Learn how to handle an unhappy guest, from a conversation between a hotel staff member and a guest
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Braden: Hi, everyone. Braden here. |
| Ann: Ann here. Group Check-in. In this lesson you will learn how to do a group check in. |
| Braden: The conversation takes place at the front desk in the afternoon. |
| Ann: It’s between the guest and the front desk. |
| 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:So this dialogue demonstrated the typical check-in of a group. What it didn’t show, however, is things that shouldn’t be done at the front desk. |
| Braden:That’s right. We have two tips of things you shouldn’t do at the front desk. First, don’t say the guest’s room number out loud. This is an important privacy issue. Most guests don’t want other people to know where they are staying. |
| Ann:For this reason, many room keys don’t have the room number on them. If the guest loses the key, then it’s nearly impossible for anyone who finds the key to know what door it opens. |
| Braden:To help the customer, you could write the room number down on a small piece of paper. Alternatively, if you handed them a receipt, you could underline the room number as listed on the receipt. |
| Ann:Along with the room number, you should not say anything so loudly that other people can hear. It can sometimes be difficult to know exactly how loud to talk so that the customer can easily hear you, but so that other people cannot. |
| Braden:It’s often a good idea to write things down or point to them instead of saying them out loud. |
| Ann:Second, don't leave any guest information on the desk or counter for longer than a few seconds. This would be things like the reservation registration, any type of ID, credit cards, and so on. |
| Braden:This avoids the risk of something being forgotten by the guest or yourself. It’s usually good to hand any item you are giving to the guest directly into their hands. |
| Ann:If the guest leaves something on the desk or counter, get their attention and have them pick it up. Don’t take it to them unless they ask you to. |
| Braden:Alright. Let’s take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| 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 “picture ID.” |
| Ann:The phrase “picture ID” refers to any type of official ID that has a picture on it. In a previous lesson, we looked at the phrase “photo ID.” The two phrases are synonymous. |
| Braden:“Picture IDs” and “Photo IDs” are often requested at hotels, because the hotel needs to be sure that the person they are checking in to the room is the person that made the reservation. |
| Ann:It would be very embarrassing if someone were put into a room that was already occupied. |
| Braden:our second phrase is “up to you” |
| Ann:The phrase “up to you” means “it’s your decision.” The idea refers to having some decision “up in the air”, which means that it is undecided. To say that it is “up to you” means that the decision which is “up in the air” can be made by you. |
| Braden:The pronunciation is interesting as well. The break down is, “uhp-too-u” but many native English speakers say “uhp-tuh-u” instead of “uhp-too-u” |
| Ann:Both are common but in a professional setting, it might be better to say “uhp-too-u” because it seems more polite. |
| Braden:The intonation almost always has the emphasis on the “you.” For example, “uhp-too-U” |
| Ann:Ok, now let's take a look at the grammar. |
| GRAMMAR POINT |
| Braden:In this lesson, you’ll learn how to do group check-ins. |
| Ann:In the dialog, we hear the phrase “We have prepared all 17 rooms and we have ordered the room keys here.” |
| Braden:Checking in a large group at a hotel can be very daunting. The process is the same as during an individual check-in, but the number of people in the reception area is so large. There can be quite a bit of noise, confusion, irritation, disagreement, and even discomfort. |
| Ann:Luckily, there are some simple things you can do to prepare for a group that will make the check in much easier. |
| Braden:The key to an easy group check-in is to be prepared. For example, you should always check that the registration paperwork is correct. |
| Ann:It’s also a good idea to have any paperwork that will require signatures pre-printed and ready for the guests. At a staff meeting beforehand, you could ask something like... |
| Braden:“The Smith group is arriving at 3:00, this afternoon. Is the paperwork ready?” |
| Ann:If the group is especially large, such as in the dialogue, have a special staff meeting before the group arrives, and designate which role each staff person will fill. |
| Braden:For example, specify that certain bellhops be placed exclusively at the front door to help the guests unload their luggage. For example, |
| Ann:“John and Casey, I need you to stay at the front door and help the guests unload.” |
| Braden:There could also be further instructions like, “Don’t leave the front door until all the guests have entered.” |
| Ann:If the group is somehow important, such as a group of foreign dignitaries or the owners of the hotel, special attention should be given to the orderliness of the reception area. |
| Braden:Registration cards, pens, maps, business cards, and so on should all be carefully placed and arranged. Any discolored or incorrectly folded items should be removed. Plants should be watered at least one hour before the guest’s arrival, but not more than four. |
| Ann:Delegation of tasks like these would sound like this - “Alex, please arrange the front desk carefully. Everything needs to be in exactly the right place.” |
| Braden:... and “Sarah, be sure to water the plants at exactly 1:15.” |
| Ann:and “Charles, please empty the trash cans at exactly 2:30. Also, be sure to use the white garbage sacks instead of the black ones.” |
| Braden:Why white? Because white gives the impression of order and cleanliness. |
| Ann:As large group check-ins can take much longer than individual check-ins, it’s often customary to serve drinks to the guests while they wait. Consult with the hotel manager and room service supervisor about details such as quantity, type, timing, and billing. |
| Braden:During the staff meeting, you could ask several questions such as, “Will we be serving refreshments to the Smith group during check-in?” |
| Ann:To which they will probably respond, “Yes.” Then you could ask, “What types of refreshments will we serve?” |
| Braden:At this point, there are many possibilities and the hotel manager will decide what will be served. Let’s supposed the hotel manager authorized assorted fruit juices and peanuts. |
| Ann:Then you could ask, “Should we have those ready early or begin preparing them when the guests arrive?” |
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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