA card but plan to do any appreciable amount of travel, get one; it more than pays for itself.) Also ask if you will receive frequent flyer points or any other benefits when booking your reservations.

Then bring out the heavy guns: "We're going to be on our honeymoon, and we're hoping you'll upgrade us." Most likely no one will be able to answer the last question over the phone. Even so, ask the reservationist to note it pending your arrival.

Like what you hear? Then book your hotel reservations over the phone, being sure to ask what the cancellation policy is. Ask the reservationist to email directions or a hotel brochure if needed.

Write down the reservations number you are given and put it in a safe place.

Start counting the days till you leave!