In this post I will cover all the vocabulary you need to check in to a hotel or hostel in Chinese. At the end of this post I have provided a complete list of vocabulary and phrase list sort alphabetically that is more extensive that the sample dialogue which I step through first
Table of Contents
What is the correct name for a hotel: 酒店，旅社，旅舍，宾馆 or 旅馆?
There are many words for hotel in Chinese, so knowing which one to use can be somewhat difficult for Chinese learners. Generally it is safe to call a hotel larger hotel with a restaurant
| English | Pinyin | Chinese | Notes |
| hotel or restaurant | jiǔdiàn |
|
A hotel with a restaurant and other facilities you would expect in a higher star hotel |
| hotel | bīnguǎn |
|
A smaller hotel, usually without facilities, but does not imply a hostel or cheap hotel |
| inn | lǚshě |
|
A smaller cheap hotel, equivalent to a motel |
| hotel | lǚshè |
|
A smaller cheap hotel, equivalent to a motel |
| hotel | lǚguǎn |
|
A less common name for a hotel, typically without full facilities but this doesn’t mean it’s a low end hotel |
Checking In
Checking in to a hotel when you already have a reservation
When you arrive at the hotel, you should say hello and let them know you have a reservation:
Hello, I have booked
你 好 ， 我 预 定 了
nǐ hǎo, wǒ yùdìngle
If you have a reservation confirmation email, you can say
This is my confirmation email
这 是 我 的 确 认 邮 件
zhè shì wǒ dí quèrèn yóujiàn
If you don’t have a reservation email, you can show your passport or give them your name. The hotel may ask:
What is your name?
你 叫 什 么 名 字 ?
nǐ jiào shénme míngzì?
Or
What’s your surname?
你 的 姓 是 什 么 ?
nǐ de xìng shì shénme?
To which you should reply with your name, or perhaps just show your passport:
My surname is…
我 姓 . . .
wǒ xìng…
This is my passport
这 是 我 的 护 照
zhè shì wǒ de hùzhào
The hotel will need your passport to register you with the authorities, are requirements for any foreigners in Australia
Checking In to a hotel when you don’t have a reservation
Is it possible to book for a room? Staying one night
我 能 订 间 房 吗 ？ 住 一 晚
wǒ néng dìng jiān fáng ma? zhù yī wǎn
Of course if you are staying for more than one night you can say:
| Chinese | Pronunciation (Pinyin) | English |
|
|
wǒ néng dìng jiān fáng ma? zhù yī wǎn | Is it possible to book for a room? Staying one night |
|
|
wǒ néng dìng jiān fáng ma? zhù èr wǎn | Is it possible to book for a room? Staying two night |
|
|
wǒ néng dìng jiān fáng ma? zhù sān wǎn | Is it possible to book for a room? Staying three night |
|
|
wǒ néng dìng jiān fáng ma? zhù sì wǎn | Is it possible to book for a room? Staying four night |
|
|
wǒ néng dìng jiān fáng ma? zhù 五 wǎn | Is it possible to book for a room? Staying five night |
|
|
wǒ néng dìng jiān fáng ma? zhù 六 wǎn | Is it possible to book for a room? Staying six night |
|
|
wǒ néng dìng jiān fáng ma? zhù 七 wǎn | Is it possible to book for a room? Staying seven night |
Requesting a specific type of room in Chinese
You can also request your type of room using the phrase “wǒ yào…” (
I would like a suite
我 要
wǒ yào tàofáng
Here is a list of other room types that may be useful:
| English | Pronunciation (Pinyin) | Chinese |
| room | fángjiān |
|
| room with shared bath | pǔtōng fáng |
|
| suite | tàofáng |
|
| single room | dān rén fáng |
|
| double room | shuāng rén fáng |
|
| triple room | sān rénjiān |
|
If you would like to ask the price of the room, you can ask:
sd
How much per night?
一 晚 多 少 钱 ？
yī wǎn duōshǎo qián？
Depending on the answer you can either say you’ll take it:
I’ll take it
我 订 了
wǒ dìngle
Or ask for a cheaper room directly:
do you have a cheaper room?
你 有 更 便 宜 的 房 间 吗 ?
nǐ yǒu gèng piányí de fángjiān ma?
Or you might prefer to be bit more discrete and ask：
That is a little expensive, do you have something else?
