Hotel Services
HOTEL SERVICES
1. As a receptionist at the Grand Hotel Duomo answer the following questions:
1. What should I do to get room service?
2. Can I call another room directly?
3. Can I call outside the hotel without the operator's assistance?
4. How do you charge me for calls?
5. Can I pay the hotel account by credit card?
6. Do you change Italian currency?
7. Can I cash two £50 travellers' cheques?
8. Do you provide a baby sitting service?
9. Who should I contact to get a theatre reservation?
10. What can I do to put my valuables in a safe place?
11. How much do you charge for a safety deposit box?
12. Do you sell any newspapers at this hotel?
13. Can you arrange for a travel ticket to London?
14. Who should I contact in a medical emergency?
15. Who do I have to apply to to get some photocopies?
16. Can I have my laundry washed at this hotel?
17. What should I do to request laundry service?
18. Is there anybody who takes care of the guests’ laundry?
19. Where are the fire instructions located?
20. What can I do to avoid being disturbed in the afternoon?
2. Who would you apply to for the following needs? Cross (x) the appropriate box.
Concierge / Reception / Cashier / HousekeeperI have to change foreign currency
I need a theatre ticket
I need to deposit my valuables
I need a baby sitter
I need a doctor
I need to hire a car
I need a shirt ironed
I need to send a fax
I want to pay the hotel account
I need a photocopy
I’d like to leave a message
I wish to check-out
Lexical notes:
CURRENCY / the money in general use in a country, e.g. US dollar, Deutschmark, French franc
TRAVELLERS' CHEQUE / cheque for a fixed amount, sold by a bank, and cashed in foreign countries.
CHEQUE CARD / a plastic card given by a bank which guarantees payment of a personal cheque up to a certain amount.
CREDIT CARD / card that allows its holder to buy goods and services on credit.
BABY SITTING / looking after a child for a short time while the parents are out.
BAGGAGE / traveller's bags and belongings.
VALUABLES / small articles of personal property worth a lot of money.
ERRANDS / short journeys, esp. on another's behalf, to take a message, collect goods, buy something, etc.
LAUNDRY / an establishment for washing clothes or linen
TO LAUNDER / to wash and iron (clothes, linen).
LINENS / articles ( sheets, pillowcases, towels, etc. ) traditionally made of linen and, more recently, of cotton.
PRIVACY / a person's right to being undisturbed.
CHECK-IN / arrive at the hotel, register and make arrangements to stay
CHECK OUT / to leave a hotel with due formalities.
This cheque card entitles the holder to cash personal cheques at any banks which have joined the Eurocard scheme.
American Express Card. A credit card enables holders to make credit purchases at shops, hotels, travel agencies, restaurants, garages, etc.
A CREDIT CARD IS FAR SAFER TO CARRY AROUND THAN CASH.
Kennedy Hotel
Cardington Street, London NW1 2LP
Tel: 071 – 387 4400 Telex: 28250
Fax: 071 – 387 5122
Accounts: Are payable in cash on presentation. We will be pleased to accept personal cheques if supported by a bankers card, up to the limit stated, or by prior arrangement.
Credit Cards: All major International credit cards are accepted.
Breakfast: An English/Buffet breakfast is available in the Spires Restaurant from Monday to Saturday 0700 - 1000 hrs, Sundays 0730 - 1030 hrs. The Spires Restaurant then provides a full service until last orders at 2230 hrs, with a break of service between 1500 - 1 730 hrs.
A Continental Breakfast Pack is provided to all clients with pre-arrangements in the room rate. Where Breakfast is not included in the room tariff it can be arranged either in the room or the restaurant at an extra cost.
Conference and Banquet Facilities: The Manager will be pleased to give you details.
Custody of Valuables: The Management respectfully draw your attention to the Innkeeper's Liability Act notice displayed in the Front Hall and regret that no responsibility can be taken
for articles not deposited with Reception for safe custody.
