Booking a Hotel
Spanish Basic Conversation 1
Chapter 11 · Booking a Hotel
🏨 Booking a Hotel — En el hotel
This chapter covers booking a room by phone or at reception, saying how many people and how many nights, asking about breakfast and wifi, checking in and out, and a few words for the kinds of places to stay in Spain. It introduces poder ("can, to be able to"), which lets you make polite requests. The tables give the respelling, and a Hard words box helps with the trickiest words.
① Booking by Phone (formal) — Quisiera reservar
A:
Hotel Sol, buenos días.
Hotel Sol, good morning.
B:
Buenos días. Quisiera reservar una habitación doble con baño.
Good morning. I'd like to book a double room with a bathroom.
A:
¿Para cuántas noches?
For how many nights?
B:
Para tres noches, del doce al quince de junio.
For three nights, from 12 to 15 June.
② Price and Breakfast — ¿Está incluido el desayuno?
A:
La habitación cuesta noventa euros por noche.
The room costs 90 euros a night.
B:
¿Está incluido el desayuno?
Is breakfast included?
A:
Sí, el desayuno es de ocho a diez.
Yes, breakfast is from eight to ten.
B:
Perfecto. ¿Tienen wifi?
Perfect. Do you have wifi?
③ Checking In (formal) — Tengo una reserva
A:
Buenas tardes. Tengo una reserva a nombre de García.
Good afternoon. I have a reservation in the name of García.
B:
Un momento, por favor. ¿Puedo ver su pasaporte?
One moment, please. May I see your passport?
A:
Sí, aquí tiene.
Yes, here you are.
B:
Gracias. Su habitación es la doscientos cinco.
Thank you. Your room is number 205.
④ A Single Room — Una habitación individual
A:
Hola. ¿Tienen una habitación individual para esta noche?
Hello. Do you have a single room for tonight?
B:
Lo siento, no tenemos. Pero tenemos una habitación doble.
I'm sorry, we don't. But we have a double room.
A:
¿Cuánto cuesta?
How much is it?
B:
Sesenta euros la noche.
Sixty euros a night.
⑤ A Problem (informal) — ¿Puede ayudarme?
A:
Perdona, no puedo abrir la puerta.
Sorry, I can't open the door.
B:
¿Qué número es tu habitación?
What's your room number?
A:
La trescientos doce. Necesito otra llave.
Number 312. I need another key.
B:
Enseguida. Aquí tienes.
Right away. Here you are.
⑥ Checking Out — La salida
A:
Buenos días. Quisiera pagar la cuenta, por favor.
Good morning. I'd like to pay the bill, please.
B:
Claro. ¿Habitación doscientos cinco? Son doscientos setenta euros.
Of course. Room 205? That's 270 euros.
A:
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
Can I pay by card?
B:
Sí, claro. Gracias por su visita.
Yes, of course. Thank you for your stay.
🗣️ Key Phrases — Frases clave
| English | Formal (usted) | Informal (tú) |
|---|---|---|
| I'd like to book a room. | Quisiera reservar una habitación. / Me gustaría reservar una habitación. kee-SYEH-rah reh-sehr-BAR OO-nah ah-bee-tah-THYOHN | |
| A double room with a bathroom | una habitación doble con baño OO-nah ah-bee-tah-THYOHN DOH-bleh kohn BAH-nyoh | |
| Do you have…? | ¿Tienen wifi? TYEH-nehn WEE-fee | ¿Tenéis wifi? teh-NAYS WEE-fee |
| Is breakfast included? | ¿Está incluido el desayuno? ehs-TAH een-kloo-EE-doh ehl deh-sah-YOO-noh | |
| I have a reservation. | Tengo una reserva. TEHN-goh OO-nah reh-SEHR-bah | |
Plural "Tienen": Asking a Business
When you ask a hotel or shop ¿Tienen…?, the plural tienen ("do you (all) have") is natural, because you are speaking to the establishment, not one person. The singular ¿Tiene…? (Chapter 9) works too when you speak to a single person. In Spain the informal plural is ¿Tenéis…?
🛏️ Rooms and Services — Habitaciones y servicios
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| una habitación individual | OO-nah ah-bee-tah-THYOHN een-dee-bee-DWAHL | a single room |
| una habitación doble | OO-nah ah-bee-tah-THYOHN DOH-bleh | a double room |
| con baño / con ducha | kohn BAH-nyoh / kohn DOO-chah | with bathroom / with shower |
| una noche / dos noches | OO-nah NOH-cheh / dohs NOH-chehs | one night / two nights |
| la llave | lah YAH-beh | the key |
| la recepción | lah reh-thehp-THYOHN | reception |
| el desayuno | ehl deh-sah-YOO-noh | breakfast |
| el wifi | ehl WEE-fee | wifi |
Where to stay in Spain
| Spanish | Say it | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| el hotel | ehl oh-TEHL | hotel |
| el hostal | ehl ohs-TAHL | a small, simple, lower-priced hotel (not a "hostel" in the backpacker sense) |
| el albergue | ehl ahl-BEHR-geh | hostel (shared rooms) |
| el parador | ehl pah-rah-DOR | a state-run hotel, often in a historic building |
Room Numbers and "La"
Say a room number with la (because habitación is feminine): la doscientos cinco (room 205). Use the numbers from Chapter 3. Dates for a stay use del … al … ("from … to …"): del doce al quince de junio. Remember a + el = al (Chapter 10).