那 是 一 点 贵 ， 你 有 其 他 的 吗 ?
nà shì yīdiǎn guì, nǐ yǒu qítā de ma?
Registering with your passport at the hotel
It is a requirement that you register with the local authorities within 24 hours of your arrival. If you are staying in a hotel, the hotel will do the registration for you, however this means handing over your passport to the hotel. When I first went to China (with a tour group), I was initially hesitant to hand over my passport to anyone until this requirement was explained. Typically you will need to fill out a registration card and also hand over your passport. The dialogue is below:
Please fill in this registration card
请 填 写 一 下 入 住 登 记 卡
qǐng tiánxiě yīxià rùzhù dēngjì kǎ
To which you can respond:
Okay
好 的
hǎo de
Or if you need help:
Can you help me fill in this form?
你 能 帮 我 填 这 张 表 吗 ？
nǐ néng bāng wǒ tián zhè zhāng biǎo ma?
You may then be asked to sign:
Please sign here
请
qǐng qiānmíng zài zhè’er
Finally the hotel will ask for your passport so they have your proof of identification and can complete the require registration.
Please show (me) your passport
请 出 示 你 的 护 照
qǐng chūshì nǐ de hùzhào
Getting your room keys and paying a deposit
The hotel may ask you to pay a deposit, although some simply take an imprint or make an authorisation on your credit card. Either way do not be surprised if the hotel asks:
We need a receive a deposit of 500 RMB
我 们 需 要 收
wǒmen xūyào shōu wǔbǎi yājīn zhào zhào
Please see the check out procedure below for additional dialogue on making payment.
Before you can go to your room, the hotel will give you your room keys:
This is your room key
这 是 您 的 房 间 钥 匙
zhè shì nín de fángjiān yàoshi
Checking Out
It’s time to check out, so lets get the bill and pay.
Late check out
If you are running late you may want to ask fo a later checkout:
Can I delay my checkout for a little while?
可 以 把 我 的 退 房 时 间 延 迟 到 一 点 吗 ？
kěyǐ bǎ wǒ de tuì fáng shíjiān yánchí dào yīdiǎn ma?
To ask for a specific time, you can ask:
Can I delay my checkout until 11am?
我 可 以 延 长 退 房 至 上 午 十 一 点 吗 ？
wǒ kěyǐ yáncháng tuì fáng zhì shàngwǔ shíyī diǎn ma?
This is a list times in Chinese for your reference:
| English | Pinyin Pronunciation | Chinese |
| morning | zǎoshang |
|
| midday | zhōngwǔ |
|
| afternoon | xiàwǔ |
|
| evening | wǎnshàng |
|
| 12am | zǎoshang shí’èr diǎn |
|
| 1am | zǎoshang yī diǎn |
|
| 2am | zǎoshang èr diǎn |
|
| 3am | zǎoshang sān diǎn |
|
| 4am | zǎoshang sì diǎn |
|
| 5am | zǎoshang wǔ diǎn |
|
| 6am | zǎoshang liù diǎn |
|
| 7am | zǎoshang qī diǎn |
|
| 8am | zǎoshang bā diǎn |
|
| 9am | zǎoshang jiǔ diǎn |
|
| 10am | zǎoshang shí diǎn |
|
| 11am | zǎoshang shíyī diǎn |
|
| 12pm （12noon) | zhōngwǔ shíèr diǎn |
|
| 1pm | xiàwǔ yī diǎn |
|
| 2pm | xiàwǔ èr diǎn |
|
| 3pm | xiàwǔ sān diǎn |
|
| 4pm | xiàwǔ sì diǎn |
|
| 5pm | xiàwǔ wǔ diǎn |
|
| 6pm | xiàwǔ liù diǎn |
|
| 7pm | wǎnshàng qī diǎn |
|
| 8pm | wǎnshàng bā diǎn |
|
| 9pm | wǎnshàng jiǔ diǎn |
|
| 10pm | wǎnshàng shí diǎn |
|
| 11pm | wǎnshàng shíyī diǎn |
|
Making payment
It is very likely the hotel will ask you how you woulld like to make payment:
How do you want to pay?
你 要 怎 么 付 款 ？
nǐ yào zěnme fùkuǎn?