Departure: Checkout time is 1100 hrs. Please notify reception if you wish to retain your room after this time, in which case an extra charge may be made.
Early Calls: Please dial '6' or see the Hall Porter if you wish to be called at any particular time.
KEYS: PLEASE LEAVE YOUR KEY AT HALL PORTER'S DESK WHEN YOUR ROOM IS NOT OCCUPIED.
Laundry and Dry Cleaning: Full information available from the Hall Porter.
Mail and Messages: Please ask Hall Porter.
Room Service: No service to bedrooms is provided after breakfast.
Cocktail Bar: open all day until 0100 hrs. (12 midnight Sundays).
Theatre Bookings: Contact the Hall Porter who will be pleased to assist.
Doctor. The Housekeeper will contact the Doctor at any time. The Doctor will charge
a fee for his services.
1. Draw information from the above Kennedy Hotel services and complete the text below.
If you have a look at the map you can see that Kennedy Hotel is situated in ...... Street which is on the left of ...... The hotel provides a variety of services. Five of which comprising ...... , ...... , ...... , ...... , ...... are obtainable by contacting the Hall Porter. Some items are concerned with the financial aspect of guests' staying. Guests, in fact, can pay their account in four ways: in cash, by ...... , by ...... , and by ...... As to paying by personal cheque, this is possible on condition that you are provided with a ...... You can't escape the fact that the ''KEYS'' item is written in capital letters just because you have to leave your room keys with the ...... before leaving the hotel. You can see also that the hotel is provided with a cocktail bar, which is open until ...... on weekdays, and a restaurant where guests have breakfast from ...... to ...... on ...... and from ...... to 10.30 on ...... If you have any valuables and want to keep them safe, then you should ...... When the time of departure comes, remember to check out before ...... and to leave your key at ...... You might be requested to pay an ...... if you wished to retain your room after checkout time. The last thing I want to tell you concerns the doctor service. If you aren't well and need a doctor, tell the ...... and remember that the doctor's ...... is at your charge.
2. Play the role of the receptionist at the Kennedy Hotel and answer the guest's questions.
The guest's questions / Your answersDo you accept traveller’s cheques? / ______
______
Can I pay with foreign currency? / ______
______
Can I give you a personal cheque? / ______
______
What kind of breakfast does the hotel provide? / ______
______
Where can I leave valuables? / ______
______
Can you give me some information about Conference facilities? / ______
______
What time do I have to leave my room on the day of my departure? / ______
______
Who shall I have to hand over my room key when I leave the hotel? / ______
______
Who do I have to apply to, to be called early in the morning? / ______
______
Who is concerned with mail and messages? / ______
______
What time does the bar close on Saturdays? / ______
______
Who can I ask to have a shirt washed? / ______
______
3. Write the questions to which these are the answers:
1. Yes, all credit cards are accepted
2. We serve dinner from 7pm to 10.30pm.
3. Breakfast begins at seven o'clock.
4. Yes, we have two types of public telephone: standard payphones which take coins and phonecard payphones which take phonecards.
5. You can buy a phonecard from the newsagent.
6. You can change travelers’ cheques here at the reception.
7. The bus station is a long way from here. You should take a 45 bus.
8. Yes, you can on condition that you have a banker's card
4. Which services are represented by these pictures?
safety box, porter, medical assistance, cleaning guestrooms, room service, business centre
5. Read each text and then match it with the appropriate illustration above.
a. May we suggest not to leave valuables in your room. A safety deposit box will be provided to you on request free of charge. / b. Tom Benton is not feeling very well today and has asked the Hall Porter a doctor's assistance. Now the doctor is checking his blood pressure trying to formulate a diagnosis. / c. In addition to changing sheets and pillow cases our duties include sweeping the floor, dusting the furniture, emptying the waste paper basket and cleaning the bathroom.d. Adjecent to the Reception, the Business Centre is available 24 hours each day and offers secretarial services and facilities during office hours. / e. You may want to have breakfast in your room. To this end call room service by pushing the button near the bedside showing the waiter. / f. Mrs Bradley had asked the Receptionist to arrange for his two suitcases to be taken up to her room.
