Greeting Hotel Guests

 

Greeting Guests                             

Introductions          Farewells and Well Being          Chit Chatting   

 

First impressions last a life time, or at least until the guests check out, so it is important to
make a good first impression. There are numerous expressions that can be used when first
greeting people. Some are very formal and appropriate for greeting guests and some are more
informal and should only be used with friends or co-workers. Obviously, employees of the
hotel industry should use the more formal expressions, however the less formal expressions
will also be presented to give learners a well balanced repertoire to choose from. 

 

Expressions- Greetings

Formal Expressions

Good morning (sir/ma’am)  

Good afternoon (sir/ma’am). Welcome to (name of hotel/shop, etc)  

Good evening (sir/ma’am)  

How are you this morning (afternoon, evening, today)?  

Less Formal Expressions  

Hello  

Hi  

What’s up?  

How’s it going?  

 

Of course, after the greeting, the dialogue must be continued, and what is said then depends
on the situation. When interacting with hotel guests that continued interaction usually
involves determining what the guest wants or needs.

A couple of standards that can be used in the hotel industry are:  

How can I help you today Ma’am (sir)?  

Can I be of assistance?  

How may I assist you?  

May I assist you with anything?  

What can I do for you today?  

 

Dialogue- Greetings  

Staff: Good morning Ma’am. Welcome to the (…Spa)  
Guest: Thank you.  

Staff: How can I help you today?  
Guest: I’m here for a (….massage).  

 

Conversation Activities- Greetings  

Practice using the above expressions by having a dialogue similar to the ones above with a partner, one partner taking the role of the guest and the other the role of the staff. For additional practice, switch roles. Practice the dialogue several times, trying to use all of the expressions noted above.  

 

Remember that one of the best was to improve your English  
skills is to use the language over and over again. It may sound  
boring and tedious but it works to make the language readily  
accessible for use when needed.