Learn how to address noisy guests, from a conversation between a hotel staff member and a guest
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Eric: Hi everybody! Eric here! |
| Becky: Hello everyone! Becky here. Handling a Noise Complaint. |
| Eric: In this lesson you will learn about dealing with third-party complaints regarding your customers. |
| Becky: This conversation takes place in the evening on the 7th floor. |
| Eric: It’s between a guest and a staff member. |
| Becky: The speakers are in a professional relationship, so they’ll be using formal English. Let’s listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Guest: Hello, can I help you? |
| Staff: Hello, sir. We have received a few noise complaints from some of your neighbors, and we need to ask you to please keep it down. |
| Guest: Oh, really? I thought this was the party floor! |
| Staff: I am sorry, sir. We are very happy you guys are enjoying your stay with us, but I am responsible for ensuring that all of the guests in the hotel are having a pleasant stay. |
| Guest: I know, I was just joking, we will be quieter. |
| Staff: Thank you for your cooperation. |
| Becky: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| Guest: Hello, can I help you? |
| Staff: Hello, sir. We have received a few noise complaints from some of your neighbors, and we need to ask you to please keep it down. |
| Guest: Oh, really? I thought this was the party floor! |
| Staff: I am sorry, sir. We are very happy you guys are enjoying your stay with us, but I am responsible for ensuring that all of the guests in the hotel are having a pleasant stay. |
| Guest: I know, I was just joking, we will be quieter. |
| Staff: Thank you for your cooperation. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Becky: When speaking to western customers, try to keep your body language and facial expressions in mind while you are speaking. |
| Eric: Don’t think about it too much, because then you’ll look strange. But in general, you should smile, stand up straight, and only use hand gestures when necessary. |
| Becky: Now, when you’re acting as an authority figure, like in the dialogue, a firm expression without a smile can be appropriate. |
| Eric: That’s right. However, you should never use angry or upset expressions. Looking angry could cause problems with your guests and some might even see your anger as a challenge and get angry at you. |
| Becky: Exactly. Facial expressions and body language are important, and you should stay aware of the body language and expressions you use and even practice them on your own. Okay, now let’s take a look at the vocabulary. |
| Vocab list |
| Becky: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| The first phrase is... |
| Eric: I know…We will be quieter [natural native speed] |
| Becky: I’m sorry. We will stop being so loud. |
| Eric: I know…We will be quieter [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Eric: I know…We will be quieter [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next is... |
| Eric: keep it down [natural native speed] |
| Becky: be quiet, hush |
| Eric: keep it down [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Eric: keep it down [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next is... |
| Eric: I thought this was the party floor! [natural native speed] |
| Becky: I really want to have fun. |
| Eric: I thought this was the party floor! [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Eric: I thought this was the party floor! [natural native speed] |
| Becky: Next is... |
| Eric: pleasant [natural native speed] |
| Becky: easy to enjoy |
| Eric: pleasant [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Eric: pleasant [natural native speed] |
| Becky: And last... |
| Eric: ensure [natural native speed] |
| Becky: make certain, guarantee |
| Eric: ensure [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Eric: ensure [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Becky: Let’s take a closer look at some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Eric: The first phrase we’re going to look at is "I thought this was the party floor!" |
| Becky: This is a joking response that has various forms. For example, "I thought this was the fun floor!" or "We thought it was party time!" |
| Eric: It’s usually best to have a near-memorized response to these kinds of expressions. |
| Becky: That’s right. In general, you don’t need to explain anything, just restate the rules and ask them to abide by them. When guests are particularly difficult, you should contact your manager. |
| Eric: A couple of examples of memorized responses would be "I’m sorry ma’am, but I’m afraid the noise is beginning to cause problems. Could you keep it down?" and "I apologize sir, but I must ensure that each and every guest has a pleasant stay. Could I ask you to be a little bit more quiet?” |
| Becky: The next phrase we are going to look at is "I know…We will be quieter." |
| Eric: In this phrase, the subject changes from "I" to "we." It’s not directly mentioned in the dialogue, but because of this we can assume the man is with at least one other person. He changes from “I,” showing that he understands, to “we,” speaking for all the people making noise. |
| Becky: You may use a similar subject change when answering customers’ questions about the hotel. For example, if a customer is asking if something is available, you may answer "I do believe so sir. There are many things that we offer." You personally are answering the question, so “I,” and the hotel and its staff are what can offer things to the customer, which changes the subject to “we.” Okay, now onto the grammar. |
| GRAMMAR POINT |
| Eric: In this lesson, you'll learn how to deal with noisy guests. |
| Becky: In the dialogue, we heard the phrase, "We have received a few noise complaints from some of your neighbors, and we need to ask you to please keep it down." |
| Eric: Addressing noisy and troublesome guests can be tricky. The noise is bothering other guests, which isn’t good. However, reprimanding a guest also isn’t good and can be uncomfortable. |
| Becky: Exactly. Beyond that, you will probably be asking the guests to stop doing something they want to do. However, as a hotel staff member, you are a kind of authority figure and therefore need to address this issue. |
| Eric: The way you treat the guest may vary depending on how many times you need to talk to them. In this lesson, let’s assume this is your first time talking to them. |
| Becky: Before you say anything, remember that these people are also your guests and that they are paying for the hotel’s services. In most cases, noisy guests are only just a little bit more noisy than everyone else. |
| Eric: That’s right, so you should always show them respect, patience, and understanding. |
| Becky: The next thing to remember is when you first approach the guest or when they first open the door, greet them kindly and directly. So, for example "good evening" or "good afternoon." |
| Eric: Since you’re an authority figure, it’s probably a good idea to include their name so you can say something like "Good evening, Mr. Smith,” or “Hello, Mrs. Anderson.” |
| Becky: Next, you should explain to them what is wrong. Hotel staff only go to hotel rooms when asked by the guest or when there’s something wrong. The fact that you are there and they haven’t asked for you means that there is something wrong and they know that. You should tell them what it is. |
| Eric: Exactly. So for example, “Hello, Mr. Johnson. We’ve received some complaints about the noise levels coming from this room." |
| Becky: Now, you don’t need to describe the sound or go into too much detail. Just tell them there’s too much of it. |
| Eric: The next step is to tell the guests how they can correct whatever problem they’re causing. So if they’re too loud you need to tell them something like "We need you to keep it down." |
| Becky: And last, since these are your guests, you should use "please" and "thank you" as often as possible. For example, "I'd like to ask that you please be a little quieter. Thank you." |
Outro |
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| Eric: And that's all for this lesson. Thanks for listening! |
| Becky: See ya next time, bye! |
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