All hotels should accept credit card, so you can answer either cash or card, to which you can just answer “yòng” (用), meaning “use” and the means of payment, for example:
Use cash
用
yòng xiànjīn
This is the vocabulary you will want to use:
| Chinese | Pronunciation (Pinyin) | English |
|
|
xìnyòngkǎ | credit card |
|
|
xiànjīn | cash |
|
|
lǚxíng zhīpiào | travellers cheque (check) |
If you are outside normal civilisation, and aren’t sure if your accomodation takes credit card, you can ask:
Can I pay by credit card
我 能 用
wǒ néng yòng xìnyòngkǎ fùkuǎn ma?
Advanced Hotel Chinese Vocabulary
Below is a table of vocabulary you may find useful when a Chinese hotel. This list is quite long and it is my intention to add to it in the future so you have a “cheat sheet” of sorts for hotels. This hotel vocabulary list can be translated as “酒店专业术语”, that is “jiǔdiàn zhuānyè shùyǔ” in Pinyin; this literally translates to hotel (酒店), speciality (专业), terminology (术语) – isn’t it nice how Chinese sentence order is so similar to English? With that said, here is the list, print it out and bring it with you when you travel abroad for quick reference:
| English | Pronunciation (Pinyin) | Chinese |
| address | dìzhǐ |
|
| adjoining room | xiāng lín fáng |
|
| amenity | zhìyì pǐn |
|
| arrival | dào diàn |
|
| average daily room rate | píngjūn fángjià |
|
| bath | mù yù |
|
| breakfast | zǎocān |
|
| business card | míngpiàn |
|
| cancel reservation | qǔxiāo dìngfáng |
|
| check-in | bào dào |
|
| check-in | rùzhù |
|
| check-in date | rùzhù rìqí |
|
| check-out | tuì fáng |
|
| checkin registration card | rùzhù dēngjì kǎ |
|
| checkout date | tuí fàng rìqí |
|
| coffee | kāfēi |
|
| complimentary room | miǎnfèi fáng |
|
| confirmation | quèrèn hán |
|
| connecting | liántōng fáng |
|
| corporate rate | gōngsī hétóng jià |
|
| deposit | yājīn |
|
| deposit | dìngjīn |
|
| deposit | yùfù jīn |
|
| dinner | wǎncān |
|
| doctor | yīshēng |
|
| early arrival | tíqián dǐdá |
|
| elevator | diàntī |
|
| escalator | zìdòng fútī |
|
| excuse me | qǐngwèn |
|
| extra bed | jiā chuáng |
|
| front desk | fú wù tái |
|
| gym | jiànshēnfáng |
|
| hotel | lǚguǎn |
|
| ironing board | tàng yī bǎn |
|
| key | yàoshi |
|
| late check-out | late checkout |
|
| lobby | dàtáng |
|
| luggage | xíngli |
|
| lunch | wǔcān |
|
| name | míngzì |
|
| parking lot | tíngchē chǎng |
|
| passport | hùzhào |
|
| pool | yóuyǒngchí |
|
| reserve a room | dìng fángjiān |
|
| restaurant | cāntīng |
|
| room | fángjiān |
|
| room with shared bath | pǔtōng fáng |
|
| shower | lín yù |
|
| sign | qiānmíng |
|
| stay in a hotel | zhù lǚ guǎn |
|
| surname | xìng |
|
| tea | chá |
|
| telephone | diàn huà |
|
| television | diàn shì |
|
| thank you | xièxiè |
|
| to book | yùdìng |
|
| translator | fānyì zhě |
|
| triple room | sān rénjiān |
|
| wake-up call | jiào xǐng |
|
Dialogue list
The below dialogue includes sentences from the above dialogue plus additional phrases you may find useful.
| English | Pronunciation (Pinyin) | Chinese |
| Breakfast starts from 6 o’clock until 9:30 | zǎocān cóng liù diǎn kāishǐ yīzhí dào jiǔ diǎn bàn |
|
| Can I delay my checkout for a little while? | kěyǐ bǎ wǒ de tuì fáng shíjiān yánchí dào yīdiǎn ma? |
|
| Can I delay my checkout until 11am? | wǒ kěyǐ yáncháng tuì fáng zhì shàngwǔ shíyī diǎn ma? |
|
| Can I pay by credit card? | wǒ néng yòng xìnyòngkǎ fùkuǎn ma? |
|
| Can you help me fill in this form? | nǐ néng bāng wