The demand for English for hospitality

English is not only important for hoteliers to communicate with guests from English-speaking countries, but also foreigners from all over the world. Since English is often used as a global language.

Foreign guest profile
In the article, the researchers analyze the profile of foreign guests and point out the importance of separating English by type of enterprise. If it is a resort or a corporate hotel, the situations will be different and employees must be prepared according to demand.

    “A tourist looking for leisure tends to ask more questions about tourist attractions and curiosities about the location, food recommendations, etc. Business tourists, on the other hand, focus on work, and the information requested is generally related to the hotel and local facilities.”

Main hotel terms in English

Next, I separated some essential terms and expressions for hospitality:

Lobby: hotel reception;

Booking or Reservation: both terms mean reservation or the action of making a reservation;

Overbooking: this is when the hotel has excess reservations, to avoid losses from cancellations. In this other post, I explain how to solve any problems caused by overbooking;

Be booked up: it is the way of telling the guest that the hotel is fully booked, for example: “I’m sorry, but we are booked up in the choosing period”;

Day Use: accommodation option in which the guest will have access to the hotel's entire leisure infrastructure and services for a period of an entire day.



All-in: these are complete packages that include all meals and drinks in the daily price;

Check-in: entry process for guests who already have a reservation at the hotel;

Check-out: departure of the guest, usually at a scheduled time;

Arrival and Departure: arrival and departure;

Walk-in guest: future guests who arrive at the hotel and do not yet have a reservation;

No-show: term also used in airlines, guests with reservations who do not show up on the scheduled date and time;

Amenities: items available free of charge to the guest, such as towels and cosmetics, which add added value to the room;

Brunch: of British origin, it is the combination of breakfast and lunch, normally held between 10 am and 2 pm;

Vacant room: free or unoccupied room;

High season: this is the high season, when daily rates are usually more expensive;

RevPar: revenue per room available, or revenue per available room. It is one of the main performance indicators in the hotel sector. In this other post, I explain what RevPar is and how to increase the indicator;

Guest: is a guest in English;

Guest reviews: these are the evaluations made by guests. It can be requested in writing at check-out or by email and on specialized websites;

Room service: room service is available in many hotels and is characterized when the guest places an order that is delivered directly to their room.