Most hotels offer their guests many hotel facilities and amenities for their use and enjoyment. The facilities may include pools, sauna and steam room, a number of restaurants, a health center, tennis courts, putting greens, programs for children, a business center, etc. Throughout the course of the day a guest may ask a hotel employee about any one of them. Questions that guests might have are: does the hotel have a particular facility, where it is located, when are it’s hours of operation, how much does it cost, do the facility staff speak English, etc.

Guests may also ask about facilities or places outside the hotel. Such places may be a diving school, an historical site to visit, a hot night club, or a panoramic vista. The list could be endless. The more knowledgeable hotel staff are about the local facilities and points of interest, the better service they will be able to give to the guests.

Below are lists of various facilities or activities that guest may inquire about.

At the hotel	In the community
Restaurants	Cafés
Shopping Malls	Scuba diving
Lounges	Snorkeling
Spas	Golf
Saunas	Island Tours
Steam Rooms	Boat Charters
Gift Shops	Elephant Treks
Gym/Fitness Centers	Zoo
Conference Rooms	Museums
Swimming Pools	Aquariums
Squash Courts	Sea Kayaking
Tennis Courts	Open Traditional Markets
Putting/chipping greens	Nature treks
Children’s Programs	Grocery Stores

Expressions- Hotel Facilities

Look at these examples of guests requests about facilities.

Question: Where can we (… see a good a good live band)?
Response: You might want to try (…The Saxophone Restaurant).

Question: I am looking for (… hot night club. Do you know of any)?
Response: Well, one of my favorite places is ( … The Pink Pony).

Question: Do you know where I can find (… fine jewelry)?
Response:You may enjoy shopping at (…The Diamond Shop).

Question: Could you recommend a (… good Italian restaurant)?
Response: I would highly recommend ( … Guido’s).

Question: Where’s a good place (… to see a movie)?
Response: Have you been to (…the cinema at Central Festival)?

Question: What is there to do (… here that is different)?
Response: What about a tour of (…James Bond Island)?

Dialogue

Guest: We’re looking for a good restaurant for dinner?
Staff: What kind of food are you interested in?
Guest: Since we are in Thailand, we want to try Thai food.
Staff: The Thai Thai Restaurant is always a good choice.
Guest: Thank you very much. We’ll try it.

Guest: Could you recommend a place to take our kids? They’re getting bored at the beach.
Staff: There’s a movie theater in Phuket Town at Central Festival they might enjoy.
Guest: Well maybe. Is there anything else more exciting?
Staff: Lots of kids seem to have a great time at the Go-Cart track.
Guest: No way. That’s way too dangerous.
Staff: Have they ever ridden an elephant?
Guest: No, but is it safe?
Staff: Oh, absolutely. The elephants are well trained and the trainer leads the elephant along the path. Riders are strapped into the seats with safety belts, just like in a car. And to be truthful, the rides are not that long- 30 minutes or so.
Guest: That sounds OK.

Guest: I need to check my e-mail. Is there an Internet café near here?
Staff: Certainly, sir. The Business Center at the hotel has Internet access.
Guest: Can I also surf the Internet there? I need to find some information for a meeting.
Staff: Absolutely sir.
Guest: Can I also save information to a disk or flash memory?
Staff: Of course.
Guest: Do you know what it cost?
Staff: To be honest sir, I don’t really know. But I’m sure it’s a nominal fee.
Guest: Ok, thank you.
Staff: My pleasure, sir.

Conversation Activities- Hotel Facilities

1. Role Play

Role play the following situations with a partner, with one partner taking the role of the guest and the other partner taking the role of the staff. The guest is seeking information about:

A place for dinner- Thai and Western food
An outdoor adventure
A movie
A tour to a nearby island
A night club
Clothes Shopping
Souvenir shopping
Exercise
Massage

2. Group Activity- Hotel Facilities, A Skit

Divide the class into groups of 2 or 3. Students work together to develop a skit (that is grammatically correct) about guests asking about facilities and accommodations inside and outside the hotel. Once the skit is developed, students present it to the teacher and the rest of class. The teacher judges the skit based on grammar, language use, originality, and acting ability. Be creative and have fun!

3. Whole Class Activity- Hotel Facilities, First To Know

The teacher writes the following activities on the board and describes an activity to the class. Students determine what the activity is by listening to the description. The first person to know the activity races to the board and circles the activity and puts in their initials in the circle. The student with the most initials wins.

In this activity a person …
Dancing	Singing	Riding an elephant
Snorkeling	Scuba diving	Parasailing
Dining	Clothes shoppimng	Visiting a zoo
Souvenir shopping	Golf	Squash
Surf the Internet	Eat a light lunch	Massage
Racing a small car	Getting some sun	Swimming

4. Discussion

Have a discussion about the facilities or accommodations at your hotel? Do guests asks for facilities or accommodations that the hotel does not provide? What are they? What action do the staff take- do they recommend other places? What is the quality of the facilities or accommodations at the hotel? How could they be improved? What facilities or accommodations should be added?

5. Game

Get into groups of four. One person starts and selects a topic and asks the person on his right for a suggestion. When answering, be sure to give a reason why you would go there. After an item has been selected and answered, put an X in the box. Continue around the table until all the items have been selected.

Go on an island tour	See a movie	Go out to eat	Go to a festival
Go sailing	Where would	you go	Go snorkeling
Go shopping	if you wanted	to ???	See historical sites
See the beauty of nature	Go to a night club	See Buddhist temples	Go to an amusement park

Other links
Talking about Facilities
Hotel Services