Booking a room on the phone:

- I would like to book a room for tomorrow night.

- What type of room are you looking for?

- A double room please with a private bathroom.

- All our rooms are en-suite.

- Perfect.

- Are you staying for one night only?

- Yes, only one night. How much is that?

- That is 120 Euro.

- Ok, that’s fine. Does it include breakfast?

- No, but if you like you can book it. We offer continental or full Irish breakfast.

- No, that’s ok, no need for that.

- What’s the name please?

- It’s Teresa Gonzales.

- Can I have your credit card details please?

- Just one second… - My card number is xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx.

- And when’s the expiry date?

- Oh, it’s March 2011.

- Great. I have booked you in for tomorrow night, double room en-suite. Please have your passport and credit card on hand when you check in.

At reception:

- I have a booking for a room, the name is Gonzales.

- Just a second please. - Oh, right, I have it here. A twin room for one night…

- Oh, I thought I booked a double?

- Let me see… no, the booking is for a twin room.

- I’m quite certain I booked a double room…

- Let me check if we have doubles available. – I am very sorry; it seems we’re booked out for tonight. Would you accept a twin room?

- Well, I was really hoping to have a double.

- Seeing as it was our mistake, we could offer you a complimentary breakfast tomorrow to make up for it.

- Ok, I suppose that’s fine then.

- Again, we are very sorry about this. Could I please have your passport and credit card?

- There you are.

- Thanks. – Here are your keys, your room number is 145, it’s on the first floor on the right.

- Thanks.

- I hope you enjoy your stay. Please don’t hesitate to contact reception if we can help you with anything.

Vocabulary:

To book a room – to reserve

Room en-suite – a room with bathroom

Continental breakfast – usually breakfast with bread, rolls, cereal, jam etc.

Full Irish breakfast – with sausages, pudding and bacon

Expiry date – when something, like a credit card expires it is not valid anymore, it is basically the ending date

To have something on hand – have something handy/close to oneself

To check in – to arrive at hotel to get your keys and move into the room

Twin room – room with two separate beds

Booked out – no more spaces, full

Seeing as – since, because, considering that

Complimentary – free, on the house

To make up for something (phrasal verb) – to compensate for something that went wrong

Other useful expressions:

Room service – delivers drinks and food to the room

Single room – room for one person

Supplement – additional cost, for example for an extra person

Fully booked – booked out, no more rooms

April 1st, 2008

Buying a ticket

· I’d like to reserve two seats to New York.

· Will that be one way or round trip?

· How much is a round trip ticket?

· It’s $819. Will you pay by cheque or pay in cash

· Here’s my Visa Card. Can we get pay by cheque please?

· You can choose your seat when you check in.

Checking In

· Can I see your ticket and passport, please?

· Here they are. Can we get one seat near the aisle?

· Yes, that’s no problem. You’re in seats 27B and 27C.

· Thanks. Where do we go next?

· Go to Gate A8, straight ahead then turn left.

On the Airplane

· Would you like something to drink?

· Could I have Coke with no ice?

· Here you are. Please fill out this form before the plane lands.

· What is this form for?

· It’s a Customs and Immigration form. You will use that in the airport before you can enter the country.

Getting through Customs

· Do you have anything to declare?

· I just have one bottle of wine. It’s a gift for my friend.

· How much wine is in the bottle?

· It contains 750ml.

· That’s fine. Have a nice stay.

Getting your luggage

· At which carrousel will our luggage be?

· At number 5, over there.

· Great! I’ll get a cart right away.

· Be sure you have your luggage ticket.

· Yes, it’s right here attached to my plane ticket.

to reserve seats – to book seats in advance; make sure you get your seats on a plane

one way trip – flying just in one direction, to one destination

round trip – flying to one place and then coming back to the same place; return filght/ticket

a round trip ticket - a ticket for the trip back to the original starting point

pay by cheque – to pay for something by writing a cheque

pay by credit card – to pay for something using a credit card

to check in - to show your ticket at an airport so that you can be told where you will be sitting and so that your bags can be put on the aircraft

an aisle - a long narrow space between rows of seats in an aircraft

gate - a part of an airport where travellers are allowed to get on or off a particular aircraft

Customs - the place at a port, airport or border where travellers’ bags are looked at to find out if any goods are being carried illegally

to declare - to make a statement, or account, of (taxable goods), as at customs

carrousel - a continuous moving strip on which airport passengers’ bags are put for collection

luggage - the bags, cases, etc. which contain your possessions and that you take with you when you are travelling

a cart - a small vehicle with two or four wheels that you push or pull to transport large or heavy objects on

luggage ticket - a small piece of card or plastic with your name and flight number which you attach to your bags

and some more useful expressions:

baggage claim - place where passengers go to find their luggage (cases etc) at the end of a flight

board - to get on or enter an aeroplane - on board adv.

boarding pass - special ticket showing that passenger has checked in and may board plane

confirmation - passenger’s telephone validation of return reservation; reconfirmation departures board - large display in airport showing times, destinations etc of departing flights

domestic - national, not international [a domestic flight is entirely within one country]

duty free - [of products: cigarettes, perfume etc] not taxable; exempt from customs taxes

excess baggage - luggage that is more than the permitted or allowed weight in

jet lag - extreme tiredness etc after a long flight between extreme time zones 17 runway - the strip on which planes land and take off 18 stopover n. a break for a day or two on an international flight