Chapter 16

Finding a Place to Stay

In This Chapter

Choosing accommodations and amenities

Checking in to and out of a hotel

Not everybody is so lucky as to have good friends abroad with whom they can stay when they’re traveling. Most likely, you’ll need to book

a hotel room as part of your trip planning, right along with composing an itinerary of the sights you want to see. Even if you’re traveling on business and your choice of hotel is limited to those selected by your company, you may still have questions about the accommodations.

In this chapter, you get the information you need to find accommodations, make reservations, and check in and check out of your hotel.

Finding Accommodations

Hotels are your home away from home — even if you just consider it a place to lay your head after a day on the go — so it’s good to know how to secure the kind of lodging you prefer. When thinking about what you want in a hotel, price is a consideration, but price alone does not determine whether a place is a wonderful one to stay in. Each type of accommodation — whether you want un hôtel une étoile (uhN-noh-tehl ewn ey-twahl) (a one-star hotel) or un hôtel cinq étoiles (uhN-noh-tehl saNk ey-twahl) (a five-star hotel) — offers advantages that may be just what you’re looking for.

Les hôtels (ley-zoh-tehl) (hotels) range from basic one-star accommodations to luxury five-star establishments. Room prices vary according to amenities, size, rating, and location. Most hotels offer breakfast (usually a continental breakfast, which includes either a croissant or a roll with butter and jam, and coffee or tea), but not all have a restaurant. The names for different types of hotels may vary a little throughout the French-speaking countries.

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Hôtel garni (oh-tehl gahr-nee) means bed and breakfast, and maison de logement (meh-zohN duh lohzh-mahN) in French-speaking Canada refers to a smaller hotel or tourist home, which in other countries is sometimes also called une pension (de famille) (ewn pahN-syohN [duh fah-meey]) (a boarding house) or une auberge (ewn oh-behrzh) (inn).

And then, in France, there are also those exquisite châteaux (shah-toh) (castles), which have been refurbished into hotels. Sure, they tend to be on the more expensive side, but the ambiance and the high-quality service are hard to surpass if you’re looking for something special.

In recent years, alternatives to traditional hotels have become increasingly popular, such as les gîtes ruraux (ley zheet rew-roh) in France, which are furnished holiday cottages or flats, farmhouse arrangements in Belgium, chalets in Switzerland, or even former monasteries.

Finally, for the young and young at heart, France alone has about 200 auberges de jeunesse (oh-behrzh duh zhuh-nehs) (youth hostels), well scattered throughout the country, with varying facilities. Your national youth hostel association can give you details, or you can go online. For information about Canadian youth hostels, for example, go to www.hostellingmontreal.com and for hostels in other parts of the world, check out www.hostels.com.

Of course, when planning a trip to Europe, you can always get more information by browsing the Internet. The following sites, many of which provide virtual tours so that you can “visit” before you go, may help you:

www.hotels.com can help you find a hotel in any part of the world.

www.hotels.fr is entirely in French and can help you find hotels throughout France.

www.hotels.be can help you find hotels in some parts of Europe like Belgium and the Netherlands.

www.relaischateaux.fr gives you information about luxury hotels around the world.

The closer your hotel is to the center of the city, the more expensive it is likely to be. Also remember to figure in the city tax of about one euro per day per person, which is typically not included in the hotel rate.

Choosing your amenities

After you do your research and know exactly what kind of hotel you want to stay in, you should think about the kinds of amenities that you may be looking for. Here is a list of expressions that will tell you more about your accommodations:

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la climatisation (lah klee-mah-tee-zah-syohN) (air conditioning)

la piscine (lah pee-seen) (swimming pool)

la salle de gym (lah sahl duh zheem) (fitness room)

le site historique (luh seet ee-stoh-reek) (historic site)

la blanchisserie (lah blahN-shee-sree) (laundry service)

la navette d’aéroport (lah nah-veht dah-ey-roh-pohr) (airport shuttle)

une connexion Wi-Fi (ewn kohN-neh-ksyohN wee-fee) (a Wi-Fi connection)

In many countries, un lavabo (uhN lah-vah-boh) (a bathroom sink) and une baignoire (ewn beh-nywahr) (a bathtub) and/or une douche (ewn doohsh) (a shower) are separate from the toilet and the bidet, an arrangement which is wonderful, of course. However, some showers are hand-held in the bathtub with no curtain around it, and that method takes a bit getting used to, but works fine, too.

Many hotels and other types of lodgings have Internet access, which is pretty affordable and reliable. Often you find computers in the hotel lobby, which you may be able to use free of charge or for a small fee. If your hotel doesn’t provide this service, don’t worry: Numerous Internet cafés and cybercafés (see-behr kah-fey) (cybercafés) are located throughout major cities. Most hotels also provide Internet jacks into which you can plug your Ethernet cable.

The voltage in Europe is 220 volts as opposed to 110 volts used in the U.S. and Canada. If you’re bringing any type of electronic equipment (hair dryer, electric shaver, laptop, and so on), you’ll want to buy an adapter to bring with you. You can purchase these at any electronics store. In case you forget your adapter, you may buy one in an electronics store or any hypermarket in the country you are visiting.

Making reservations

You usually book a room online or through a travel agent, but just in case you call in person, you need to know what to say. This section includes some questions and phrases that can get you started.

When you call a hotel, you will probably first be connected to le/la standardiste (luh/lah stahN-dahr-deest) (the switchboard operator). You need to tell that person why you’re calling. You can say something like the following:

Je voudrais retenir/réserver une chambre, s’il vous plaît. (zhuh voohdreh ruh-tuh-neer/rey-zehr-vey ewn shahN-bruh, seel vooh pleh.) (I would like to reserve a room please.)

