Hotel Terminology
Time: 1 Hour
Topic: Hotel Terminology
Objective: For the student to identify the use of different sentence constructions used in different Hotels. This lesson will demonstrate the vocabulary used in the Hotel Industry and highlight the importance of the voice tones used in sentence constructions.
Please take a look at the following greetings used in the Hotel Industry. The purpose of this, is to demonstrate where to apply and how to apply formal and informal sentence constructions.
“Good morning this is the St James Hostel” ( 2 star)
“Good morning this is the Marriott Hotel in Swiss Cottage, How can I help you?” (4 Star)
“Good morning this is the Park lane Hilton, this is Simon speaking, how may I help you?”
These are all questions that require a very different response. All these hotels appeal to different types of clients, and every question indicated above requires a different response both in terms of voice tone and in terms of sentence structure.
As a speaker, it is ultimately your decision as to how you apply formality in different situations, however you must consider that if you address a lower end Hotel with formal sentence constructions, then you may be met with a strange response as formality can also be confused with arrogance. Use of Informal structures in top hotels can also prompt a lower level of service.
Voice Tones And Responses
So let us look at the 3 scenarios indicated above, for reference purposes let us refer to them as 2*, 4* and 5* hotels. Here are 3 different responses, you teacher will support the voice tones.
2*
Client: Hi
Hotel: Hi
Client: Is this the St James Hostel?
Hotel: Yeah.... Last time I looked ( Humor applied)
Client: I need a price for a room for one night, for this Wednesday
Note: the client has to volunteer most of the information, it is not prompted by the Hotel
Hotel: let me check.... yeah, we have one, do you want it?
Client: How much is it?
Hotel: Not much, its only 30 pounds a night and breakfast is included
Client: What’s supplied with the room?
Hotel: TV, Minibar and a mirror. ( Humor applied)
Client: Ok I would like to book a room for that night, do you take cash or credit card?
Hotel: We would rather take cash, just pay when you get here.
Client: Ok Thanks
Hotel: No probs
Hotels at the lower end of the market generally do not consider that they have anything to gain by adding service, therefore levels of service are kept to a minimum. They are also accustomed to receiving informal vocabulary and structures:
Hi
Alright?
Whats the price
How much
Humor is more frequently used at this level within the context of a conversation:
yeah its expensive
too cheap
Conversations also tend to be longer and may contain information that is not relavent to staying at the hotel:
-see the football...what a goal
-the weather
Contrast
Hotels in the middle of both the top end and the bottom end often find it hard to establish which market they most appeal to. Very often they are limited in facilities and have a lack of resources which present problems with training staff.
They mostly care about their cash flow more than they do repeat business, so although you will find people with money at a mid market Hotel, there is little reason to return. Vocabulary used at this level is still kept to informal structures, however you may find that during peak periods like Christmas or Easter, that more formal sentence structures are applied.
Top End Hotels ( 5*)
At this level, Hotel staff have received training, are incentivised and usually you will find that employees have a career path and not just a job. For this reason there is a feeling that clients are given a reason to return.
So how does this effect structure?
let us take a look at the following scenario: Its a telephone conversation between a client and a top end hotel:
Hotel: Good morning this is the Regents Park Hotel London, my name is David, how may I help you?
Note: the voice tones here reflect the excitement and anxiety of speaking to a potentially new client for the Hotel.
Client: Good morning, I would like to make a reservation please.( no additional information is volunteered)
Note: the mirror technique will now be explained by your teacher and how it is applied to different situations.
Hotel: Certainly sir, may I ask you for the date that you require the reservation for.
Client: On the 13th of July for one night. (note that the client is very specific and no additional information is given unless requested)
Hotel: May I ask if you would require a single room, a double room or a suite?
Client: A Suite please.
Hotel: Thank you Sir. I will just check availability for you. Yes sir we do have availability, may I ask whether you are a Regency Park Gold Card Holder?
Client: Yes, I am.
