In the restaurant

…………have the menu, please?

…………give me the bill?

…………have some coffee, please?

In the bedroom

…………have breakfast in my room, please?

…………clean my shirts, please?

…………wake me up at 7.00 tomorrow morning?

At the reception desk

…………change some traveller’s cheques?

…………recommend a good restaurant?

Work in pairs. Practise some conversations in a hotel, using the ideas above. One of you is the hotel guest; the other is the waiter or the receptionist.

Exercise 32. You are staying in quite a good hotel (e.g. two-star or three-star) in your country. Would you expect to have the following?

1 a room without a private bathroom

2 a hairdryer in the bathroom

3 a colour television in the room

4 a telephone in the room

5 writing paper in the room

6 a machine for making tea and coffee in the room

7 an electric trouser press (= a machine which presses/irons your trousers for you) in the room

8 air conditioning in the room

If possible, compare your answers with someone from a different country.

Exercise 33. Discuss and dramatise it:

Late at night you arrive at the hotel with which you have reserved a room. The sleepy reception clerk says he can’t find your reservation and the hotel is full.

Check-out

Exercise 34. Listen to the conversations. Mark the sentences below as TRUE or FALSE.

CONVERSATION 1

1. The guest wants to pay by Access card.

2. The guest gets a receipt for payment of the bill.

3. The clerk makes a polite remark at the end of the conversation.

Conversation 1

GUEST: Can I settle the bill please?

CLERK: Certainly sir. How are you paying? Credit card?

GUEST: Yes, credit card – Visa.

CLERK: That’s fine sir. I’ll just get your bill…Now, if I could just have your card a moment…thank you…and if you could just sign here…That’s fine. Here’s your receipt.

GUEST: Thank you.

CLERK: Thank you sir. We hope you’ve enjoyed staying with us.

CONVERSATION 2

1. The guest thinks there is a mistake in the bill.

2. The guest looks at all the receipts he has signed.

3. The guest signed a receipt for drinks on Tuesday night.

Conversation 2

GUEST: There seems to be a mistake in this bill. I don’t remember buying drinks on Tuesday night.

CLERK: Just a moment sir. I’ll just check your receipts. Er…Yes, here we are. Is this your signature sir?

GUEST: Good heavens, yes, I remember now. Well in that case the bill is correct. I’m sorry, my mistake.

CLERK: No problem sir.

GUEST: I’ll pay charge card – American Express.

CLERK: That’s fine sir…If I could just have the card a moment…

CONVERSATION 3

1. The guest wants to pay by credit card.

2. The first card the guest shows isn’t valid.

3. The guest hasn’t thrown away his old card.

Conversation 3

GUEST: I’ll pay by cheque. Here’s my cheque guarantee card.

CLERK: Thank you sir. Er…I’m afraid this card has expired. Do you have your new card?

GUEST: Oh dear, I’m sorry. Yes, here’s my new card.

CLERK: That’s fine sir…I’ll just note down the details…

Exercise 35. In the Listening section you heard:

1 a check-out no problems

2 a check-out when the guest questions the bill

3 a check-out when there is a problem about payment.

There are more examples below. The parts are not in the right order.

1. Which parts are spoken by the GUEST, which by the CLERK? Write GUEST or CLERK to show this, as in the example.

2. Decide on the correct order for the parts. Write numbers as in the example.

3. Act out the conversation with a partner.

CONVERSATION 1

______: Thank you very much. ( )

CLERK: Certainly madam. Here’s the bill. (4)

______: Very good madam. How would you like to pay? Credit card? ( )

______: OK (writes out cheque and hands it over) ( )

______: I’d like to check out now, please. The name’s Delman, Room 245. ()

______: Thank you madam. And thank you for staying with us. We hope you’ll come and stay with us again. ( )

______: No, I’ll pay by cheque, if that’s all right. ( )

______: Do I make the cheque out to the Sherwood Hotel? ( )

______: Thank you. And if I could just have your cheque card a moment …(notes details from card)…Thank you madam…And here’s your receipt. ( )

______: Just make it out to “Sherwood Hotel Group, PLC”. ( )

CONVERSATION 2

______: I’m very sorry, Mr Ball. We seem to have mixed the bills up. I’ll deduct $20 from your bill. ( )

______: Well that’s wrong. My name is Ball and I was in Room 347. ( )

______: No problem. These things happen. ( )

______: As I say, I’m extremely sorry. ( )

______: I’m sure this bill is wrong. I didn’t buy anything from the bookshop. ( )

______: I’ll just check through your receipts, sir. Here we are. ‘Mr Bell, Room 345, books, $20.’ ( )

______: Well, that’s OK then. ( )

CONVERSATION 3

______: Actually that won’t be necessary. Here’s my new Access card. ()

______: Thank you, sir. (looks at card) But I’m afraid this card is no longer valid. It expired last month. ( )

______: Yes, by Access (hands over card). Here you are. ( )

______: Can I check out now, please? ( )

______: Oh, dear. Can I write a cheque instead? ( )

______: Yes, sir, we can accept a cheque if you have a cheque guarantee card. Or if you’d like to wait a moment, we’ll clear it with your bank. ( )

______: Certainly, sir. Here’s the bill. Are you paying by credit card? ( )

______: Oh well, that’s fine, sir. ( )

Exercise 36. Study the following situations: