English for Receptionists: 20 Essential Phrases for Hotel Staff

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.

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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 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:

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.

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

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!

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)