Ünite 2: The Front Desk

Front Desk In A Hotel

Bir otelde ön büro otelin en önemli bölümüdür. Otele gelen konukların ilk karşılaktıkları yüz veya yüzler ön büro elemanlarınınki olur. Güler yüzle konuklarının sorularını yanıtlayan ve sorunlarını gideren bir ön büro çalışanı konuklara yardımcı olmakla kalmaz, otel için en iyi tanıtımı da yapmış olur.

Let’s Read

Ön büro ve ön büro çalışanları ile ilgili bilgi verilen metinde; özetle şunlar yer almaktadır:

In many situations, the person behind the front desk is the face of the hotel. In fact, the front desk person may be the only person a guest interacts with while staying at the hotel. Therefore, it is essential that the front desk person be efficient and has a pleasant personality, a professional appearance, and good customer-relations skills. Depending on the size of the lodging, front desk staff may have a narrow or wide set of responsibilities. Working the Front Desk at the hotel can be both rewarding and frustrating. Whatever it is, it is easy to understand that the person behind the front desk has a very important job.

How Would They Say It?

1. ünitede tanıtımı yapılan The Lighthouse Inn oteli çalışanlarından Yasemin ve Cem’in konuklarla ön büroda yüz yüze veya telefonda yaptıkları konuşmalardan örnekler sergilenmektedir.

Konuklarla yapılan konuşmalar, üç olay üzerinden örneklendirilmiştir:

• Situation 1: Otellerde “walk-in” sözcüğü daha önceden otelde yer ayırtmamış konuklar için kullanılır. Yasemin’in böyle bir konuğu var.
• Situation 2: Otelde kalmak isteyen bir konuk Yaseminle telefonda konuşarak otel hakkında bilgi alır ve yer ayırtır.
• Situation 3: Dört kişilik bir aile yapacakları tatil için otele girer.

Bu olaylar ve olası senaryalor ışığında, konuklarla ilgili karşılaşılabilecek örnek olaylar aşağıdaki gibi sıralanmakta ve bir ön büro elemanının bu durumlarda nasıl karşılık vereceği konusunda hazırlıklı olması beklenmektedir:

• A new guest walks in the front door. How do you greet her?
• A potential guest calls the front desk and asks if there any rooms available for that night. What is your response?
• A guest is registering. What information do you request? How would you ask for it?
• A new guest asks if there is breakfast. There is. How do you respond?
• A guest asks about the method of payments accepted at the hotel. How do you respond?
• A potential guest asks if there is a charge for children to stay in the room. How do you respond?

A Look At The Language

Ön büroda konuklarınızı karşılarken, çoğu kez “if” kalıbının kullanıldığı cümleler kullanılır. Bu cümleler ön büro elemanının konuğuna seçenek sunduğu ve konuğun karar vermek için sorular sorduğu kalıplarda yer alabilir. Bu cümleler “koşul cümleleri” olarak adlandırılır.

Conditional Sentences – If Clauses (Koşul Cümleleri) kullanım kuralları ve alanları aşağıdaki gibidir:

Bu yapılarda birbirine bağlı iki yapı bulunur. Bu yapılardan birisi “if clause” yani “şart cümleciği”, diğeri ise “main clause” yani “ana cümlecik”tir. Şart cümleciği bir koşul ortaya koyar, olumlu veya olumsuz olabilir, ana cümlecik ise yine olumlu veya olumsuz bu koşula bağlı olası sonucu anlatır.

Koşul cümleleri üç farklı yapıda kullanılır. Bunlar aşağıda sıralandığı üzere, Tip 1, Tip 2 ve Tip 3 olarak isimlendirilir:

If Clause (Koşul) , Main Clause (Sonuç)

Tip 1: If + Simple Present , will-future (can, must etc.)

Tip 2: If + Simple Past ,       would + infinitive

Tip 3: If + Past Perfect ,       would + have + past participle

Koşul cümleciği hangi zamanda kullanılıyorsa, ana cümlecik (sonuç) ona uygun olan yapı ile devam eder.

Koşul cümlecikleri ile ana cümleciklerin hangisinin başta olması gerektiği konusunda bir kural yoktur. Her ikisi de cümlenin başında yer alabilir. Koşul cümlecikleri olumsuz olabilecekleri gibi, soru yapısında da kullanılabilirler.

Koşul cümlelerinin bir başka dilbilgisi yapısı kullanımına örnek olarak “What if” (Ne olurdu) de verilebilir. Koşul ve sonuç cümlecik zamanları aynı kalmakla birlikte, yalnızca soru formu kullanılan bu kalıp “ne olurdu” anlamına gelen koşulu verip sonucu soran bir yapıdır. (What if I didn’t pay for my room? – Oda için ödeme yapmazsam ne olur?)

