Donostia San Sebastián, Tibet Niche Tourism, Hotel Complaint Responses and Meeting Skills

Composition. Proposal Guidelines: Donostia San Sebastián

We think that one of the best reasons to choose this city is because it's the co-existence of three distinct cultural influences, and it's in a strategic situation, in the north of Spain and only 20 km away from the French border.

In addition, Donostia has many key events: a theatre festival in May and classical music concerts throughout August. But there is something that is very important: the film festival, which is celebrated in September. It's one of the five leading cinema events in Europe.

Finally, if the city wins the award, this will allow the city to improve its high-speed train track, and the idea of a France-Spain Eurocity will be made stronger.

This will be able to bring cultural benefits for both cities.

Niche Tourism

Would you like to learn about other cultures?

I recommend a special country which is located in Asia. This country is limited to the north by China and to the south, east and west by India.

Its houses are on the mountains, so this allows you to have amazing landscapes.

The people who live there are called Tibetans, and they practise Buddhism. It's very interesting!

This country stands out because it has sparkling Buddhist monasteries.

On the other hand, this tourism is difficult to do because there are few travel agencies which offer the trip, and it's very expensive.

But if you want to last in the world, I think that Bhutan is a very good choice!

E-mail

Date:

From:

To:

Subject: Re: Complaints

Dear R…,

Thank you for your letter of 4 July concerning your visit to the above hotel.

We are sorry to hear about the problems you had when you stayed at the hotel, and we want to offer you an apology. We are resolving your complaint with the hotel management.

The situation is exceptional, not ordinary. The hotel is new and has not yet finished its facilities.

Next week, we are having a ramp installed for the wheelchair, and the lift will go up to the first floor.

We had several problems with the specialist, and we are trying to solve them in the shortest possible time.

Regarding the toilet, we have installed a specific fitting for people with disabilities.

Finally, we are sending you an invitation to come back to the hotel and enjoy the new facilities with your family.

Yours sincerely,

Manuel Laguna
Hotel Manager

Telephone and Meeting Tips

• Answer all calls quickly: more than five rings is unacceptable.
• Ask if there are any questions. If they are slow in coming, have some ready.
• Ask open questions (that the other person can't answer with only yes or no).
• Ask someone to speak.
• Be careful about your body language. People who look ill at ease make others uncomfortable. Act as if you're confident and comfortable, even if you aren't.
• Can we move on to...? The next item on the agenda is...
• Carla, do you have anything to add?
• Checking everyone agrees:
• Concluding the meeting:
• Do I take it we are all in agreement?
• Do we all agree? Is that decided, then?
• Don't forget to check your spelling on your slides. Mistakes of this kind can create a very bad impression.
• Greet the audience (e.g. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen) and tell them who you are.
• Greet the caller with your name and/or organization and ask how you can help.
• Have something interesting to say. If you know what's happening in the news or current affairs, this can give you an idea to start a conversation.
• Introduce people to each other. Make an effort to remember names and use them.
• Introducing another topic:
• Is there any other business? I think we've covered everything.
• It is possible to express a fraction as a ratio: one out of three, four out of five.
• Keep to the time allowed. Finishing early is better than running into extra time. Allow about two minutes for each slide.
• Keep to your plan. Don't be tempted to digress: you will waste time and you might lose your concentration.
• Kristina, what do you think about it?
• Let's make a start, shall we? Shall we begin?
• Listen carefully and don't interrupt. Think about your answer while the caller is speaking.
• Listen more than you talk. Look the other person in the eye; don't look around the room.
• Make a remark about where you are and what's happening.
• Opening a meeting:
• Prepare some exit lines so that you can organize the conversation and move on gracefully.
• Pronounce a hyphen between two figures as "to": the 65-75 age range = the sixty-five to seventy-five age range.
• Pronounce fractions using ordinal numbers: 1/2 = a half; 1/3 = one/a third; 2/3 = two-thirds; 3/4 = three-quarters; 4/5 = four-fifths.
• Read from a script: prepare short prompts instead and rehearse your talk in advance so you feel confident.
• Say hello first. Offer your name so that the other person doesn't have to remember it.
• Smile while you are talking: it raises your voice and makes you sound warm and friendly.
• So, to sum up?
• Speak clearly and slowly. Adapt your language to the English language ability of the caller.
• Speak clearly at a natural speed. Don't rush or talk deliberately slowly.
• Stand in front of the screen and check that everyone can see.
• Stating the purpose of a meeting:
• Take notes when there is a message for a colleague and the information includes names or numbers.
• The aim of this meeting is to discuss...
• The first item on the agenda is...
• The letter m after a number indicates million. The abbreviation bn represents billion: £6m = 6 million pounds; $4.8bn = four point eight billion dollars.
• Turn away from your desk and computer screen.
• Use a small font: it makes the information difficult to read, especially from the back of the room.
• Use lots of different colours and fonts or put too many words on the slide. Keep your slides clear and simple.
• Use these words to refer to approximate amounts: around 1.6 million; somewhere in the region of US $100 billion; about 40%.
• We're here to talk about... We need to read a decision on...
• When speaking about money, write the currency unit before the figure and say it after: €34 = thirty-four euros; ¥23,000 = twenty-three thousand yen.
• When we use a decimal, we say "point". Each figure is said separately: 8.5% = eight point five percent; 4.25% = four point two five percent.
• Would anyone like to continue?