UNIT 2 HOTEL FACILITIES

(PAR.HT03.67.01, PAR.HT03.66.01, PAR.HT03.058.01, PAR.HT03.059.01)

Speaking 1. What facilities would you expect a very expensive hotel to provide
for its guests? Make a list and compare your ideas with a partner.

Vocabulary 2. Match these facilities with the icons below.

□ tennis □ special Christmas arrangement

□ telephone in bedrooms □ recreation/games room
□ parking □ laundry/valet service
□ conferences □ four-poster bed
□ central heating □ building of historic interest
□ TV in bedrooms □ children welcomed
□ foreign language spoken □ solarium
□ facilities for disabled □ night porter
□ morning coffee / snacks □ dogs allowed
□ bar □ golf-course (9 holes)
□ mini-bar in bedrooms □ golf-course (18 holes)
□ swimming pool □ air-conditioning
□ fishing

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Listening 3. Five guests at the Paragon Hotel make requests at reception. Listen
and match the guests with the services below.

PARAGON HOTEL

Room service
□ If you need anything—breakfast, lunch, sandwiches or champagne just ring
reception from the telephone at the side of your bed.
□ And if you want us to book theater or concert tickets for you just ask.

Valet service
□ If you have any items of clothing that need washing or dry-cleaning, give them
to the chambermaid before 9 a.m. for same-day service.

Valet parking
□ Leave your car with a chauffeur who will park it in your reserved space. If it
needs to be washed, tell the person on duty.

Business facilities
□ Documents can be typed or translated for you into the world’s major
languages. E-mail and internet available on request.

Beauty salon and hairdresser

□ No need to book. Relax while you have your hair cut and your nails
manicured.

Children’s facilities
□ Leave your children with us in safety if you want a night out on the town by
yourselves.

4. Look at the services in the hotels below. Look at the opening and closing
times. What time do you think the services in the hotels open and close?

Service Opening and closing times

Fitness & sauna Open in summer

Restaurant Available until 10.30 pm
Room service Open every day from 7 am to
10 pm
Swimming pool Open every evening until 10
pm
Hotel Royal Savoy,
Lausanne, Switzerland

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 Service Opening and closing times

Bar By 11 am
Laundry 24-hour valet service
Check-in Opens at 4 pm
Check-out Same day
Parking From 2 pm

Hotel Como,
Melbourne, Australia

5. Listen to the conversations between the employees and guests at

the Hotel Royal Savoy and the Hotel Como, about the services in
the two hotels. Match the times and services in Activity 4.

Being clear and polite. Listen to these sentences and repeat them.

It’s open every evening from 7 to …but it opens up again tomorrow at 7 am.
around 10 o’clock. The pool is only open in summer.

The fitness and sauna closes at 10 pm… Room service is available until 10.30 pm.

Language focus and practice

6. Time. Say the times below

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 013 : 10 20 : 20 21 : 20

ten past …………… …………past………… ………….twenty

22 : 40 23 : 45 23 : 55

ten ………………. a …………to twelve ………….. fifty-five

7. Study these structures.

What time does it open? It opens at 7am. It’s open 7 days a week.
What time does it close? It closes at 10 pm. It’s open from Monday to
Friday.
When does it open and close? It’s open from 7 am to 10 pm It’s open in summer/Winter
Is it open every day? Yes, it is. / No, It isn’t, I’m afraid.

8. Complete the questions using these words.

available service open does What is late by Is open

1. What time…………………….the fitness center close?

2. ……………………..the latest check-out time, please?
3. Is the laundry…………………….? I need these things……………………..tonight.
4. Is room service…………………..? I know it’s a bit…………………………
5. ……………………………..the car park locked at night?
6. When does the bar…………………………..?

Complete the answers using these words.

latest 24-hour fitness same-day available

service opens closes at

A. Yes, sir, room ……………………..is ………………….until 10.30.

B. The …………………………..check-out is at 11 am.
C. It ……………………………..at 4 pm.
D. Yes, sir, and there’s ……………………………valet parking service.
E. The ……………………………and sauna ……………………….10 pm.
F. Yes, madam, there is a ………………………….laundry service.

Now match the questions in 1-6 with the answers in A-F.

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Speaking 9. Speaking Practice. Student A looks at the information below. Student B
turns to page 81.

Student A :

You are the guest. Study the information below. Ask the employee complete
questions.

1. Ask if the fitness center is open in the evening.

2. Ask when the bar opens.
3. Ask if you can use the pool at any time.
4. Ask what the check-in and check-out times are.
5. Ask if room service is open now, at midnight.
6. Ask if the car park is locked at night.
7. Ask if the sauna is open now, at 11 p.m.

Change roles.

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Listening 10. Listen to the conversations between the hotel employees and guests
about the services at the Hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens and the
Okura garden Hotel, Shanghai. Tick (√) the services you hear.
In total, only 10 services are mentioned. Which two services are not
mentioned?

