Hotel reservations

speaking 1 When a guest books a room at a hotel what kind of information

does the reservations department need?

listening 2 A woman reserves a hotel room over the phone. In what order would
you expect these questions to be asked?
CJ) a) D How will you be paying?
c:
0 b) D
How many people would that be for?
c) D
When would that be for exactly?
d) D What time will you be arriving?
e) D What kind of room would you like?
f) [I] Could I have your name, please?
g) D How many nights will you be staying?
,.
Now listen and check your answers .
Q0
:::.
3 Look at the reservations screen below. Then listen again and
c-
J

complete Ann Herridge's booking.

Booking: From Nights 2

Guest: Surname 3 ( First name .............

......... .......4
...........6 )

Adults
Address
5 Children
..................................... J
r-
Room: Type
............?]
································ ··················
SGL I DBL I
.

TWB I
-
SUITE 8 J
Smoking I Non- J
r - - Numb-er - smoking 9
.................... 1-
R ....................
0--J.
a 11 J
t
e
Return guest: :
Yes I No 13 )
E ............ ........
.................... 14 )
Previous room # x 12

Payment:
t J
VISA I DEBIT I CHEQUE I CASH 15
r
f Credit card a 16
s
#
:
56
 - -
H_o_t_el_r_e_s
At registration e_rvat_io_n_s
4 Look at the registration card below. Then listen to a conversation at
the reception desk and complete the card.

'Kina.James Hot eI
The undersigned authorises the King James Hotel to use
data collected in this questionnaire for sales and marketing purposes.

Arrival 1
Type ······ ············ ······· ·····-
·························-·-··-··-······-·-·····-·····-·-- 5
Deparh1re ·-··············-···········--·---············---·····-··--·--·- Surname ......................................................
-2 . .6
Room No . ....................................... ·-·····-·--··- Nationality ·---··-···--····-·························-······································· ?
···-· 3
Rate ......... ......................... .·-·-----·····-··- Passport No. ··-················-····· ·····-·-···········-··-
·-.................. 4 ···-·-···-··- 8
Method of payment
9
D Credit card £
D Cash£
D Charge to company
D Travel voucher
£
£

pronunc1at1on Politeness
5 Listen to the intonation in these sentences. Which sentences
sound polite? Write P (polite) or I (impolite) next to each sentence. Then
practise saying the sentences politely.
1 Hold on while I put you through to Reservations.
2 Could I have your name?
3 This is a company account, is it?
4 When would that be for exactly?
5 What kind of room would you like?
6 How long will you be staying?
7 How will you be paying?
8 Here's your key. Your room's number 19.

Contrastive stress
6 Listen to these sentences and underline the stressed words. Why do
the speakers stress these words in particular?
9 Will that be one or two nights?
10We're arriving on the 15th and leaving on the 17th.
11Would you like a single or a double room?
12Would you prefer smoking or non-smoking rooms?
13Is the room at the back or at the front of the hotel?
 • When asking questions, it is often more polite to use an indirect form.
What time will you arrive? (direct)
Do you know what time you will arrive? (indirect)
• What do you notice about the word order and use of auxiliary verbs
in
indirect questions?
Do you have any idea how long it takes?
I was wondering if you could arrange a bottle of
cha mpa gne . Could you tell me how many people there are
in the group?
• We can also use a past tense to make a question less direct:
How much did you want to pay, sir? (= how much do you)

practice 7 Rewrite these sentences as indirect questions.

1 What are the room rates?
Could you tell me ......... h tJh...G?.Q.D!...r. .t ..P[
2 ,...P,.\.
Is it . ?.................................
possible to have a connecting .. room?
I was wondering ...................................... ................. ....................................................................
3 Is there a florist's near here?
Do you know if ........................................................................................................................... ..
4 Can I leave my cases here after I've vacated the room?
I was
wondering ................................................................ ...................................... ......................
5 How long will the taxi take to arrive?
Could you tell me ................................... ............................................... .......................................

8 Change these sentences into indirect questions. Use a different

sentence beginning for each one.
6 How much does it cost to take a taxi to the airport?