The Concierge And The Bellboy

Concierge is one of the first faces a guest sees when arriving into a hotel. He is the person who is responsible for providing advice on travel, making reservations for various functions and events and helping guest with different problems and questions.

The bellhop or the bellboy is the hotel personnel who carries guests’ luggage to and from their room, helps them settle into their rooms and answers their questions about the hotel in general.

Concierge ve Bellboy’un konuklarla arasında geçen örnek konuşmalardan hareketle, kullanabilecekleri bazı kalıp cümleler aşağıdaki gibidir:

• Greetings

“Welcome to ——— Hotel.”

“Good morning (afternoon, evening) madam (sir).”

“Welcome to your home away from home.”

“Have a nice day/evening, madam (sir).”

• Offering assistance

“How can I help you today Ma’am (sir)?”

“Can I be of assistance?” “How may I assist you?”

“May I assist you with anything?”

“What can I do for you today?”

• Responding to a guest’s question or complaint

“I’ll see what I can do about it sir.”

“I’ll correct the situation immediately, sir.”

“I’m so sorry sir; that should never have happened.”

“I’ll take care of that sir.”

“I’ll see to it right away.”

“I’ll try my best and get back to you.”

A Look At Language Of Hotels – Check in / Check Out

Otel müşterilerinin kullanabilecekleri bazı kalıp cümleler, aynı şekilde otel personelinin de müşterilere karşı kullanabilecekleri bazı kalıp cümleler aşağıdaki gibidir:

• Making a reservation (Front Desk – Receptionist : )

“........ Hotel. How can/may I help you?”

“When are you planning to stay at our hotel?”

“How many nights will you be staying?”

“How many will there be in your party?”

“I’m afraid we are booked on those dates.”

“We have a few rooms left.”

“This is the peak season.”

“We advise that you reserve your room in advance.”

“Do you want smoking or non-smoking room?”

“We serve breakfast from 6:00 until 11:00.”

“We have a restaurant that serves from 6 until 10 in the evening.”

“We have an indoor swimming pool.”

“We have a refrigerator in our rooms.” “

The rate of the room is ...... Turkish liras a night.”

“We require a credit card number for a deposit.”

(Guest : )

“I’d like to make a reservation for (next weekend) / (from ... until ...in June).”

“Is it necessary to reserve my room ahead of time?”

“How much is it for a cot?”

“Do you offer free breakfast?”

“Is there a restaurant in the hotel?”

“Do the rooms have refrigerators?”

“Is there an outdoor pool?”

“When is the off-season?”

• Checking in (Front Desk – Receptionist : )

“Welcome to ..... How can/may I help you?”

“What name is the reservation under?”

“When are you planning on checking out tomorrow?”

“I’m afraid you can’t check in until after 2:00 o’clock.”

“We have a parking garage next to the hotel. It is free of charge for hotel guests.”

“I will give you a parking pass for your car. What is your license number?”

“I’ll give you two room keys.”

“The dining room is at the end of this hall on the left.”

“The check out is until 1 o’clock.”

“How would you like to pay?”

“Do you need help with your luggage?”

“Just call the front desk if you need any extra towels or pillows.”

“I hope you enjoy your stay with us.”

(Guest : )

“We have a reservation under ...... (name of the guest)”

“How do we get to our room from here?”

“Do you have an area for parking?”

“What time is breakfast served?”

“When can we check in to our rooms?”

“Can you give me a wakeup call?”

“When is check out time?”

“I will pay cash/by credit card/travelers checks.”

• Checking out (Front Desk – Receptionist : )

“Are you ready to check out?”

“What is your room number?”

“Did you enjoy your stay?”

“We already have your card number. So can I charge the extras to this card?”

“Can you drop your keys to the return box, please?”

“Can I have your room keys?”

“Here is your receipt.”

“Would you like to talk to the manager?”

“Enjoy the rest of your holiday.”

“Have a safe trip home.”

(Guest : )

“I am ready to check out.”

“I was at room 212.”

“Everything was quite satisfactory.”

“We really enjoyed our stay.”

“We have a few complaints.”

“I am sure I will be coming back to your hotel.”

Useful Information

Otellerde farklı boyutlarda odalar bulunur. Odada kalacak olan konuklar kaç kişi olduklarına bağlı olarak farklı oda tipleri isteyebilirler. Aşağıda otellerde sıklıkla kullanılan bazı sınıflamalar sıralanmıştır:

Standard: This room type is the basic in every hotel. It usually is a small room and may not have all the luxuries. The scenery from these rooms may not be very pleasant. Of course how simple a standard room is will depend on the hotel. What is standard in one hotel may be deluxe in the other.