Grande Okura
Bretagne Garden
Sauna _____ _____
Fitness center _____ _____
Conference rooms _____ _____
Internet access _____ _____
Computer services _____ _____
Secretarial services _____ _____
Beauty salon _____ _____
Audio-visual equipment _____ _____
Exercise equipment _____ _____
Tour guide _____ _____
Translations _____ _____
Indoor swimming pool _____ _____

Okura Garden Hotel,

Shanghai, China

Being clear and polite Listen to these sentences and repeat them.

We have a fully equipped business There’s a fully equipped fitness club with center,
with internet access. an indoor swimming pool.

We have a full range of secretarial You’ll find all the exercise equipment you need.
services.

We have full translation services. There’s a wonderful sauna.

Just let us know in advance and we

can arrange everything.

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Language focus and practice
11. Can and Have
Study these questions and answers.

Have you got cable TV in the hotel? Yes, we have. / No, we haven’t.
Has the hotel got an indoor pool? Yes, it has. / No, it hasn’t.
Can I / we send e-mails from here? Yes, you can. / No, you can’t.
Can she get a hair appointment at once? Yes, she can. / No, she can’t.

12. Complete these sentences using the verbs ‘can’ or ‘have’.

1. ……………….he got the key? No, ………………………

2. ……………….you got a fax machine? Yes, ……………………..
3. ……………….she use the fitness center now? Yes, ……………………..
4. ……………….you do it by tonight? No, ……………………..

13. Complete the following sentences using these words.

we use you can can arrange have you got has

not have can arrange

1. Has the hotel……………….an express laundry service? Yes, madam, it………….

2. …………………we use the business center now? Yes, sir,………………………
It’s open until 8 pm.
3. …………………got everything? Yes, I think I …………………….
4. Can you………………………secretarial services? Yes,
we………………everything.
5. Can ………………the sauna now? I’m afraid………………sir, the sauna is
closed.

14. A hotel brochure

Read the extract from a hotel brochure. Complete it using these words.

internet secretarial translation service computer audio-visual sauna

conference exercise tour guide beauty health and fitness indoor pool

We have a fully equipped business center, including……………………rooms with all the

latest………………..equipment. Our range of hi-tech……………………services includes
full……………………access. We can arrange a full ……………….service, plus a full
……………………in several languages.

Enjoy the wonderful panoramic views over the mountains, as you work out in our
…………………….club, with all the latest ……………………equipment. Visit
the……………… salon, go for a …………………….., or go for a swim in the heated
……………………. If you would like to go sightseeing we can arrange for a
……………..to show you the sights.

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Reading 15. Hotel inspections

Read the article and answer these questions.

1. Why would a hotel manager want to be inspected?

2. Does the manager know about the inspection in advance?
3. What happens if a hotel fails the test?
4. Where does Mr. Smith work?
5. About how many hotels does Mr. Smith inspect each year?
6. Why doesn’t he give them a tip?

When an Inspector Calls

During a hotel stay, have you ever waited more than three rings before the phone was
picked up, found hairs in the bath or failed to receive a message?
If the hotel is up-market, these failings are serious. All hotels have their reputation to
maintain but deluxe hotels have to justify their higher rates. So one way of maintaining standards
is to use the services of a hotel inspector.
Inspectors checking any Preferred Hotels, an association of 125 deluxe hotels in 25
countries, answer 1,600 questions on each hotel during a two-day, anonymous stay. If a hotel
fails the inspection in two categories—service and condition of the building—it goes on six
months’ trial, at the end of which is a second inspection. A second failure means a quick exit from
Preferred.
David Smith is an inspector and travels the USA and Asia, for 12 days each month
inspecting hotels, never using the same hotel twice. ‘It should be a pleasure but it’s difficult to
relax and enjoy the luxury,’ he says. Work begins as soon as he enters the hotel entrance—100
questions on the check-in procedure. The concierge is another target. Mr. Smith will ask from
anything from an aspirin to a legal document after offices have closed. The concierge has to
provide a full service, not just a theater tickets, and must not expect a gratuity.
Mr. Smith also samples the restaurants and bars for the quality of service, doesn’t tip
staff and orders room service to check that staff are helpful in suggesting what to order and that
the food trolley is clean when it arrives with breakfast.
There are 165 questions in the bathroom and bedroom, which means a 45-minute check
for rubbish under the bed, dusty curtains, an empty minibar, dirty pillows or towels. The bathroom
must be clean, ’says Mr. Smith, ‘the water has to be instant and the shower easy to use and
definitely no hairs in the bath’.

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Listening 16. Listen to a hotel inspector report on the Royal Oak Hotel and complete
the inspection form.

Poor Satisfactory Excellent

Front entrance
signs and notices □ □ □

Lobby
carpets □ □ □
tidiness □ □ □
furniture □ □ □
service □ □ □
Kitchen
hygiene □ □ □
food storage □ □ □
appliances □ □ □
fittings □ □ □
Restaurant
hygiene □ □ □
furniture □ □ □
linen □ □ □
tableware □ □ □
Bathrooms
fittings □ □ □
towels □ □ □
Bedrooms
fittings □ □ □
TV remote control □ □ □
bed linen □ □ □

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