English for Receptionists: 20 Essential Phrases for
Hotel Staff
fluentu.com/blog/english/english-for-hotel-receptionist/
June 15, 2023
FluentU / Blog / English
Date Published: 15 Jun 2023
kitlum
Date Modified: 30 Jan 2025
If you’re a hotel receptionist or hoping to become one, you need to be able to
communicate with people from different countries and cultures. You’ll often be
one of the first people that visitors meet when they’re on vacation or traveling
for work, so you have the important job of welcoming them to your town or city
and answering their questions.
We’re going to cover 20 expressions that all hotel receptionists must know to
communicate with every English-speaking visitor who walks in the door. Use
the audio to practice your pronunciation so you can use these phrases with
confidence.
1/6
Welcoming Guests
As a hotel receptionist, your job isn’t only to greet guests but also to make them
feel welcome. A friendly smile and a warm greeting make a great start.
Hello, welcome to [name of your hotel]
Here’s a standard greeting you could use. Instead of a simple hello, you could
also say good morning, good afternoon or good evening depending on the
time of day the guest walks in.
How can I help you today?
You can ask your guest this simple question at the beginning of their visit, or at
any time during their stay.
For a guest who’s new to your city, knowing that you’re there and ready to help
will make them feel right at home.
Taking Reservations
Most guests make their reservations online. However, if they’re unable or
unwilling to do that, they may make their reservations by phone. If that’s the
case, here are some standard questions you might ask:
What’s the date of your arrival?
Ask your guest when they’re planning to arrive and check into the hotel.
When are you planning to check out?
You’ll also need to ask when they’re planning to leave or check out of the hotel.
How many people is this reservation for?
You’ll need to know the size of the group or number of people to reserve rooms
2/6
You ll need to know the size of the group or number of people to reserve rooms
for.
What type of room would you prefer?
Some guests may have a preference for a certain type of room. Ask if they’d like
a room for one person (single) or two people (double).
Some hotels offer different types of rooms for guests who don’t smoke (non-
smoking rooms) and rooms with views (for example, ocean view/sea view,
mountain view or lake view).
Checking Guests In
Do you have a reservation?
This is one of the first things you will ask a guest when they walk up to the
reception desk. Not all guests have reservations. Some simply walk in and ask
for a room.
What name is the reservation under?
If the guest has a reservation, find out the name of the person it’s under
(associated with). That way you can pull up their information on your
computer screen.
Could I have your ID and credit card, please?
When checking in, hotels usually require the credit card of the guest and some
form of identification (ID) like their passport or driver’s license.
Using the modal verb could will make you sound more polite and professional.
Your room is on the [number] floor, room number
[number]
Tell the guest which room they’ve been assigned (given). For instance, you
might say:
3/6
might say:
Your room is on the 9th floor, room number 925.
Breakfast is served from [time] to [time] every morning
at/in [location/room]
Many hotels provide a free breakfast to guests every morning as part of their
stay. If this is the case at your hotel, inform your guest about the time and place
where they can enjoy the breakfast.
So you might say:
Breakfast is served from 6 to 9 a.m. every morning in the dining area.
Is there anything else I can help you with?
This is a customer-friendly question you could ask after assisting a guest. In
case they need more information or assistance, let them know that you’re
always there to help. This is a good question to keep in mind.
Enjoy your stay
Be sure to wish your guest a pleasant stay after you check them in.
Giving Information, Offering Assistance and Handling
Complaints
A big part of your job as a hotel receptionist is to make guests feel at home and
well taken care of during their stay. You’re the person guests come to for
information, assistance and yes, even complaints.
We have [scheduled services] that run to/from [location].
You’ll find [information] in/at/by [location]
Hotels often offer arranged transportation services like buses and tours that
guests can use freely to travel to locations like the airport, local tourist
attractions and shopping areas.
4/6
These two statements are useful for informing your guests about these services.
Feel free to adapt them to suit different situations:
We have a shuttle bus service that runs to the airport from here. You’ll find
the shuttle schedule by the front door.
We have city tours that run between here, Disneyland and Universal Studios.
You’ll find brochures of all our city tours to the left of this lobby.
To get to [location], just…
Guests often ask for directions on how to get to a certain location either within
the hotel or outside. This statement can easily be adapted to suit different
situations.
To get to the gym, just go down this hallway and turn left. It’s the second door
on your right.
To get to the nearest McDonald’s, just cross the street outside the hotel and
walk straight.
I’m sorry about that. Let me see how we can fix that right
away
Your guest might mention (…or, yell) something they’re unhappy about. Maybe
their towels need changing or their TV isn’t working.
With the polite expressions above, you can apologize to the guest (even if it’s
not your fault) and offer to fix the problem.
If you need anything else, please let us know
Here’s another customer-friendly expression to let your guests know they can
always contact you if they need help with anything else.
Checking Guests Out
5/6
Could I have your room number and key, please?
When your guest is ready to check out, start by asking for their room number
and key. Here again, use the modal verb could to sound more polite.
Your total is [amount]. How will you be paying for this,
please?
Let them know the total amount for their stay and ask them how they prefer to
pay. Some guests may prefer to pay by credit card, others may pay with cash,
etc.
Your total is $243. How will you be paying for this, please?
Thank you and hope to see you again soon
This is a great way to say goodbye, thank your guest and send them off on a
happy note. If they’re continuing their vacation to another location, you could
add: Enjoy the rest of your vacation. If they’re leaving for home, you could
add: Have a pleasant trip home.
You can hear many of these expressions in use by native English speakers on
an immersion program like FluentU.
If you’re a hotel receptionist or hoping to become one, you’ll find this list of
expressions useful as you set out to welcome visitors who’ve come from all over
the world to visit your country.
Remember, practice makes perfect and the more you practice using these
expressions, the more confident you’ll become.
Good luck!
6/6