7 Can I settle the bill this evening?

8 Is there a good bookshop near the hotel?

speaking Making a reservation

9 Work in pairs. Student B turn to page 110. Student A you want to book a
hotel room. Telephone Student B and make a reservation with the following
details.
• reserve a room (with bath) for yourself, your partner and two young children
• arrival on 13 March and departure on 15 March
• arrival not before 9 pm on the 13 March
• you need a cot for a baby (age 15 months)
• you would like to know the room rates
• your credit card number is 9863 2317 4563 9912

58
 -

-
listening _ H_o_te_l _re_s_e_rv_a_t_io_n_s

a Messages
1 0 Look at the following messages and the advice below. Then listen
to the original conversations. How effectively has Rosa taken the
FROM -:Ju(\'j
messages?
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C.ourlf\e 1.u"l e r
TO TO
7k, o.x
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o. c..ori MESSAGE 1'\ri; 1- w\\\ c.o \\ ec.l
MESSAGE o l e 1.u"ler 1'\r
DATE O S . O0S \ I S
c..o(\h-o.c..l. T o. \or @ B l o lo."'e 1!V\ l o l h e :o.c.!:.or .
Y..
TIME \0.1-\-S SB30\B2
0

DATE 05.05
MESSAGE RECEIVED ?0£0.
BY TIME \ I.SO

MESSAGE RECEIVED oi;o.

BY
FROM
TO

MESSAG
E

El
DATE
TIME
IB . 3 0
MESSAGE RECEIVED
BY

gractice Messages

When taking messages always make sure that:

• other peop le c a n understand the message easily
• other pe ople c a n re a d your writing
• all information is accurate
• all abbreviations are clear to other peo ple
• the message contains all the necessary informatio n

1 1 Listen to Rosa pass on the messages when the guests return.

Which guest(s) receive a satisfactory message?
 Listen to Rosa pass on the messages again a n d com ple te these sentences.
Tell him that I'll pick him up tomorrow a t 8 o'clock.'
She said she .... .Q.\A\ ...... pick ..... 9.'L........ up ....9.rrJ.Qf!.9.Y:J .... at 8
o'clock.
2 'Could he fax m e a c op y of the contract?
He ..................... fax him a c o py of the contract.
3 'My plane's b ee n delayed.'
He said that his plane ..................... .
4 It' d b e a g o o d ide a if she cou ld leave a message on my mobile.'
He ..................... that you pho ne ..................... on ..................... mobile .
5 ' If there's more delay I'll let her know. '
He ..................... to get in touch again if there ..................... a problem.
6 ' Can you tell her I love her very much? '
He ..................... m e to .................... you that he ................... you very much.

Are these rules for reporting speech true or false?

a) The exact words have to b e reported.
b) You c a n summarise a message with a reporting verb.
c) Both say a n d tell are followed by that.
d) When the reporting verb is in the past w e d o not usually use the
same tenses as the original speaker.
e) Verb tenses d on 't c h a n g e when we report ideas that are still true
when we report them .

.,.. For more information turn to p a g e 127.

practice 12 Complete the letter to a consumer advice service with the verbs from the
box. What advice would you give the customer?

added asked told could promised said told was

would

Dear Gill,

We recently booked a ski holiday at a four-star hotel in Zermatt, specifically

requesting a twin-bedded ro o m with shower for our tw o teenage children.
On arrival late at night, we found their ro o m had a double bed.

The next day we ........ P.4....... 1 the rep to sort it out. She ......................... ...2 us
she
............................3 not and ............................ 4 that it ................. 5 the hotel's fault. The
hotel
............................6 us it was the tour operator's fault and ........................... .7 that a ro o m with
tw in beds ............................ a cost an extra 30 Swiss francs a night. We paid u p and, on
our
return, wrote to the operator asking for the mone y back.

They have ............................ 9 to give us a £70 voucher as a gesture of goodwill.

Should we accept this offer or do we have other choices? Does this kind of thing
 - f ) H_o_te_l
r_e_se_r_va_t_o
speaking 1 3 Work in pairs. Student A you are a hotel guest. Turn s
to page 111.
Student B you are the receptionist. Student A phones to collect the
messages below. Pass them on and then write down the messages your
partner gives you.

Your motne.r la\\e.d to f>ai tnat tne. lre.d it lard na5 be.e.n
found ...

