Hotels conversation questions

Hotels

• Do you like staying at hotels? Why/why not?
• How often do you stay at hotels?

Do you normally stay at hotels for work/for vacation?

• What’s the longest you’ve ever stayed at the same hotel? Why were you there for so few/many nights?
• Have you ever been to a hotel for any of the following reasons:

Weddings, receptions, etc.?

Conferences, etc.?

For lunch/dinner?

Delayed or cancelled flight (paid by the airline)?

Others?

• Have you ever worked at a hotel? Can you think of any advantages or disadvantages of working at a hotel?
• Some people like to travel with their own pillows? Do you? Do you know anyone who does? What is the advantage of having your own pillow?

Types of hotels

• Are there many hotels in your country/where you live? What sorts of areas have the most hotels?
• Are there any historic or luxurious ones? Why is it so special?
• Have you ever stayed at a hotel near your home/in the same city/place you live? Why/why not?
• Have you stayed at many hotels?

In cities?

In the country/in the mountains/in the jungle?

At the beach/on the coast? On a tropical island?

Choosing a hotel

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of staying at a B&B, a hotel, a motel or using Airbnb?
• What’s the best/worst hotel you’ve ever stayed at?

• What was good/bad about it?
• Was it cheap? Good value for money? Expensive?

• Have you ever stayed at a luxury hotel?

• What was luxurious about it?

• Have you ever stayed at a really grotty^BrE (unpleasant, dirty) hotel?

• What was so grotty about it?

• Have you ever stayed at a really exotic hotel, such as a castle or an ice hotel?
• Have you ever booked/stayed in a suite?
• How far in advance do you like to plan your holidays?
• If you use internet to plan your holidays, do you book your hotel before or after you book your flight?
• What do you look for when choosing a hotel (choose the three most important)?

• You’ve been there before
• Someone’s recommended it to you/you’ve read about it in a guide, etc.
• Price
• Comfort, including accessibility
• Proximity to airport/station
• Proximity to city centre/nightlife
• Peacefulness
• Gastronomy
• Air conditioning (in room)
• Wi-Fi
• Minibar
• Animals are allowed
• Other reasons

• Do you always try to look for hotels belonging to the same chain? If so, why?

• Which of the following do you take most into consideration when deciding if you like the hotel you’ve stayed at (choose three)?

• Views from the hotel in general (surroundings, restaurant, cafeteria, etc.)
• View from your room
• Cleanliness
• Service, including room service
• Comfort (accessibility, bed, layout, decoration, etc.)
• Wi-Fi
• Extras (TV, vanity kits, slippers, hairdryer, etc.)
• Food
• Quietness
• Swimming pool, spa, gym, sauna, etc.
• Other reasons

Hotel food

When you stay at a hotel, do you usually choose full board and lodging, half board or just breakfast? Why?

• What’s your opinion on buffet-style breakfasts and lunches? In your experience, are they good quality for money? Do you think people eat more than they "should", i.e. for their health, when they eat at buffets?
• Do you usually eat out when you’re on holiday or do you try to get back to the hotel in time for meals?
• Have you ever used room service? For a champagne breakfast or for a sandwich in the middle of the night?

Problems with the hotel

• In some countries/hotels it’s necessary to specify that you want a room with a private bathroom (en suite bathroom). Have you ever stayed at a hotel where you have to use a shared bathroom down the corridor? Did you know about it in advance, or was it a surprise?
• Have you ever had to lodge a complaint at a hotel?

About your room?

About anything else?

• Have you ever had anything stolen at a hotel?
• Have you ever left anything behind and had to get the hotel to send it on to you?
• Many hotels now have keycards instead of keys to the room. What are the advantages/disadvantages? Have you ever lost a key/keycard and had to ask for a replacement?
• Many keycards also connect the lights inside the room. Have you ever had to phone reception to ask why the lights don’t turn on, and been told, politely, that it’s because you haven’t inserted the keycard in the slot?
• Have you ever turned up at a hotel and had a problem with double-booking or overbooking?
• What irritates you most about a hotel (in order of bad to worst)?

Bad service

Small room

Comfort (bed, layout, etc.)

Lack of cleanliness

Noise

Parking problems

Food

Other reasons

• Have you ever got lost looking for a hotel or missed a flight and turned up really late at night?