Deluxe: This type of room is a much better than a standard room. They have better furniture, better view and better location in the hotel.

Junior Suite: A junior suite in a hotel is basically a large room with a separate work/seating area. In some hotels these areas may be separated by a divider.

Suite: In a hotel a suite usually means two or more rooms. There is a bedroom and a living or sitting room.

Studio: This type of room is a larger room with a separate area for sitting or working. They have a kitchenette or cooking facilities.

Bu odaların her birinde yatak tipi de farklılık gösterebilir. Her otelde yataklar şu şekilde de sınıflandırılır:

Twin or Single: A small and narrow bed for one adult.

Double or Full: It is wider than a twin bed. Wide enough for one large adult, two children or two small adults.

Queen: Good size for two adults. There are also longer sized Queen beds called California Queen, Expanded Queen or Super Queen.

King: Wider than a Queen size bed. Good for two large adults. There are also wider and larger size King size beds for much larger individuals such as California King, and Grand King.

Odalara konulan yatakların boyutları dikkate alındığında, otellerde karşımıza çıkacak diğer türdeki oda isimleri de aşağıdaki gibidir:

Single Room: A room for one person with one single bed. Sometimes there may be more than one bed in this type of room.

Double Room: A room for one or two people with a double bed or two single beds.

Double-double Room: A room with two double beds or one queen bed. This type of room can accommodate more than two persons.

Suite: There will be one or more bedrooms with a number of single or double beds depending on the size of the room.

Studio: There will be a double bed and may be a sofa that can turn into a single or double bed.

Konumlarına göre oda türleri de aşağıdaki gibidir:

Adjoining rooms: Rooms that are next to each other but there is a connection door between these rooms.

Adjacent rooms: Rooms that are close to each other, sometimes across the hall.

Vocabulary – Sözcükler

Ünitede kullanılan bazı otel terimleri; türleri ve açıklamalarıyla birlikte şu şekilde sıralanmaktadır:

Adjacent rooms (n): Rooms that are close to other in a hotel.

Adjoining rooms (n): Rooms with a connecting door between them in a hotel.

Amenities (n): Services and facilities offered in a hotel.

Baggage (n): Suitcases or bags that are packed by travelers; another term for luggage.

Book (v): To make reservations for room or table in a hotel or a restaurant. OR To make reservations for tickets in all kinds of travel arrangements or entertainment.

Booked (adj): Full; no room available.

Check in (v): In a hotel act of registering and receiving room keys.

Check out (n): In a hotel leaving the hotel, paying bills and returning keys.

Complimentary (n): Free of charge, no payment required. For example, complimentary breakfast. Cot (n): A small single bed, usually for children.

Deposit (n): In hotel reservations, making payment early to keep a room.

Indoor pool (n): A pool built inside a hotel.

Kitchenette (n): A miniature kitchen in a hotel mostly a small refrigerator and cooking area.

Late charge (n): If guests are late in checking out, they pay a late charge.

Lobby (n): The area in front of the reception desk.

Luggage and Luggage cart (n): Another name for baggage; a wheeled cart used to carry baggage.

Parking pass (n): A document given to guests to put in their cars for free parking.

Rate (n): The cost of a room to be paid at a given time.

Reservation (n): To make arrangements so to guarantee a room or table or a seat in an event.

Rollaway bed (n): A bed that is on wheel that can be folded.

Room service (n): Bringing food or drinks to the guests’ room.

Vacancy (n): Means available space or room.

Vacant (adj): Available

Wake up call (n): A telephone call in the morning to wake the guest up.

Walk in (n): A guest who comes to the hotel without reservation Otelde çalışan yada oteli yöneten kişilere ait isimlendirmeler ve bunların açıklamaları da aşağıdaki gibidir:

Bellboy (n) ya da bellhop (n): a person carry people’s bags to their rooms in a hotel

Chambermaid ya da maid (n): women who clean the rooms and make beds in a hotel

Concierge (n): a person who helps guests who stay in the hotel and help them with their problems or give them

information Doorman (n): a person who stands in the entrance of a building like a hotel and who help people to go in and go out

Hotelier (n): a person who owns a hotel or who administers a hotel

Housekeeper (n): a person who cleans the room in a hotel or someone who manage the people who clean rooms.

Porter (n): someone in a train, bus station or a hotel who help people with their luggage

Receptionist (n): a person who works at the reception in a hotel

Valet (n): someone who park cars for the guests