Budget Hotel Rooms

 

 

II. Listening Exercises

Listen to the conversation again by pressing the Play Audio button and read along with the conversation. Review the Key Vocabulary and the sample sentences.

 

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Man: Hi. I have a reservation for tonight, and I just want to check in. Hotel Clerk: Sure. What's your name? Man: Uh. Mike Adams. Hotel Clerk: Okay. Let me check here. Um. Here's your key to open your door. You're in room 360. Just walk down this hall [Okay.], and you'll see the elevators on your right. Man: Oh, okay, and what time is the restaurant open for breakfast? Hotel Clerk: It serves breakfast from 6:30-10 a.m. Man: Oh, okay. And, uh, where's the exercise room? I'd like to, you know, run a couple of miles before going to bed tonight. Hotel Clerk: It's on the second floor, and it's open til 10 tonight [Okay.], but the treadmill isn't working. Man: Oh, oh well. And one final question. Do you have wireless Internet in the rooms? Hotel Clerk: We DO [Ah!]. . . for $7.95 a night. Man: Uhhh, I thought something like that would be free. Hotel Clerk: No, sorry, sir but you can get free wireless access if you sit in the parking lot on the far north side. [Oh!] You see, the hotel next to us has wireless and . . . . Man: Oh, great. Um, and uh . . . forget that. And every room has a refrigerator, right? Hotel Clerk: Well, we can have one put in your room for an additional ten dollars a night. Man: Ahhhh. I thought something like that would be included in the price of the room. Hotel Clerk: Sorry, sir. Man: Well, you know, it . . . it kind of irks me it when hotels nickel-and-dime their customers like this. I mean, I checked with sev(eral hotels) . . . I mean I checked with sev(eral hotels) . . . Hotel Clerk: You really should have checked this one too, shouldn't you have, buddy. Man: (Laughing) I . . . I guess that I . . . I'm all flustered now. I mean all the other hotels provide these amenities for free. Hotel Clerk: Sorry, sir. It's just the way it is at this hotel. Man: And the bed? Is that extra too? Hotel Clerk: Of course . . . NOT. Man: Oh. I've had it. I'll just try the hotel across the street. I'm sure they'll give me better service. Hotel Clerk: Okay, but you'd be canceling your reservation here, so we'll have to charge you a cancellation fee of 50% of the cost of the room. Man: Ahhhh, forget it. I can't win either way. What's my room again? Hotel Clerk: Three sixty (360). Man: Ughhhhhh!!!

 

 

Key Vocabulary [Top]

• mile (noun): 1 mile = 1.6 kilometers
  - Drive down this road about three miles, and you'll see the hotel on the right side of the street.

   

• treadmill (noun): a piece of exercise equipment that moves a belt as you run or walk on it
  - The exercise room at the hotel has two treadmills, so you should be able to run a little before we go out tonight.

   

• irk (verb): someone or something that bothers you
  - It really irks me whenever a hotel room isn't clean.

   

• nickel-and-dime (verb): take away someone's money by making the person pay small amounts for something (also an adjective as in "a nickel-and-dime store")
  - That hotel will nickel-and-dime you to death for every service they provide. It's not worth staying there.

   

• buddy or buddy boy (noun): used when speaking to a man or boy, especially when you are annoyed with that person (use with caution because it can be rude depending on the situation)
  - Look, buddy. I'm in the room next door, so if you don't turn down the TV and start the loud party, I'm going to call the hotel's front desk and complain.

   

• be flustered (adjective): be in a bothered or confused state
  - The hotel guest was really flustered when I couldn't figure out how to open his hotel room door.

   

• provide (verb): give or make something available
  - The mall can provide you with everything that you need for the trip.

   

• amenities (noun): things or services that make you comfortable
  - We chose this hotel because of the many amenities available to guests.

   

• I've had it (idiom): used to say that someone is tired or annoyed by something
  - My wife has had it with this hotel's poor service, so we've decided to check out and go somewhere else.

   

• fee (noun): an amount of money you pay for something
  - - Many hotels charge additional fees for wireless Internet and other services, so be sure to check carefully before making a hotel reservation.

   

 

 

Vocabulary Activities [Top]

Now, do these exercises to review the vocabulary. Then, return back to the Post-Listening Exercise to use the vocabulary in real conversations.

• Multiple-Choice and Short-Answer Questions
• Mixed-Up Sentence
• Sentence and Vocabulary Matching