Hotel Complaint Procedures and English Grammar Exercises

Hotel Communication and Vocabulary

• 1. Two
• 2. Hasn't
• 3. 15
• 4. Changeover
• 5. Ground
• 6. Late lunch

Dialogue snippets:

• I’ll check if housekeeping has finished servicing your rooms yet.
• Yes, thanks. We’ve already had coffee.
• We’ve had a long flight plus a two-hour coach transfer from the airport.
• Your rooms won’t be ready for another two hours.
• Of course. I’ll page the duty manager for you.
• I want to complain about the delay in checking into our rooms.
• The travel company transferred us with no tour representative or information.
• We shouldn’t have to meet at the airport.

Case Study: Millie Harrison's Complaint

1. Who is Millie Harrison writing to? She is writing to the manager of the National Hotel.
2. When did she stay at the National Hotel? She stayed from 12th to 13th October.
3. What was her first problem? Her room wasn’t ready when she arrived, and she had to wait for half an hour.
4. What problem did she have with the shower? There was no hot water.
5. What was wrong with the sheets? The sheets were not clean.
6. What does she suggest? She suggests they improve their services for future guests.

Email of Complaint

Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to complain about my recent stay at your hotel. I stayed there last weekend, and I was very disappointed with the service.
When I arrived, my room was not ready, and I had to wait for a long time. In addition, the room was not clean, and the bed sheets were dirty. Furthermore, there was no hot water in the shower.
I believe this situation is unacceptable, and I would appreciate it if you could improve your services. I also expect some form of compensation for the inconvenience caused.
I look forward to your reply.
Yours faithfully,
[Your Name]

Hospitality Vocabulary

• Apologize: disculparse
• Changeover: cambio / rotación (de habitaciones o turnos)
• Courtesy room: habitación de cortesía
• Exhausted: agotado
• Freshen up: asearse / refrescarse
• High season: temporada alta
• Maintenance: mantenimiento
• Page (vb): llamar / avisar (por megafonía o sistema interno)
• Priority: prioridad
• Reassure: tranquilizar / dar seguridad
• Resort: complejo turístico
• Short-staffed: con poco personal
• Surrounding area: alrededores / zona cercana
• Sympathize: empatizar / compadecerse
• Transfer (vb): trasladar / transferir
• Unacceptable: inaceptable

Grammar Exercises

1. Present Perfect (already / just / yet)

• He’s already paid his bill.
• The guests have already completed the registration card.
• They haven’t booked a table for dinner yet.
• The porter has just taken the luggage to room 43.
• Mr and Mrs Laval haven’t had their lunch yet.
• He has just called to say they’ll be late.
• The guest has already talked to the tour rep.

2. Present Perfect (for / since)

• We haven’t had any sleep for 24 hours.
• I haven’t seen her since last week.
• He has had the same car for years.
• The restaurant hasn’t changed the menu since last year.
• The weather has been cold and wet for the last four days.