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by KITLUM

Check In Champion: 20
Essential English Phrases
for Hotel Receptionists
Imagine yourself going on vacation in some faraway
land.

You get off the plane at the airport and find your way
to a hotel.

You walk in the door, and who’s the first person to

greet and welcome you with a friendly smile?

Yes, that would be the hotel receptionist, one of the

first people you’ll meet when you land in another
country or city. This is why a hotel receptionist has
such an important job.

The role of a hotel receptionist involves

communicating with people from different countries
and cultures, who often speak very different
languages. So how do you help them and prepare
them for a wonderful trip?

Today we’re going to start by looking at why learning

English is so important for hotel receptionists.
 Later on in the post, I’ll discuss 20 English
expressions that all hotel receptionists must know to
be able to communicate with every international
visitor that walks in the door.
 

11 Download: This blog post is available as a

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Why Should Hotel Receptionists Learn

English?

Just look at how busy airports are these days and

you’ll realize how popular international travel and
tourism has become. It’s common for people to
simply hop on an airplane and cross the planet for
vacation or business, any time of the year.

In fact, according to Statisca.com, the international

travel industry has grown from 528 million tourist
arrivals in 2005 to 1.19 billion in 2015. It’s expected to
hit 1.8 billion by 2030.

Now that’s a lot of international visitors you’ll be

welcoming to your city if you’re a hotel receptionist.
 And as a receptionist, you need to be able to
communicate with all of these travelers. You’ll be
checking them in and out of the hotel and answering
questions about your local area.

Does that mean you need to speak every language

on the planet? Fortunately, no. But you do have to be
11 fluent in English because English is the lingua franca
Shares —the common language people all over the world
use to communicate with each other.

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Learning English is an efficient way to be prepared
for any conversation with almost any guest at your
hotel. This won’t just make your day-to-day life easier
—it’ll also make you more valuable as a hotel
employee.

20 English Expressions Every

Hotel Receptionist Should Know
For all you hotel receptionists, here are the most
commonly used expressions you’ll need to
communicate with your international guests.

Welcoming Guests

As a hotel receptionist, your job isn’t only to greet

guests but also to make them feel welcome. A
friendly smile and a warm greeting make a great
start.

Hello, welcome to [name of your hotel].

Here’s a standard greeting you could use. Instead of

a simple hello, you could also say good morning,
good afternoon or good evening depending on the
time of day the guest walks in.

How can I help you today?

You can ask your guest this simple question at the

beginning of their visit, or at any time during their
stay.

For a guest who’s new to your city, knowing that

you’re there and ready to help will make them feel
right at home.

Taking Reservations
 Most guests make their reservations online. However,
if they’re unable or unwilling to do that, they may
make their reservations by phone. If that’s the case,
here are some standard questions you might ask:

What’s the date of your arrival?

11 Ask your guest when they’re planning to arrive and

Shares check into the hotel.

When are you planning to check out?

10

You’ll also need to ask when they’re planning to

leave or check out of the hotel.

How many people is this reservation for?

You’ll need to know the size of the group or number

of people to reserve rooms for.

What type of room would you prefer?

Some guests may have a preference for a certain

type of room. Ask if they’d like a room for one person
(single) or two people (double).

Some hotels offer different types of rooms for guests

who don’t smoke (non-smoking rooms) and rooms
with views (for example, ocean view/sea view,
mountain view or lake view).

Checking Guests In

Do you have a reservation?

This is one of the first things you will ask a guest

when they walk up to the reception desk. Not all
guests have reservations. Some simply walk in and
ask for a room.

What name is the reservation under?

If the guest has a reservation, find out the name of

the person it’s under (associated with). That way you
can pull up their information on your computer
screen.

Could I have your ID and credit card, please?

 When checking in, hotels usually require the credit
card of the guest and some form of identification (ID)
like their passport or driver’s license.

Using the modal verb could will make you sound

more polite and professional.

11 Your room is on the [number] floor, room number

Shares [number].

Tell the guest which room they’ve been assigned

10
(given). For instance, you might say:

Your room is on the 9th floor, room number 925.

Breakfast is served from [time] to [time] every

morning at/in [location/room].

Many hotels provide a free breakfast to guests every

morning as part of their stay. If this is the case at your
hotel, inform your guest about the time and place
where they can enjoy the breakfast.

So you might say:

Breakfast is served from 6 to 9 a.m. every

morning in the dining area.

Is there anything else I can help you with?

This is a customer-friendly question you could ask

after assisting a guest. In case they need more
information or assistance, let them know that you’re
always there to help. This is a good question to keep
in mind.

Enjoy your stay.

Be sure to wish your guest a pleasant stay after you

check them in.

Giving Information, Offering Assistance

and Handling Complaints

A big part of your job as a hotel receptionist is to

make guests feel at home and well taken care of
during their stay. You’re the person guests come to
for information, assistance and yes, even complaints.
 We have [scheduled services] that run to/from
[location]. You’ll find [information] in/at/by [location].

Hotels often offer arranged transportation services

like buses and tours that guests can use freely to
travel to locations like the airport, local tourist
attractions and shopping areas. These two
11 statements are useful for informing your guests about
Shares these services. Feel free to adapt them to suit
different situations:

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We have a shuttle bus service that runs to the
airport from here. You’ll find the shuttle schedule
by the front door.

We have city tours that run between here,

Disneyland and Universal Studios. You’ll find
brochures of all our city tours to the left of this
lobby.

To get to [location], just…

Guests often ask for directions on how to get to a

certain location either within the hotel or outside.
This statement can easily be adapted to suit different
situations.

To get to the gym, just go down this hallway and

turn left. It’s the second door on your right.

To get to the nearest McDonald’s, just cross the

street outside the hotel and walk straight.

I’m sorry about that. Let me see how we can fix that

right away.

Your guest might mention (…or, yell) something

they’re unhappy about. Maybe their towels need
changing or their TV isn’t working.

With the polite expressions above, you can apologize

to the guest (even if it’s not your fault) and offer to fix
the problem.

If you need anything else, please let us know.

Here’s another customer-friendly expression to let

your guests know they can always contact you if they
need help with anything else.
 Checking Guests Out

Could I have your room number and key, please?

When your guest is ready to check out, start by

asking for their room number and key. Here again,
use the modal verb could to sound more polite.
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Your total is [amount]. How will you be paying for this,
please?
10
Let them know the total amount for their stay and ask
them how they prefer to pay. Some guests may
prefer to pay by credit card, others may pay with
cash, etc.

Your total is $243. How will you be paying for

this, please?

Thank you and hope to see you again soon.

This is a great way to say goodbye, thank your guest

and send them off on a happy note. If they’re
continuing their vacation to another location, you
could add: Enjoy the rest of your vacation. If they’re
leaving for home, you could add: Have a pleasant trip
home.

If you’re a hotel receptionist or hoping to become

one, you’ll find this list of expressions useful as you
set out to welcome visitors who’ve come from all
over the world to visit your country.

Remember, practice makes perfect and the more you

practice using these expressions, the more confident
you’ll become.

Good luck!
 

Download: This blog post is available as a

convenient and portable PDF that you can take
anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
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