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You don’t have to travel to spend the night at a hotel. However, when looking for a hotel to stay at, there are some terms thrown at you with the assumption that you are a regular hotel user. It is easy to get short-changed if you don’t understand the terms used to describe the hotel’s offers. Below are the top 10 hotel vocabulary you need to know:

1. Concierge

A hotel employee whose job is to assist guests with booking tours, making theatre & restaurant reservations, calling taxis, etc. Most Nigerian hotels don’t have a concierge yet but abroad they are common and can help with reducing the stress of planning activities for your vacay if you aren’t travelling with a tour company.

2. Service

Assistance provided by the hotel to customers. Examples include Dry cleaning, Laundry, Buffet, etc. Services are not rendered free and the word service is often used with an adjective that describes its quality e.g. good service, bad service or great service.

3. Connecting Rooms

Two separate hotel rooms connected by a door. This is not the same as an adjoining room which is two separate rooms next to each other with no door connecting them both.

4. Room Rate

The cost per night for spending the night in a room at the hotel.

5. Complimentary Breakfast

Breakfast that is served to you at no extra cost or free of charge.

6. Double Room

This is a for two guests with a bed large enough for two people. The beds are either double beds, Queen-sized beds or King-sized beds (each determines the difference in the room rates).

7. Room Service

This is an option for guests to eat anything on the menu in their rooms rather than eat in the general dining section.

8. Hotel Reservation

This is to reserve a room at a hotel in advance. When going on a group tour, it is advisable to make hotel reservations before you get there to ensure everyone in your company has a room for the night.

9. Amenities

This refers to anything that benefits lodging in the hotel. It includes facilities like a local restaurant, WiFi, Swimming pools, golf clubs, kiddies playroom, Dining, parks, stores, AC or heaters, smoke-free zones, Jacuzzi, Spa, Gym, high chairs for toddlers, etc.

10. Kitchenette

A mini-kitchen where people can prepare food for themselves. It has a sink, microwave and cooking area with a tabletop stove or cooker. If it comes with a mini-fridge fully stocked with snacks and beverages, you may have to pay for the ones you eat when checking out unless they state clearly it as complimentary (i.e. free of charge). Sometimes it is an in-suite service (a suite is larger than a typical hotel room).

There are many more terms that can sometimes be confusing. Hopefully, we treat that in the next article. If there is any term, you would like clarity on, please leave a comment. Thank you.

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This article was first published on 15th May 2019 and updated on December 16th, 2019 at 3:22 pm

ann

Ann Esievoadje is a freelance writer who is passionate about encouraging a reading culture and personal development. She has authored two books, The Quilt (fiction) and Being Mummy and Me (non-fiction). She manages Pulchra Publishing which offers a content creation/editing, transcription, different forms of writing (including Ghostwriting) service and her blog, Life Love and Anything Goes at annesievoadje.blogspot.com.ng. You can reach her at annesievoadje@gmail.com