Going on inrenational business trip

Lesson 9

Settling into your Hotel

1. DIALOGUE Ω disk 2-01

Listen to the dialogue and note the numbered expressions.

(checking into a hotel)

Clerk: Good afternoon, ma'am. Welcome to the Plaza Hotel. How may I help you? ⁷⁹

Guest: Yes...I have a room reservation.... .⁸⁰

Clerk: All right. What name is the reservation under, please?

Guest: Utako Chihara.

Clerk: Could you please spell the family name? ⁸¹

Guest: Yes. It's C-H-I-H-A-R-A. Chihara.⁸²

Clerk: Ah, yes, here it is, Ms. Chihara. You will be staying with us for four nights? ⁸³

Guest: Yes, that's right. Is it possible to have a "smoke-free⁸⁴ room?

Clerk: Yes, of course. Do you have any other preferences? ⁸⁵

Guest: Well, actually, are there any rooms available on an upper floor? I'd like a room with a view.

Clerk: Let's see...yes, we have a room on the 38th floor overlooking the city.

Guest: Perfect. It sounds great.

Clerk: Ms. Chihara, will you be paying in cash or by credit card? ⁸⁶

Guest: I'll be paying in cash.

Clerk: All right, would you please fill out this registration form? ⁸⁷

Guest: Certainly.

⁷⁹ How may I help you? = This phrase is commonly used by people working with the public. Also, service-oriented staff will normally offer a greeting and a smile to the customer.

⁸⁰ room reservation = When traveling, it is always best to reserve a room before arriving. Many large hotels host conventions and conferences; all of the rooms may be booked during these functions.

⁸¹ Could you spell the family name? = Especially with names that are unfamiliar to Americans, they will often ask for the name to be spelled out. This is to insure that there is no mistake or confusion later on.

⁸² Ms. Chihara repeated her name after she spelled it. This gives the clerk another opportunity to not only hear it spelled out, but to hear it said once again. For difficult to pronounce names, this can be very helpful to the employee.

⁸³ The clerk used rising intonation at the end, making this statement a question. The clerk wants to reconfirm the reservation with Ms. Chihara. The original reservation was put into the computer for four days and she wants to check to make sure this is still correct.

⁸⁴ smoke-free = Today, there is a non­smoking movement throughout the United States. Not only do customers demand "non-smoking" rooms, but they want rooms that have never been smoked in - ever. Some people are very sensitive to the odors left by smokers in a room.

⁸⁵ preferences = desires or wishes. Some customers have very particular requests that hotels try to accommodate. For instance, some people prefer to have an internal room, away from the main street because of noise; some guests prefer to be near the elevator in order not to have to walk so far; others may have special health concerns or needs that must be addressed.

⁸⁶ cash or credit card = Many hotels want to know when a client checks-in how they wish to pay for the room. Many people who reserve rooms ahead of their visit will use a credit card to hold the room. In the US, most people use credit cards to pay the entire hotel bill.

⁸⁷ registration form = Hotels ask guests to fill out a registration card which asks for the person's name, address, title/position, company name, and passport number. This is in case there is a hotel emergency (like a fire) so they can know exactly who is staying there.

2. COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

Answer the following questions with short answers from the dialogue.

1. What is the name of the hotel?

2. Does the hotel clerk spell the guest's name aloud?

3. What type of room did the guest request?

4. What floor is the room on?

5. How will the guest pay for the room?

3. MATCHING

Match the best combination of sentences from Column A and B.

COLUMN A	COLUMN B
• Can you check my room reservation, please? • May I change my room service order? • Is my room really "smoke-free"?	- Certainly. What name is the reservation under?
- How may I help you?	• No, thank you. • I'd like a room, please. • Yes, please do.
• What name are you registering under? • Can you spell your first name, please • Can you spell your family name, please?	- Certainly. Ted W - A - T - S - 0 - N .
-How do you wish to pay for the room?	• Tomorrow, when I check out. • After breakfast, before noon. • I prefer to pay in cash, if that's OK.

4. MINI-DIALOGUES Ω disk 2-02

Listen and fill in the blanks and then role-play the dialogues with a partner.