Avez-vous une chambre libre? (ah-vey-vooh ewn shahN-bruh lee-bruh?) (Do you have a room available?)

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You also need to say how long you’ll be staying. To tell the operator or hotel clerk that you are staying from a certain date to a certain date, you use du (dew) (from) and au (oh) (to). For example, if you are staying from June 4 to June 9, you say du quatre juin au neuf juin (dew kah-truh zhwaN oh nuhf zhwaN). Alternatively, you can say du 4 au 9 juin (dew kaht-ruh oh nuhf zhwaN), which means the same thing. If you are staying from the first of the month or to the first of the month, then say du premier (dew pruh-myey) (from the first) and au premier (oh pruh-myey) (to the first). For example, du premier au sept juillet (dew pruh-myey oh seht zhwee-yeh) (from the first to the seventh of July [or from July 1 to July 7]). Chapter 4 has more on setting specific dates.

Specifying the kind of room you want

When you call to reserve a room, you have to tell them what type of room you’re interested in. For example, do you want a single or a double room? Do you want one bed or two beds? Do you want the room to be facing the garden, the beach, or the court yard? To state the type of room you want, place any of these terms after the phrase une chambre… (ewn shahN-bruh…).

simple (sahN-pluh) (single)

double (dooh-bluh) (double)

pour deux/trois/quatre personnes (poohr duh/trwah/kaht-ruh pehrsohhn) (for two/three/four people)

à un lit/à deux lits (ah uhN lee/ah duh lee) (with one bed/with two beds)

à deux lits jumeaux (ah duh lee zhew-moh) (with two twin beds)

Do you want a room that faces or looks onto somewhere beautiful or romantic? Then you use the expression donner sur (dohh-ney sewr) (facing, overlooking). The verb donner (dohh-ney), whose literal meaning is to give, is a regular –er verb, which you conjugate the same way you conjugate the verb parler (pahrley) (to speak). (For the conjugation of regular verbs, refer to Chapter 2.) You would say Je voudrais une chambre qui donne sur. . . . (zhuh vooh-dreh ewn shahN-bruh kee dohhn sewr. . . .) (I would like a room that faces. . . .) and then specify any of the following:

le jardin (luh zhahr-daN) (the garden)

la piscine (lah pee-seen) (the swimming pool)

la montagne (lah mohN-tah-nyuh) (the mountain)

la cour (lah koohr) (the court yard)

la plage (lah plahzh) (the beach)

la mer (lah mehr) (the sea)

le lac (luh lahk) (the lake)

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Asking about the price

An important consideration before booking a room is the price. When you ask about room prices, also consider asking about whether a deposit is needed and whether the establishment accepts credit cards. The following sequence of questions and answers may help you:

Quel est le prix de la chambre? (kehl eh luh pree duh lah shahN-bruh?) (What is the price of the room?)

Le prix est 250 euros par jour. (luh pree eh duh-sahN saN-kahNt uh-roh par jour.) (The price is 250 euros per day.)

Est-ce qu’il faut un acompte/des arrhes? (ehs-keel foh uhN-nah-kohNt/ dey-zahr?) (Do you need a deposit?)

Il faut un acompte/des arrhes de 20 pour cent. (eel foh uhN-nah-kohNt/ dey-zahr duh vaN poohr sahN.) (You need a 20 percent deposit.)

Acceptez-vous des cartes de crédit? (ah-kseh-ptey-vooh dey kahrt duh krey-dee?) (Do you accept credit cards?)

Oui, bien sûr. (wee, byahN sewr.) (Yes, of course.)

Talkin’ the Talk

Mr. and Mrs. Dalton are tired from driving and decide to call it a day in Annecy, a beautiful, small, French town close to the Swiss border. They stop at a pretty country inn. (Track 19)

Mr. Dalton: Bonjour! Nous voudrions une chambre avec des lits jumeaux.

bohN-zhoohr! nooh vooh-dree-ohN ewn shahN-bruh ah-vehk dey lee zhew-moh.

Hello! We would like a room with twin beds.

Le concierge: Côté cour ou côté rue?

koh-tey koohr ooh koh-tey rew?

Looking out on the court yard or the street?

Mrs. Dalton: Côté cour. Et avec salle de bains et une baignoire, s’il vous plaît. Quel est le prix?

koh-tey koohr. ey ah-vehk sahl duh baN ey ewn beh-nywahr, seel vooh pleh. kehl eh luh pree?

On the court yard. And with a bathroom and a bathtub, please. What is the price?

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Le concierge: Je vérifie . . . au rez-de-chaussée ça coûte 150 euros. zhuh vey-ree-fee . . . oh reyd-shoh-sey sah kooht sahN saN-kahNt uh-roh.

I am checking . . . on the ground floor, that’ll cost 150 euros.

Mrs. Dalton: Et au premier étage?

ey oh pruh-myey-rey-tahzh?

And on the second floor?

Le concierge: Je regrette. Le premier étage est complet. zhuh ruh-greht. luh pruh-myey-rey-tahzh eh kohN-pleh.

I’m sorry. The second floor is booked.

Mr. Dalton: Pas de problème. Le rez-de-chaussée nous convient bien.

pahd proh-blehm. luh reyd-shoh-sey nooh kohNvyaN byaN.

No problem. The ground floor suits us fine.

Words to Know

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