Checking Into a Hotel in Spanish: A Front-Desk Conversation
An example conversation to study — read the Spanish line by line, check the English underneath. A page shows you what to say; saying it out loud is what makes it yours.
- Receptionist
Buenas tardes, bienvenido. ¿En qué puedo ayudarle?
Good afternoon, welcome. How can I help you?
- You
Buenas tardes. Tengo una reserva a nombre de Smith.
Good afternoon. I have a reservation under the name Smith.
- Receptionist
Un momento, por favor… Sí, aquí está. Tres noches, habitación doble, ¿verdad?
One moment, please… Yes, here it is. Three nights, a double room, right?
- You
Sí, exacto.
Yes, exactly.
- Receptionist
¿Me deja su pasaporte, por favor?
Could I have your passport, please?
- You
Claro, aquí tiene. Una pregunta, ¿el desayuno está incluido?
Of course, here you are. One question — is breakfast included?
- Receptionist
Sí, se sirve de siete a diez en la planta baja.
Yes, it's served from seven to ten on the ground floor.
- You
Perfecto. ¿Y cuál es la contraseña del wifi?
Perfect. And what's the Wi-Fi password?
- Receptionist
Está en esta tarjeta, junto con su número de habitación. Es la 304, en la tercera planta.
It's on this card, along with your room number. It's 304, on the third floor.
- You
Muchas gracias.
Thank you very much.
- Receptionist
A usted. El ascensor está al fondo a la derecha. ¡Que disfrute su estancia!
Thank you. The elevator is at the back on the right. Enjoy your stay!
What's happening in this conversation
Check-in is the most predictable conversation in travel Spanish: the receptionist has said these exact sentences a thousand times, and they come in a fixed order — greeting, reservation, document, room details. That predictability is your advantage: you can rehearse the whole exchange before you ever reach the desk.
The register here is formal — usted everywhere on the receptionist's side. Notice that your lines stay almost register-neutral, so you can hold your own without conjugation gymnastics.
Key phrases to steal
| Spanish | English | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Tengo una reserva a nombre de… | I have a reservation under the name… | The opener that does all the work |
| ¿Me deja su pasaporte? | Could I have your passport? | What you'll hear — hand it over |
| Aquí tiene | Here you are | When handing anything to anyone |
| ¿El desayuno está incluido? | Is breakfast included? | The question worth asking every time |
| ¿Cuál es la contraseña del wifi? | What's the Wi-Fi password? | Works in cafés and apartments too |
| La planta baja / la tercera planta | The ground floor / the third floor | Floors in Spain count from zero |
Make it yours
- No reservation? "¿Tienen habitaciones disponibles para esta noche?" — do you have rooms available for tonight?
- Different name: "a nombre de" + whoever booked. It also rescues you at restaurants and pharmacies picking up an order.
- Problems later: "La calefacción no funciona" (the heating doesn't work), "¿Puede subir alguien a verlo?" (can someone come up to look at it?).
Hotels are one branch of a bigger tree — the wider phrasebook, from booking to complaining about the noise, is in our guide to Spanish for hotels, and the airport leg before it in Spanish for airports and transportation.
A regional note
In Spain the ground floor is la planta baja and the "first floor" (la primera planta) is one flight up — a real source of lost tourists. In much of Latin America you'll hear el primer piso for the ground floor, matching English logic. When in doubt, ask: "¿En qué piso está?"
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the receptionist use 'usted' here?
Hotel front desks are one of the places where formal 'usted' is still the default almost everywhere — '¿En qué puedo ayudarle?', '¿Me deja su pasaporte?'. You don't have to master usted forms to survive it: your own lines ('tengo una reserva…', questions with '¿el desayuno…?') barely change.
What if I didn't understand the times they told me?
Ask '¿Me lo puede repetir, por favor?' (can you repeat that for me, please?) or '¿Más despacio, por favor?' (slower, please). Numbers and times are the hardest part of check-in — asking for a repeat is completely normal.
How do I say I want to check out?
'Quiero hacer el check-out' works almost everywhere — the English word is widely used. More traditional: 'Quiero dejar la habitación' (I'd like to leave the room).
You've read it. Now say it out loud.
Conversations like this one happen every week in live classes with native teachers. That's where reading turns into speaking.
Practice It Live