🔤 Verbs — Reservar, necesitar, poder
Reservar ("to book") and necesitar ("to need") are regular -ar verbs (Chapter 6). Poder ("can, to be able to") changes o → ue in every form except nosotros and vosotros, and is followed by an infinitive: ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
| reservar (to book) | necesitar (to need) | poder (can) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo (I) | reservo reh-SEHR-boh | necesito neh-theh-SEE-toh | puedo PWEH-doh |
| tú (you, informal) | reservas reh-SEHR-bahs | necesitas neh-theh-SEE-tahs | puedes PWEH-dehs |
| él, ella, usted | reserva reh-SEHR-bah | necesita neh-theh-SEE-tah | puede PWEH-deh |
| nosotros (we) | reservamos reh-sehr-BAH-mohs | necesitamos neh-theh-see-TAH-mohs | podemos poh-DEH-mohs |
| vosotros (Spain) | reserváis reh-sehr-BAHYS | necesitáis neh-theh-see-TAHYS | podéis poh-DAYS |
| ellos, ellas, ustedes | reservan reh-SEHR-bahn | necesitan neh-theh-SEE-tahn | pueden PWEH-dehn |
Asking politely with poder
| Spanish | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Puedo ver su pasaporte? | PWEH-doh behr soo pah-sah-POR-teh | May I see your passport? (said by staff) |
| ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? | PWEH-doh pah-GAR kohn tar-KHEH-tah | Can I pay by card? |
| ¿Puede ayudarme? | PWEH-deh ah-yoo-DAR-meh | Can you help me? |
| No puedo abrir la puerta. | noh PWEH-doh ah-BREER lah PWEHR-tah | I can't open the door. |
📖 Vocabulary — Vocabulario
20 key words. Read the Spanish first, then check the respelling (CAPITALS = the stressed syllable).
| # | Spanish | Say it | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | la habitación | lah ah-bee-tah-THYOHN | room | noun |
| 2 | la reserva | lah reh-SEHR-bah | reservation | noun |
| 3 | la noche | lah NOH-cheh | night | noun |
| 4 | el baño | ehl BAH-nyoh | bathroom | noun |
| 5 | la ducha | lah DOO-chah | shower | noun |
| 6 | la llave | lah YAH-beh | key | noun |
| 7 | la puerta | lah PWEHR-tah | door | noun |
| 8 | la recepción | lah reh-thehp-THYOHN | reception | noun |
| 9 | el pasaporte | ehl pah-sah-POR-teh | passport | noun |
| 10 | el nombre | ehl NOHM-breh | name | noun |
| 11 | el desayuno | ehl deh-sah-YOO-noh | breakfast | noun |
| 12 | individual / doble | een-dee-bee-DWAHL / DOH-bleh | single / double | adj |
| 13 | incluido | een-kloo-EE-doh | included | adj |
| 14 | por noche | por NOH-cheh | per night | phrase |
| 15 | para esta noche | PAH-rah EHS-tah NOH-cheh | for tonight | phrase |
| 16 | un momento | oon moh-MEHN-toh | one moment | phrase |
| 17 | lo siento | loh SYEHN-toh | I'm sorry | phrase |
| 18 | reservar | reh-sehr-BAR | to book | verb |
| 19 | necesitar | neh-theh-see-TAR | to need | verb |
| 20 | poder | poh-DEHR | can, to be able to | verb |
Hard Words
habitación = ah-bee-tah-THYOHN (h is silent) · llave = YAH-beh (ll like English "y", v = soft "b") · baño = BAH-nyoh · ducha = DOO-chah · incluido = een-kloo-EE-doh · reservar = reh-sehr-BAR · wifi = WEE-fee. In the dialogs ayudarme ("to help me") and Lo siento, no tenemos ("I'm sorry, we don't have any") are phrases for now, as are ver ("to see") in ¿Puedo ver su pasaporte? and otra ("another") in otra llave.
Booking and Check-In
You can book by phone, online or at reception. When you arrive, reception will usually ask for your name and some form of identification such as your passport; the exact procedure varies by hotel. Say your booking name with a nombre de… ("in the name of…"). Ask about breakfast times (de ocho a diez) and whether breakfast is incluido.
Latin America Note
The booking phrases work across the Spanish-speaking world. Some words differ: Latin America often uses hostel for a backpackers' hostel (where Spain says albergue), and in some countries a room is a pieza or cuarto rather than habitación. Where Spain says ¿Tenéis wifi? (informal plural), Latin America says ¿Tienen wifi? (ustedes).
Grammar Pointer
Poder and the other verb + infinitive patterns are explained in Spanish Grammar 2 11, the o → ue stem change in Spanish Grammar 2 5, and the numbers in Spanish Grammar 1 8. Use them as a reference after this chapter.
✍️ Try It Yourself — Ejercicios
Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.
1. Say: "I'd like to book a double room with a bathroom for two nights."
Show answer
Quisiera reservar una habitación doble con baño para dos noches.
2. Ask whether breakfast is included and whether the hotel has wifi.
Show answer
¿Está incluido el desayuno? ¿Tienen wifi?
3. At reception, say you have a reservation in the name of López.
Show answer
Tengo una reserva a nombre de López.
4. Complete with poder: "Yo ___ pagar con tarjeta." · "¿___ (usted) ayudarme?" · "Nosotros no ___ abrir la puerta."
Show answer
puedo · Puede · podemos.
5. Say: "I need another key" and "Room 312."
Show answer
Necesito otra llave. · La trescientos doce.
6. Say the dates "from 3 to 6 August" and ask to pay the bill.
Show answer
Del tres al seis de agosto. · Quisiera pagar la cuenta, por favor.
Coming Up in Chapter 12
The last chapter: Getting Around: Trains, Buses & Tickets. el tren, el autobús, el metro, el billete, el andén, la estación, Renfe, AVE and Cercanías, and the Metro de Madrid. Course Complete.