At a Hotel

Situation

You've just arrived at a hotel in Tokyo after a long journey. The conversation below takes place at the front desk — receptionist 田中たなか (Tanaka) handles check-in for guest 山田やまだ (Yamada), who also asks about facilities and makes a small request. Hotel staff in Japan speak with a formality you won't encounter in everyday conversation. That register, shaped by the service philosophy of おもてなし, runs through every line Tanaka speaks.

Dialogue

Key Vocabulary

Grammar Notes

• ～のですが: Softens a request by explaining your situation rather than asking outright. The sentence trails off with が, leaving it open — the listener fills in the implied "can you help me?" Example: 「チェックインをしたいのですが」(I'd like to check in...). Going direct with 「チェックインしてください」exists, but it would sound blunt at a hotel counter.
• お～いただけますか: A very polite request structure — the honorific お prefix combined with いただけますか (could I receive the favor of...?). One level above ～てもらえますか, this is the norm in any service setting. Example: 「お聞かせいただけますか」(Could you please tell me?).
• ～ております: The humble progressive form of ～ています. Used when describing your own ongoing actions in formal contexts. Example: 「予約をしております」(I have a reservation). おります instead of います signals that you're talking about yourself modestly.
• ～となっております: A set phrase meaning roughly "it has been arranged that" or "it is set to be." Hotels and service businesses use it to state rules or schedules at a slight remove — formal and impersonal. Example: 「十一時までとなっております」(It is until 11:00 AM).
• ～ていただけます: Hotels use this to frame every service as something being offered to the guest. Example: 「利用していただけます」(You may use it — literally, you may receive the benefit of using it). The guest isn't just using a facility; they're being given access to it. That subtle shift is intentional.
• ～てあります: Describes a state resulting from a deliberate past action — someone did this for a reason. Example: 「書いてあります」(It is written there — someone put it there for your convenience). This differs from ～ている, which just describes an ongoing state without implying intent.

Cultural Notes

The word おもてなし (omotenashi) is usually translated as "hospitality," but that undersells it. Where hospitality meets expectations, omotenashi anticipates them — before the guest thinks to ask. You see this throughout the dialogue. Staff use humble forms like 「申す」 and 「おります」 when speaking about themselves, and honorific forms like 「いらっしゃいます」 and 「ございます」 for the guest and anything associated with them. Even 「わかりました」 (I understand) gets replaced by 「かしこまりました」 (certainly). None of this is performative polish. It reflects a genuine professional standard, and guests are expected to receive it graciously.

Most hotels in Japan — from traditional ryokan (旅館りょかん) to budget business hotels — have a 大浴場だいよくじょう (large communal bath). Before stepping in, wash thoroughly at the individual shower stations along the wall. Keep your towel out of the water, stay quiet, and leave your phone in the room. Guests with visible tattoos may be directed to a private bath instead; many facilities maintain this policy due to the long-standing association between tattoos and organized crime in Japan. Knowing this before you go saves an awkward moment at the entrance.

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• Renting an Apartment (Conversation N4)

Practice

Try these drills to make the dialogue your own:

• Role-play both sides: Run through the full dialogue as 山田やまだ, then switch to 田中たなか. Notice the register shift — the guest uses standard polite forms (～ます・～です), while staff layer in humble and honorific expressions throughout.
• Substitution drill 1 — Room type: Swap 「シングルルーム」for 「ダブルルーム」(double room), 「ツインルーム」(twin room), or 「和室わしつ」(Japanese-style tatami room). Practice the full line: 「〇〇で二に泊はくの予約よやくをしております。」
• Substitution drill 2 — Length of stay: Replace 「二に泊はく」with 「一いち泊はく」(one night), 「三さん泊はく」(three nights), or 「一週間いっしゅうかん」(one week). Practice both making and confirming the reservation.
• Substitution drill 3 — Room requests: Replace the towel request with asking for an extra pillow 「まくらをもう一ひとつもらえますか」, a toothbrush 「歯はブラシをもらえますか」, or more shampoo 「シャンプーをもらえますか」. Practice both making the request and responding as staff.
• Variation scenario — Late checkout: You need to leave at 1:00 PM instead of 11:00 AM. Try asking: 「チェックアウトを午後ごご一いち時じに延のばすことはできますか。」(Is it possible to extend checkout to 1:00 PM?) Then practice both responses — positive: 「かしこまりました、追加料金ついかりょうきんがかかります」(Certainly, there will be an additional charge) and negative: 「申もうし訳わけございませんが、満室まんしつのため難むずかしい状況じょうきょうです」(I'm very sorry, but due to full occupancy it is difficult).