W HILE YOU WERE OUT

FROM
TO R..oom 40 '0
MESSAGE
e..ricAH c,rwcA Y\t\5 bt-t-1'\ fov.11cA . \\t--H i i t\1
Y\omi) .
Dot-s 5Y\t- VJt\111 H 1o be,, posft-cA or Y\t\5 sY\t­
e,11ov.0Y\ 1Yt\vt-\\e,,yI 5 C,Y\t-qv..t-5 t\llcA foYt-'i ll c,v.YYt-
llC,l0
'P\ s C,t\\\ bt\c,\L ) VJDll11 cAo t\!lt1)1Y\'i110 v.111 1\.
YY\v.51 c,t\\\)
pos1 VJi\\ 16\\Lt- 1imt- ·

DATE
MESSAGE RECEIVED BY

wr1t1ng Text messaging

1 4 Look at these mobile phone text messages. Write them out
in full and then pass them on to a partner using reported speech.

1 L8 4 MTG. C U @
10.I'm \ate. for a me.e.tin9. \'\\ 5e.e. iOU
--xr MSG at
10.
--0 bile phone text 2 CU @ KINGS X STN @ 8. HOPE U R
messages OK.
en use abbreviations: 3 PLS SND PIX OF HTL RM 2 JOHN 84 4iatg. co I
C = see 2MORO to.
= are 4 CN U TELL ME TM OF NXT MTG
J = you ASAP?
=or more see the glossary 5 IF U CNT CM LET ME KNW ASAP. TUVM
of
:Jbreviations on page 115. 6 YR REPORT IS XLNT. C U
L8R

1 5 Work in pairs. Write mobile phone text messages to each other. Try to
read your partner's message. 61
 vocabulary Conferences and conventions
1 6 Put these words and phrases into the correct
groups.
a
la auditorium banquet beverages buffet display
carte area
flip chart luncheon meeting OHP refreshments
rooms
catering
places equipment
auditorium

Try to add two more words to each

list.
speaking 17 Work in groups of three. Student A you work for Better Venues, an
agency that specialises in arranging conferences. Look at the letter below
from a new client. Student B look at the opposite page and Student C turn to
page 112.
-

TOEIT
Better Venues
112 Malborough Way
London
SW34JT

24 April 2003

Dear Sir I Madam

Re: TOEIT
Conference 4-9
September

Further to our
telephone
conversation of 19th
April I am pleased to
confirm the
following details
regarding our plans
for a 5-day
convention on 4-9
September.
Our requirements
are:
• accommodation
for 250 delegates
(some with
Student Aparh1ers)
• spaceto
You arrange for meet
at leastrepresentatives of the Magyar Hotel, Budapest and
30 exhibitors
the Plaza(publishers,
Hotel, Casablanca. Prepare questions for the meeting, talk to the
62 hotel representatives
bookshops etc.) and then decide which hotel best meets your client's
needs.• an opening dinner
 f)_H_o_t_el_r_e_s_e -
_rv_a_ti_o_ns
Student B
You represent the Magyar Hotel, Budapest. You are going to meet a
conference organiser to present your hotel as the ideal conference venue.
Look at the information below, find out the client's needs and do your best
to win the contract.

Location Guest room informat i on and

facilities
• 276 rooms and 16 suites.
Located in the heart of the city, facing • 22 connecting rooms, 102
the Royal Castle and overlooking the non­ smoking rooms.
Danube. A short walk from the • 2 rooms with disabled facilities.
business, commercial and entertainment • Remote control TV with 22
areas.
Transportation to / from hotel movie and satellite
Distance from international channels.
airport: 18 km. Time by taxi: • Direct-dial telephones.
approximately 30 minutes. • Bathrobes, minibar, in-
room safe.
Conference rooms and meeting • Laundry and valet service.
facilities • 24-hour room service.
Dining
• 4 main Meeting Rooms.
• Ballroom dimensions: 34.5 x 23.5 Restaurant featuring both
m. international and Hungarian cuisine.
Can be divided into 3. Open daily from 12.00-15.00 and
• 18 Business Rooms equipped with 19.00-24.00. Ground floor seats
fax, printer, photocopier and 290. Live music in the evenings.
email.
• High quality
Services and equservice,
i pment Places of interest
dedicated meeting co-
• Overhead projector, screen, 35 mm
ordinator.
slide projector, microphone, flip chart, For art lovers the Museum of Fine
lectern. Arts and the Hungarian National
• Support services available, Gallery are a must.
including interpreter. Take a day to discover the Castle
district with the former Royal Palace,
Matthias Church, and the Parliament
building.

wr1t1ng 1 8 Write a reply to TOEIT recommending one of the venues and

explaining why it meets their requirements.

6
3