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6
6. Look at the pictures and answer the questions.
......
2. Who provides it?
......
3. Money is here represented in the shape of...... and ...... / 1. What's her job?
......
2. What's she doing?
......
3. What else does she usually do?
......
......
...... / 1. Who do you apply to if you need a newspaper?
......
2. Which other British newspapers do you know?
......
......
......
1. What are these?
......
2. Where can you get them?
...... / 1. What's this?
......
2. Where in the hotel can you find it?
......
......
3. Who may need it?
...... / 4. Which service is illustrated?
......
5. What's the girl's job?
......
6. What are children doing?
......
Laundry Service
Laundry and valet service is required by guests staying in hotel more than a few days. It is a same-day service organized as follows: where laundry is an in-house facility it is directly operated by the hotel which may use it for washing and cleaning bedroom and table linen as well. Alternatively the hotel makes arrangements with an outside laundry and dry cleaning firm handling both hotel linen and guests’ articles. Laundry service may be distinguished into laundry proper, dry cleaning and pressing service.
Guests requiring this service collect their articles into the appropriate laundry bag and complete a due form. Unless an itemised list is sent with the articles, the hotel count must be accepted. Articles not received by 9am may not be returned the same evening. No service is effected on Sundays and public holidays.
The cost of the guest’s laundry and dry cleaning service - normally higher than an outside firm’s - is charged to the guest’s account.
Practice
1. Complete these sentences:
1. Laundry is operated by the hotel direct when ...
2. When the hotel has no laundry facility then ...
3. Valet is the person who ...
4. Laundry service is distinguished into ...
5. It is required by ...
6. Guests deliver their articles before ...
7. They collect them into ...
8. They have to fill ...
9. The cost of the service is charged ...
10. Outside laundry & dry cleaning firms quote ...
2. Look at the laundry form and answer the questions:
1. Which service is more expensive, normal or express?
2. How much more does a blouse cost than a shirt?
3. How many articles did Mr Owen send to the laundry?
4. What is the most expensive item on the Gentlemen's list?
5. How much did Mr Owen actually spend for his laundry?
6. Which of Mr Owen's articles were the most expensive?
7. How many blouses did Mrs Owen send to the laundry?
8. How much did she pay for her nightdress?
9. What time are guests' items handed in?
10. When are guests' articles returned?
11. When are guests' articles priced extra?
12. Is there a laundry service on Saturdays?
3. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words from the list
part, care, unsatisfactory, held, accepting, our, regarding, shrinkage, cannot, and, accompanied, proper, investigated, free.
CONDITIONS OF ACCEPTANCE
When ...... articles entrusted to our ...... for processing, we undertake to handle them with ...... and due care and attention. In addition we reprocess ...... of charge any garment the cleaning of which is considered ...... due to fault on our ...... We cannot be ...... responsible for fading or ...... , although every precaution will be taken to guard against it.
In the case of any loss or damage due to negligence on ...... part, we will pay for compensation, provided always that any enquiry and / or complaint ...... loss or damage is notified within 48 hours of the collection of the cleaning and is ...... by this list. Without such notification and the return of the dry cleaning list a claim cannot be ...... and compensation paid. Whilst every care is taken with each garment we regret we ...... accept responsibility for belts, buttons ...... buckles.
4. Match the words in the first column with their Italian equivalents in the second column.
1. blouse / a. camicia2. bras / b. gonna
3. handkerchiefs / c. calze
4. jacket / d. canottiera
5. nightdress / e. maglione
6. overcoat / f. pigiama
7. shirt / g. soprabito
8. skirt / h. fazzoletti
9. socks / i. blusa
10. suit / j. cravatte
11. sweater / k. giacca
12. pyjamas / l. vestaglia
13. ties / m. reggiseni
14. underpants / n. vestito
15. vest / o. mutande
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Baby Sitting Service