A: ( ) to Holiday Spa. How ( ) I help you? B: I'd like a ( ), please. A: Do you have a ( ), sir? B: No, I ( ). Are there any vacancies? A: ( ) ( )...yes, we do have a room available. How many nights will you be staying with us? B: Just one ( ). A: Do you wish to pay in ( ) or by credit card? B: By ( ) ( ).

A: Welcome, ma'am. ( ) ( ) ( ) a reservation? B: Yes, I do. The ( ) is Smiley. A: Is that S-M-I-L-E-Y? B: Yes. That's ( ). A: ( ) it is. How many ( ) will you be with us? B: I originally only ( ) to stay one night, but my plans have changed. Is it ( ) to stay three nights? A: Certainly. Will you be paying by credit card? B: No. I'll be ( ) in cash.

A: Welcome to the ( ) Hotel. How may I ( ) you? B: I have a reservation... . A: What is ( ) name, please, and how do you ( ) your family name? B: My name is Becky Haralson. That's H-A-R-A-L-S-O-N. Haralson. A: Yes, Ms. Haralson. You indicated ( ) that you wanted a ( ) room. Is that still your ( )? B: Yes, it is. A: How do you ( ) to pay for your ( ) – in cash or by credit card? B: By credit card.

5. PAIRWORK-PRACTICE

Rearrange the sentences to make a conversation, then practice the conversation with a partner.

Conversation A

– I'd like to reserve a room, please. – Welcome. How may I help you? – Let me see...two nights. Do you have a "smoke-free" room available? – All right. How many nights will you be with us? – Well, if possible I'd like to be near an elevator. I have trouble walking. – Yes, we do. Any other preferences? – That's not a problem.

Conversation B

– It's Mohr. Jeremy Mohr. – Good afternoon. May I help you? – Can you please check my reservation? – No, it's M - O - H - R. – Certainly. What is your name please? – Sir, is that M - O - O - R - E ?

6. READING. AMERICAN BUSINESS CULTURE

Staying in a Hotel Ω disk 2-03

Part of doing business internationally is staying in a hotel. The front desk will be your first point of contact with the hotel. Hotels frequented by Japanese visitors will often have a Japanese speaker on hand to assist the hotel guests. However, chances are you will be forced to converse in English during check-in.

If you have booked a reservation prior to arriving, the hotel clerk will ask you to register. This usually involves filling out a card with your name, title or position, company name, phone number and passport number. Also, they may ask you at this time how you wish to pay for the room – in cash or by credit card.

Many hotels today offer individualized service to their customers. For instance, a guest can request a "smoke-free" room which means that it not only is a "non-smoking" room, but that it has never been smoked in. Some people are very sensitive to smoke and are bothered by rooms that have residual smoky odors. Also, many major hotels have fitness rooms to exercise in, saunas, game rooms, pools and many other added amenities to make the stay as comfortable and pleasant as possible. All of these services are outlined in information located in or on the desk in your room.

Upscale hotels will have a bellhop service to assist you with your luggage. A tip is expected in most cases, and a good rule of thumb is to give the bellhop at least $1.00 per bag carried. A tip is expected for room-service, valet-service, laundry service, etc. In America, tipping is necessary in just about all service-related industries (restaurants, cafes, hotels, etc.). You should tip 15-20 percent of your bill's total in restaurants (10-15 percent in cafes).

Unfortunately, unsuspecting foreign visitors can sometimes be the target of scams. It is important to be aware of your surroundings. For instance, when checking-in, make sure that a stranger isn't listening to your name and room number. It is best not to show off expensive watches or jewelry, or to flash large sums of money around. Always use the hotel's main entrance when coming and going and never let anyone into your room without checking with the front desk. If you ever feel afraid, it's always all right to call the front desk for assistance or to ask a hotel employee to escort you to your room.

Answer the following questions using information found in the essay.

1. What information is needed when a guest registers at a hotel?

2. What is a "smoke-free" room?

3. How much should a customer leave for a tip in a restaurant?

UNIT 4