Hotel: Then this will automatically upgrade you to our deluxe suite. The cost of which will be €900 per night. May I go ahead and process your booking Sir?
Client: Yes, please.
NOTE: To this point, you can see the obvious formality between the client and the hotel, let´s look at some questions that may be asked by the client.
FACT AND REQUEST
I will be arriving late evening, so could I request a late dinner.
I have a meeting in the morning, so could I arrange a wake up call for 7am.
GENERAL QUESTIONS
Could you tell me what facilities are provided with the room.
Could I request extra blankets.
At what time is breakfast served?
Do you have a guest parking facility?
Do you require a deposit?
Could you tell me about the hotel facilities?
May I take your name as a reference for my booking?
5* hotels and above have a very strict guideline about staff interaction with clients. They have very often been trained to keep interaction to a minimum so unless you specifically want to talk, don´t expect long conversations.
Will you be working when I check in?
My daughter will be with me, she is 3 years old, can you tell me what facilities you have at the hotel for children?
ROLE PLAY
Scenario 1
You want to book a suite at the Savoy Hotel in London.
The reservation will be for one week - please phone the hotel and make the reservation. You may be asked to improvise.
Scenario 2
You want to visit London but nearly all of the hotels have been booked due to the London Olympics. The only accommodation available to you is the King´s Arms Hostel in Notting Hill Gate, London (2 *)
Scenario 3
You have just returned from London and you are meeting your best friend at a local coffee shop. Whilst visiting London you had to stay partly at a hostel and for the remainder of your stay at a 5* hotel in London. Your friend wants to know how different the service level was - describe to your friend the differences between the way the staff at the hostel treated you in comparison to the way that the staff at the hotel treated you.
Scenario 4
You need directions to your hotel, you must phone 2 hotels. Both have different star ratings, 2* and 5*.
Conversational Tools
Weather
Traffic
Children
Shopping
Parking
Being Tired
Telephone Holding Music
SUMMARY
This lesson plan has demonstrated the use of informal and formal sentence construction.
By Sanj Saigal
Topic: Hotel Terminology
Objective: For the student to identify the use of different sentence constructions used in different Hotels. This lesson will demonstrate the vocabulary used in the Hotel Industry and highlight the importance of the voice tones used in sentence constructions.
Please take a look at the following greetings used in the Hotel Industry. The purpose of this, is to demonstrate where to apply and how to apply formal and informal sentence constructions.
“Good morning this is the St James Hostel” ( 2 star)
“Good morning this is the Marriott Hotel in Swiss Cottage, How can I help you?” (4 Star)
“Good morning this is the Park lane Hilton, this is Simon speaking, how may I help you?”
These are all questions that require a very different response. All these hotels appeal to different types of clients, and every question indicated above requires a different response both in terms of voice tone and in terms of sentence structure.
As a speaker, it is ultimately your decision as to how you apply formality in different situations, however you must consider that if you address a lower end Hotel with formal sentence constructions, then you may be met with a strange response as formality can also be confused with arrogance. Use of Informal structures in top hotels can also prompt a lower level of service.
Voice Tones And Responses
So let us look at the 3 scenarios indicated above, for reference purposes let us refer to them as 2*, 4* and 5* hotels. Here are 3 different responses, you teacher will support the voice tones.
2*
Client: Hi
Hotel: Hi
Client: Is this the St James Hostel?
Hotel: Yeah.... Last time I looked ( Humor applied)
Client: I need a price for a room for one night, for this Wednesday
Note: the client has to volunteer most of the information, it is not prompted by the Hotel
Hotel: let me check.... yeah, we have one, do you want it?
Client: How much is it?
Hotel: Not much, its only 30 pounds a night and breakfast is included
Client: What’s supplied with the room?
Hotel: TV, Minibar and a mirror. ( Humor applied)
Client: Ok I would like to book a room for that night, do you take cash or credit card?
Hotel: We would rather take cash, just pay when you get here.
