Learn how to help a guest find a restaurant, from a conversation between a hotel staff member and a guest
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Braden: Hi, everyone. Braden here. |
| Ann: Ann here. Housekeeping When Guests are Present. In this lesson you will learn how to do housekeeping when the guests are still in the room. |
| Braden: This conversation takes place in the guest's room. |
| Ann: The conversation is between the Guest and the maid. |
| Braden: The speakers have a staff-customer relationship, so they will be speaking professionally. |
| Ann: Let’s listen to the conversation |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Ann:In social situations, Americans have a tendency to dislike silence. So much so that, if any silence occurs during a conversation, the parties involved often become uncomfortable and nervous. |
| Braden:That’s right. To avoid this, Americans have developed small talk. Now, all cultures and languages have small talk, and in that sense Americans are not unique. However, with Americans, these "awkward silences" are strenuously avoided. |
| Ann:Exactly. Many Americans make jokes or comments that are only used if one of these awkward silences appears. |
| Braden:If one of these awkward silences happens while at a hotel, it's a good idea to have a simple comment ready. |
| Ann:Whenever an awkward silence happens, you can comment on the weather. For example, |
| Braden:"The rain sure is strong this afternoon." |
| Ann:Usually, the guest will quickly pick up the comment and say something about the weather also, such as... |
| Braden:"I know. It's beautiful." |
| Ann:Then, just continue your conversation as before. |
| Braden:Now let’s move on to 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. |
| Braden:The first phrase we're going to look at is “I apologize for that, sir.” |
| Ann:The phrase “I apologize for that, sir” is a polite one that can be used in many situations. |
| Braden:Exactly. The pronunciation is also important with this phrase. The greatest emphasis should be on the “pol” of “apologize.” Let’s hear that one time slowly... |
| Ann:“I apologize for that, sir.” |
| Braden:Break it down please... |
| Ann:“I a-po-lo-gi-ze for that, sir.” |
| Braden:and one time fast, |
| Ann:“I apologize for that, sir.” |
| Braden:The second phrase we’ll look at is “Is that alright?” |
| Ann:The word "alright" has a few different meanings. In the dialogue, the meaning is roughly "okay" or "satisfactory." The lifeguard asks the guest if they are feeling "okay." |
| Braden:That’s right. Many people still believe that "alright" spelled as one word, "a-l-r-i-g-h-t", is wrong and that it should always be spelled as two words - "all” as “a-l-l" and "right” as "r-i-g-h-t." |
| Ann:As a hotelier, you should know that casual writing allows spelling "alright" as one word. However, in formal writing, as will most often be the case at a hotel, it is probably better to write it as two words "all" "right." |
| Ann:Ok, let's move on to the grammar. |
| GRAMMAR POINT |
| Braden:In this lesson, you’ll learn how to do housekeeping when guests are present in the room. In the dialog, we hear the phrase... |
| Ann:“I will need about 10 minutes to change the bed sheets and clean the floor.” |
| Braden:Also in the dialogue, the guest requests that the housekeeper clean while they are still in the room. This can sometimes be awkward. However, there are a few simple steps that will help make this an easy experience. |
| Ann:The first phase is entering the guest’s room. First, the cleaner should knock on the door. Most hotels specify how many times you should knock. Usually, it is three times. |
| Braden:As soon as you have finished knocking, say, |
| Ann:“Housekeeping.” |
| Braden:This step is so common, you even see it in movies. The word “housekeeping” refers to the people who keep a house clean, or in this case, the hotel. |
| Ann:Usually, Americans answer the door quickly, but if they don’t they usually say something like, |
| Braden:“Just a minute.” or “I’ll be right there.” |
| Ann:If you hear that, wait until they open the door. |
| Braden:But if they don’t answer the door and you don’t hear a response, you can open the door. However, most hotels specify that you wait for one to two minutes before opening the door yourself. |
| Ann:It’s also a good idea to open the door slowly while knocking and saying housekeeping again. |
| Braden:Phase 2 is Greeting the Guest. When you see the guest, greet them appropriately according to the time of day by saying, “Good morning.” or “Good afternoon.” or “Good evening.” respectively. |
| Ann:It’s also good to add the phrase’s corresponding polite form of address and the phrase “How are you?” For example, “Good morning, sir. How are you?” or “Good afternoon, ma’am. How are you?” |
| Braden:Next, in Phase 3, you prepare to perform the service. After waiting for their response, you should ask them what they need. You could say, |
| Ann:“How may I help you?” or “How may I be of service?” |
| Braden:...and you probably shouldn’t ask, “What do you need?” because that is very direct and can be seen as a bit impolite. |
| Ann:As the guest is explaining, be sure to not interrupt them, even with questions. If you have a question, wait until they are finished explaining and then ask. |
| Braden:Once you have understood the instructions, tell the guest what you are going to do and give them a time-frame. |
| Ann:That’s right. For example, like in the dialogue, “I will need about 10 minutes to change the bed sheets and clean the floor.” |
Outro |
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| Braden: That just about does it for this lesson. Thanks for listening, everyone! |
| Ann: And we’ll see you next time! |
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