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A Mistake in the Hotel Bill

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 223: A Mistake in the Hotel Bill.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 223. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

Visit our website at eslpod.com and download the eight to ten page Learning Guide for this episode. You can find all of the vocabulary, definitions, additional definitions, culture notes and a complete transcript of this episode. Remember, if you have a question or comment about ESL Podcast, you can email us at eslpod@eslpod.com.

This episode is called, “A Mistake in the Hotel Bill.” Let’s get started.

[Start of story]

Hotel clerk: Here’s the bill for your four-night stay. Would you like the incidentals charged to your credit card?

May: Incidentals? I think there’s some mistake. I didn’t order any pay-per-view movies and I never ordered room service. And, I didn’t have any spa services, either.

Hotel clerk: Are you sure? We show three movies and two room service orders.

May: I’m positive. Could I speak to a supervisor, please?

Hotel clerk: He’s not on duty right now, but let me see if I can resolve this for you. How many of these charges were made in error?

May: All of them. Is it possible that my bill was switched with another room’s?

As I said, I didn’t order any movies, I haven’t had any room service, and I haven’t visited the spa since I checked in to the hotel.

Hotel clerk: I see. I’ll need to check with each of those departments to determine whether a mistake has been made.

May: How long will this take?

Hotel clerk: Not long, I’m sure. If you could take a seat in the lobby…

May: I have a plane to catch and I don’t have a lot of time. Is there a general manager I can speak to?

Hotel clerk: I’m not sure. If you’ll have a seat, I’ll see if I can get Ms. Cardenes for you.

May: Thank you. I’d appreciate it.

[End of story]

In our dialogue, we heard May and a hotel clerk having a conversation.

The hotel clerk says, “Here’s the bill for your four-night stay. Would you like the incidentals charged to your credit card?” The bill is what the person has to pay.

A four-night stay, “stay,” means that the person slept in the hotel for four nights.

You can say a four-night stay, a two-night stay, a one-week stay. Stay, here, means the amount of time you are somewhere or you are visiting somewhere.

There are other meanings of that word, stay, and we talk about those in the Learning Guide today.

The clerk also asks if the woman, May, would “like the incidentals charged to” her “credit card.” Incidentals, “incidentals,” are extra or additional costs that you have to pay for. For example, if you stay at an American Hotel and you make a phone call, that might be extra - that might not be included in your overall bill.

So, they are going to charge you more money if you make a phone call, especially if you make a long-distance phone call.

May says, “Incidentals? I think there’s some mistake.” She doesn’t think that she has any incidental charges or any additional costs that she has to pay. She then goes on and says that “I didn’t order any pay-per-view movies and I never ordered room service. And, I didn’t have any spa services, either.” Pay-perview, which is often hyphenated, “pay-per-view,” are movies that you can watch in a hotel room and, in many cities, your own home if you have cable television or satellite television that you pay extra for. They’re not included in the normal price of, in this case, the hotel room. Normally they charge eight, nine, maybe ten dollars a movie in a hotel, so they’re not cheap - they’re not inexpensive.

She says that she didn’t watch any of these movies and she “never ordered room service.” Room service is food that you would get from the kitchen brought up to your room. She also says that she didn’t go to the spa - she “didn’t have spa,” “spa,” “services.” And, these are health or beauty treatments - going and getting your toenails and fingernails cut, for example, or having a massage. These would be things that you would find at a very fancy or very expensive hotel, and they would be called spa services or spa services.

The hotel clerk questions her, “Are you sure? We show three movies and two room service orders.”

And May says, “I’m positive.” The expression to be positive means that you are absolutely sure - you have no doubt - you’re certain that this is the truth. May says, “I’m positive. Could I speak to a supervisor, please?” Supervisor would be the boss or a person at a higher level in the hotel.

The hotel clerk says, “He’s not on duty right now.” To be on duty, “duty,” means to be working - to be at the hotel, in this case. Well, the hotel clerk says the manager or the supervisor isn’t “on duty, but” he says, “let me see if I can resolve this for you.” To resolve, “resolve,” means, really, to solve a problem, and that’s what he’s trying to do, to solve this problem - to find a solution for the problem.

The clerk then asks May, “How many of these charges were made in error?” In error means by mistake - someone did something wrong.

May says, “All of the them.” All of the charges are a mistake - they’re in error. “Is it possible,” she asks, “that my bill was switched with another room’s?” To switch means to change, usually when one person or one thing is changed for another, often by accident. She’s saying here maybe I have someone else’s bill - my bill was switched with someone else’s.

She continues to go on and say that she “didn’t order any movies” and she didn’t have “any room service,” and she didn’t visit the spa during her stay at the hotel.

She says, “I haven’t visited the spa since I checked in to the hotel.” To check in would mean to register or to sign in. When you first come to the hotel, the first day you are there, you check in. You get your key; you give them your credit card and so forth.

The hotel clerk says, “I see” meaning I understand. “I’ll need to check with each of those departments to determine whether a mistake has been made.” He’s saying here that he has to call or talk to the spa and the kitchen for the room service and so forth.

May says, “How long will this take?” How long is this going to be? The hotel clerk says, “Not long, I’m sure. If you could take a seat in the lobby…” meaning if you want to go sit down and wait in the lobby while I make these phone calls.

The lobby, “lobby,” is the main part of the hotel - the entrance to the hotel, where you can sit and people can wait.

The word lobby is one that has several different meanings, take a look at the Learning Guide for today for the other meanings of that word, lobby.

May isn’t too happy. She says, “I have a plane to catch,” meaning I have a airplane that I need to get to - I have to go to the airport so I can get on my plane.

“I have a plane to catch and I don’t have a lot of time. Is there a general manager I can speak” with? Now she’s asking to talk, not just with the hotel clerk’s supervisor or boss, but with the main boss of the hotel - the general manager.

The hotel clerk says, “I’m not sure. If you’ll have a seat, I’ll see if I can get Ms.

Cardenes for you.” He’s going to see if he can get the hotel manager. May says, “Thank you. I’d appreciate it.” I’d appreciate it meaning I would be very thankful if you could do that. It’s a polite thing to say when someone is going to do something for you.

What we’re going to do for you is read this dialogue, this time at a regular, or normal, speed.

[Start of story]

Hotel clerk: Here’s the bill for your four-night stay. Would you like the incidentals charged to your credit card?

May: Incidentals? I think there’s some mistake. I didn’t order any pay-per-view movies and I never ordered room service. And, I didn’t have any spa services, either.

Hotel clerk: Are you sure? We show three movies and two room service orders.

May: I’m positive. Could I speak to a supervisor, please?

Hotel clerk: He’s not on duty right now, but let me see if I can resolve this for you. How many of these charges were made in error?

May: All of them. Is it possible that my bill was switched with another room’s?

As I said, I didn’t order any movies, I haven’t had any room service, and I haven’t visited the spa since I checked in to the hotel.

Hotel clerk: I see. I’ll need to check with each of those departments to determine whether a mistake has been made.

May: How long will this take?

Hotel clerk: Not long, I’m sure. If you could take a seat in the lobby…

May: I have a plane to catch and I don’t have a lot of time. Is there a general manager I can speak to?

Hotel clerk: I’m not sure. If you’ll have a seat, I’ll see if I can get Ms. Cardenes for you.

May: Thank you. I’d appreciate it.

[End of story]

The script for this podcast episode was written by Dr. Lucy Tse.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next time on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse, hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan. This podcast is copyright 2006.