Learn how to refuse politely, from a conversation between a hotel staff member and a guest
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Braden:Hi, everyone. Braden here. |
| Ann: Ann Here. Departure Etiquette in the Hotel Restaurant. In this lesson you will learn tips for when a restaurant guest is departing. |
| Braden:This conversation takes place in the hotel restaurant in the evening. |
| Ann:The conversation is between the Guest and waitress. |
| Braden:They will be speaking professionally. |
| Ann:Let’s listen to the conversation. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Ann:For many people, small talk is just what you do while you wait for something else to happen. This may be true practically, however, if the person you’re talking to feels like that is the case, then this next step will help you master making small talk. |
| Braden:Saying goodbye after making small talk can sometimes be difficult. In a hotel, you’ve probably shown your guests to their room, and now it’s time for you to leave. |
| Ann:One very useful phrase for saying goodbye in this situation is, “It’s been great talking to you.” |
| Braden:This phrase shows that you enjoyed talking to the person and that it wasn’t simply “your job.” This makes the guest feel important, which is what every hotelier should want. |
| Ann:If, in our example, you’re showing the guest of the room for the first time you could quickly say, “I hope you have a wonderful stay here at Hotel Innovative.” |
| Braden:If the person is checking out, you could alter these two phrases into the past tense just slightly. For example, “It’s been great having you with us. We hope you had a wonderful stay here at Hotel Innovative.” |
| Ann:Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Ann:Let's have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first phrase we’ll look at is “Check, please.” |
| Braden:The phrase “check please” is frequently used in restaurants. This is what most guests at restaurants say when they are ready to pay the bill. |
| Ann:Technically, this is a fragmented sentence which means that there is no verb. However, the verb here is inferred, which means that even though it isn’t said, it is practically understood. |
| Braden:The phrase “check please” means “please bring me the check.” |
| Ann:The next phrase we’ll look at is “major credit cards.” |
| Braden:The phrase “major credit cards” is one that is frequently used when talking about the four largest credit card companies in the world, which are Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover Card. |
| Ann:Remember, there are many other credit card companies. However, they may not be accepted at every hotel because they are not these four. |
| Braden:That’s right. These credit cards are accepted at most hotels, because they are so common. |
| Ann:Ok, now onto the grammar. |
| GRAMMAR POINT |
| Ann:In this lesson, you’ll learn about restaurant guest departure etiquette. |
| Braden:In the dialog, we heard the phrase - “We hope you had a wonderful evening and we look forward to serving you soon.” |
| Ann:When working in a hotel restaurant, you are often the most expensive restaurant in the vicinity. |
| Braden:Because of this your service must be the best in the vicinity as well, or people will not want to eat at your restaurant. |
| Ann:The same goes for general hotel staff. If your hotel is expensive, but your service is excellent, then people tend to feel that the extra price is worth it. |
| Braden:The first step here is settling the bill at a restaurant. |
| Ann:When a guest is ready to leave, they will signal to the waiter or host. They can do this in any number of ways. |
| Braden:That’s right. For example, they could call to the host and say, “Check please.” Or they could simply make eye contact with the waiter and subtly point towards their table. |
| Ann:Either way, the waiter should be aware that the guest is finishing their meal, and ready to settle the bill as quickly as possible. |
| Braden:Settling the bill at a hotel is much the same except that the guest usually comes to the front desk to check out and pay the bill. |
| Ann:There will often be a small stack of feedback cards on the front desk, and the agent will mention them in conversation. |
| Braden:Personal hotel bills are almost always paid for by debit or credit card. |
| Ann:Step 2 is helping the guest leave the restaurant. After the bill has been settled, it is important for the waiter to remain ready to serve the guest. |
| Braden:One example would be to pull the chair back. The waiter could wait nearby while the guests prepares to leave. When the guest starts to get up, the waiter would pull back the chair to help the guest stand up. |
| Ann:Another example would be to check for personal belongings. |
| Braden:That’s right. As the guests are leaving the table, the waiter or host could quickly check around the table for any personal belongings that the guest or guests might have left behind. |
| Ann:If something has been left behind, do not pick it up. Politely and discreetly draw the guest’s attention to the table. |
| Braden:Exactly. For example, you could get their attention by quietly saying, “Sir?” or “Ma’am?” Once you have their attention, you could say, “I believe you might have left something at the table.” And let them go pick it up. |
| Ann:You should always thank the guest for dining at your restaurant. Usually, the waiter or host accompanies the guest to the door, and thanks them for dining at your restaurant. |
| Braden:The waiter or host might say something like, “Thank you for dining with us at Restaurant Innovative. We hope to see you again soon.” |
| Ann:Conversely, if you are a hotel front desk clerk and the guest has just checked out, you could thank them for staying at your hotel, and have one of the bellhops accompany the guest to the door. |
| Braden:That’s right. You could say, “Thank you for staying at Hotel Innovative. We look forward to seeing you again. Charles, could you show Mrs. Smith to her car?” |
Outro |
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| Braden:That’s it for this lesson. Thanks for listening, everyone! |
| Ann:And we’ll see you next time! |
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