Arrival and Checking in
Everyone in hotels speaks English, right? Well, that's not necessarily the case in France. And even if they do speak it, they might not want to. The French can be a stroppy lot at times, so to make sure your holidays don't start off on the wrong foot, here's what to say when you arrive at the hotel for the first time.
Arriving at the hotel
Say that you've got a reservation
- J'ai fait une réservation au nom de Martin.
I made a reservation in the name of Martin.
Another alternative:
- J'ai réservé une chambre au nom de Martin.
I reserved a room in the name of Martin.
Questions the receptionist will probably ask you:
- Pouvez-vous me montrer vos passeports s'il vous plaît?
Could I see your passports, please?
Getting more basic information
- À quelle heure servez-vous le petit déjeuner?
What time is breakfast served ? - À quelle heure devons-nous laisser la chambre?
What time do we have to check out by ?
This last sentence uses the irregular verb Devoir which is used for obligation. Learn more about how to conjugate Devoir in our guide to French irregular verbs.
During your stay
Is room service available?
Something wrong?
There's no airconditioning in the room.
There's no hot water.
The airconditioning doesn't work.
Is there an iron in the room?
Other useful expressions
- Puis je avoir les clefs de ma chambre s'il vous plaît? C'est la 204
Could I have my keys please? It's room 204
Thanks for visiting!
Some other stuff here
This Course
Travel French
All the French you'll need (well, nearly all) when you are travelling in a French-speaking region.
Other sections in this course
General Travel French
There's a little bit of everything in this section. We politely draw readers' attention to our fantastically comprehensive class on giving and asking directions in French. It's a real belter!
In the Hotel
Going to a French-speaking country on holiday or for business? Here's our language survival guide to hotels and other forms of accommodation.
Restaurants and Bars
Welcome to our section on French for restaurants and bars. In the classes on this course we'll cover all the French we need to successfully communicate with the waiter or barman. In passing, we'll also learn tonnes of French vocabulary related to food and cooking.
Transport
sec intro
Shopping
Who doesn't visit a shop when they are on holiday? Whether it's shopping for Cartier jewellery on a plush Paris boulevard or just buying your daily bread from the local baker, you'll need a minimum of French in order to get by.
In the Hotel
Other classes in this section:
Arrival and Checking in
What to say - and what they'll say to you - when you get to the hotel.
Checking out and paying
con_intro
French travel test
Try out our French travel test
Hotels and accommodation
How to reserve a hotel in French, whether in person or by email. Ok, you're probably going to use the internet, but you never know!