Episode 27: Booking the All-Inclusive Spa Package — 5,000 Core English Words

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Chapter twenty-seven. Booking the hotel.

Emma found an advertisement for a hotel in the mountain town: a stone building with a lawn, hot springs, and a spa. It looks beautiful, and a little more fashionable than they need. Ryan decides to call a travel agency, because he wants to speak to a real person.

Listen to how he makes the arrangement: the dates, the type of room, what is included, and what happens if they have to cancel.

Agent: Thank you for calling Blue Ridge Travel. This is Dana. How can I help you?

Ryan: Hi, Dana. I'd like to book a hotel room for a vacation next month. I saw an offer for the Silver Falls Lodge.

Agent: A lovely choice. It's one of our most popular places, but it never feels crowded. What dates are you looking at?

Ryan: We'd like to arrive on the third and leave on the thirteenth.

Agent: So ten nights. And how many guests?

Ryan: Two adults.

Agent: Let me check availability. One moment, please. Okay. For those dates I have a standard double room with two beds, or a queen room with a view of the valley. The queen is in the quiet part of the building, away from the lift.

Ryan: The queen room, please. How much is it per night?

Agent: The queen room is one hundred and eighty-five dollars per night. That includes breakfast, parking, and use of the hot springs.

Ryan: And I read something about a spa package.

Agent: Yes. For forty dollars more per night, you get the full package: two massages each, the steam room, and dinner on your first evening. It's a small luxury, and most couples take it.

Ryan: Let me calculate. That's two hundred and twenty-five a night, for ten nights. Twenty-two fifty.

Agent: Plus tax. But I can decrease that. If you stay ten nights, the tenth is free.

Ryan: Then we'll take the package. This is our first real vacation in two years. It's a kind of celebration.

Agent: Wonderful. Can I ask you a few questions for the booking?

Ryan: Go ahead.

Agent: Do you have any special requests? A high floor, a room near the gate, an extra bed?

Ryan: A high floor, if possible. And my wife would like a room with some shade in the afternoon. She paints, and she doesn't like too much brightness.

Agent: I'll put that in the notes. Does either of you have difficulty with stairs?

Ryan: My knee is a little stiff, but I can manage.

Agent: There's a lift, in any case. Now, what time do you expect to arrive?

Ryan: We're driving, so around six in the evening. Is that a problem?

Agent: Not at all. Check-in is from three. If there's a delay and you arrive after ten, just call the front desk directly.

Ryan: What's the cancellation policy?

Agent: You can cancel free of charge up to seven days before arrival. After that, the hotel keeps the first night.

Ryan: That's fair. Do you need a deposit?

Agent: Just a card to hold the booking. Nothing is charged until you check out. We don't take cheques, I'm afraid.

Ryan: That's fine. Here's my card number.

Agent: Thank you. You're all set, Mr. Johnson. Your confirmation number is B-R-4-4-7-1. I'll send the schedule and the directions to your email.

Ryan: Could you repeat the number, please?

Agent: Of course. B as in boy, R as in river, four, four, seven, one.

Agent: Before you go, can I tell you about a few things that might attract you?

Ryan: Sure. I have a moment.

Agent: The lodge can hire a guide to accompany you on a day tour. There's a walk along an old railway track, and a boat on the lake. It's a small vessel, with a crew of two, and it only takes twelve passengers.

Ryan: My wife would love that. How long is the journey?

Agent: The duration is about three hours, and you can get onto the boat right at the hotel.

Ryan: Put us down for the boat. What else?

Agent: Some guests like the casino in the next town. There's a coach every evening.

Ryan: That's not for us. We're modest people. I failed at cards when I was nine, and I never tried again.

Agent: Understood. And one last thing. If you ever want something further away, we do foreign travel as well. Flights, visas, hotels, etc. We deal with the embassy for you, and we explain customs and immigration, so nothing disrupts your trip.

Ryan: Not this year. I looked at flights for about an hour last night, and I stared blankly at the screen. The fare is one thing, but then there's a seat fee, a bag fee, a fee for breathing.

Agent: I'm sympathetic. Some airlines have a separate charge for every unit of air. And an aircraft cabin is not where anybody wants to spend a holiday.

Ryan: Exactly. I'd rather pay a toll on a road and stop when I want.

Agent: Then driving is the right choice. You're lucky. The road to Silver Falls is one of the prettiest in the state.

Emma: Well? Did you do it?

Ryan: It's done. Ten nights, the queen room, the spa, and a boat.

Emma: A boat! You're a god among husbands.

Ryan: I'm bound to be, at these prices. She was good, though. Very direct. She didn't try to dominate the conversation.

Emma: Was it expensive?

Ryan: Less than I thought. The tenth night is free. And I talked her out of the casino.

Emma: I'd have liked to see you in a casino. You'd lose the car.

Ryan: I know my limits. Do you know what the hotel was, before? I read it on their site while I was waiting. A warehouse for a horse breeding farm. A collector of racing horses built it, and then lost everything. The connection to the springs came later.

Emma: So we're sleeping in a stable.

Ryan: A holy one, according to the critics. One of them said the steam room is the nearest thing to heaven. Another said he couldn't distinguish it from a countless number of other spas.

Emma: I'll be the judge. What do we do now?

Ryan: Now I sweep the garage, vacuum the car, and load it slowly over the next week. I don't want any motion at the last minute.

Emma: You're so dependent on lists.

Ryan: Lists generate peace. My brain can absorb only one thing at a time, and it's already on the boat.

Emma: Is there a seat belt on a boat?

Ryan: I'll ask. There may be a rival company with safer boats, and I want to be sure.

Emma: Ryan. It's a lake. We'll encounter ducks.

Ryan: Via a small vessel with a crew of two. I heard. It's an adventure. I'm rapidly becoming a brave man.

Emma: You are. And the separation from your phone will be good for your intelligence. Come here. I object to none of it. Ownership of this holiday is yours.

That is the end of chapter twenty-seven. The room is booked, the boat is reserved, and the confirmation number is in Ryan's email.

Keep these with you: "I'd like to book a room." "How much is it per night?" "What's included?" "What's the cancellation policy?" "Could you repeat the number, please?"

In the next chapter, they have to decide how to get there, and Ryan takes the car to a mechanic.

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