Hello everyone! I'm a guest writer for Loopy's column. Are you currently planning an overseas trip and getting ready to unwind? After a long flight, you finally drag your exhausted body to the hotel front desk, thinking to yourself, "I can finally collapse into bed!" But at that moment, if you want to ask the staff for an extra blanket, ask to store your luggage, or see if a late check-out is possible, but suddenly freeze up and have to piece together individual words, it can get stressful real fast. Don't worry! Today, Loopy is here to round up the most common hotel English mistakes made by English learners, helping you check in smoothly like a local on your next trip abroad!
Luggage or Suitcase? Stop saying "I have three luggages"!
As soon as you step into the hotel lobby, a helpful bellhop offers to handle your luggage, and you might want to reply, "I have three pieces of luggage." At this point, many English learners instinctively say, "I have three luggages," which might leave the staff looking a bit puzzled.
In fact, luggage is an "uncountable noun" in English. It refers to the general "concept" or "category" of baggage, so you must never add an "s" at the end, nor can you place a number directly in front of it. If you want to specify a count of individual bags, please use the countable noun "suitcase"!
✗ Common mistake: I have three luggages. ✓ Natural phrasing: I have three suitcases. ✓ Natural phrasing: I have three pieces of luggage.
Next time the bellhop asks, you can say:
Could you help me with my suitcases?
Storing luggage? Avoid saying "keep my luggage"—say it this way instead
Before heading out to hit the sights, or when you have time to kill between check-out and your flight, you'll usually want to leave your bags at the hotel first. If you tell the front desk, "Can you keep my luggage?", it sounds a bit like you're asking them to "keep it permanently" or "take it as their own."
Hotels usually have a dedicated luggage storage area, so we use the verbs "hold" or "store," which sound much more professional and proper.
✗ Common mistake: Can you keep my luggage? ✓ Natural phrasing: Could you store my luggage for a few hours? ✓ Natural phrasing: Can you hold my bags until we check in?
Want an "upgrade" or a "late check-out"? Master these two phrases
When traveling abroad, everyone hopes for a few extra perks—like getting a quiet room upgrade, or being able to check out a bit later on the final day to catch up on sleep. In these situations, "room upgrade" and "late check-out" are your best friends!
If it happens to be your birthday or honeymoon, you can politely ask if an upgrade is available. And if you'd like to leave later, using "late check-out" will be instantly understood by the front desk.
✗ Common mistake: Can I upgrade my room? (This sounds like you are offering to pay for the upgrade yourself) ✓ Natural phrasing: Is it possible to get a complimentary room upgrade? ✓ Natural phrasing: Could we arrange a late check-out?
Here's a quick secret tip: the sophisticated word complimentary is extremely useful in hotels and restaurants. It means "given for free" (and sounds much more elegant and polite than "free"). For example, a free breakfast provided by the hotel can be called a complimentary breakfast.
Quick reference: Key takeaway hotel English
Finally, Loopy has put together a quick cheat sheet for you. Next time you travel, just open this article and read straight off the screen:
- Counting luggage depends on the unit: Luggage never takes an "s". Count individual bags using suitcases, or count total items using pieces of luggage.
- Use hold/store for temporary luggage storage: When you want to store your bags, say "Could you store my luggage?".
- Ask politely for perks:
- Late check-out: late check-out
- Room upgrade: room upgrade
- Provided free of charge: complimentary
Mastering these natural hotel English expressions will definitely make your next check-in abroad feel smoother and more confident! Wishing you all a wonderful trip, and see you next time!