Client: Ok Thanks
Hotel: No probs
Hotels at the lower end of the market generally do not consider that they have anything to gain by adding service, therefore levels of service are kept to a minimum. They are also accustomed to receiving informal vocabulary and structures:
Hi
Alright?
Whats the price
How much
Humor is more frequently used at this level within the context of a conversation:
yeah its expensive
too cheap
Conversations also tend to be longer and may contain information that is not relavent to staying at the hotel:
-see the football...what a goal
-the weather
Contrast
Hotels in the middle of both the top end and the bottom end often find it hard to establish which market they most appeal to. Very often they are limited in facilities and have a lack of resources which present problems with training staff.
They mostly care about their cash flow more than they do repeat business, so although you will find people with money at a mid market Hotel, there is little reason to return. Vocabulary used at this level is still kept to informal structures, however you may find that during peak periods like Christmas or Easter, that more formal sentence structures are applied.
Top End Hotels ( 5*)
At this level, Hotel staff have received training, are incentivised and usually you will find that employees have a career path and not just a job. For this reason there is a feeling that clients are given a reason to return.
So how does this effect structure?
let us take a look at the following scenario: Its a telephone conversation between a client and a top end hotel:
Hotel: Good morning this is the Regents Park Hotel London, my name is David, how may I help you?
Note: the voice tones here reflect the excitement and anxiety of speaking to a potentially new client for the Hotel.
Client: Good morning, I would like to make a reservation please.( no additional information is volunteered)
Note: the mirror technique will now be explained by your teacher and how it is applied to different situations.
Hotel: Certainly sir, may I ask you for the date that you require the reservation for.
Client: On the 13th of July for one night. (note that the client is very specific and no additional information is given unless requested)
Hotel: May I ask if you would require a single room, a double room or a suite?
Client: A Suite please.
Hotel: Thank you Sir. I will just check availability for you. Yes sir we do have availability, may I ask whether you are a Regency Park Gold Card Holder?
Client: Yes, I am.
Hotel: Then this will automatically upgrade you to our deluxe suite. The cost of which will be €900 per night. May I go ahead and process your booking Sir?
Client: Yes, please.
NOTE: To this point, you can see the obvious formality between the client and the hotel, let´s look at some questions that may be asked by the client.
FACT AND REQUEST
I will be arriving late evening, so could I request a late dinner.
I have a meeting in the morning, so could I arrange a wake up call for 7am.
GENERAL QUESTIONS
Could you tell me what facilities are provided with the room.
Could I request extra blankets.
At what time is breakfast served?
Do you have a guest parking facility?
Do you require a deposit?
Could you tell me about the hotel facilities?
May I take your name as a reference for my booking?
5* hotels and above have a very strict guideline about staff interaction with clients. They have very often been trained to keep interaction to a minimum so unless you specifically want to talk, don´t expect long conversations.
Will you be working when I check in?
My daughter will be with me, she is 3 years old, can you tell me what facilities you have at the hotel for children?
ROLE PLAY
Scenario 1
You want to book a suite at the Savoy Hotel in London.
The reservation will be for one week - please phone the hotel and make the reservation. You may be asked to improvise.
Scenario 2
You want to visit London but nearly all of the hotels have been booked due to the London Olympics. The only accommodation available to you is the King´s Arms Hostel in Notting Hill Gate, London (2 *)
Scenario 3
You have just returned from London and you are meeting your best friend at a local coffee shop. Whilst visiting London you had to stay partly at a hostel and for the remainder of your stay at a 5* hotel in London. Your friend wants to know how different the service level was - describe to your friend the differences between the way the staff at the hostel treated you in comparison to the way that the staff at the hotel treated you.
Scenario 4
You need directions to your hotel, you must phone 2 hotels. Both have different star ratings, 2* and 5*.
Conversational Tools
Weather
Traffic
Children
Shopping
Parking
Being Tired
Telephone Holding Music
SUMMARY
This lesson plan has demonstrated the use of informal and formal sentence construction.
By Sanj Saigal
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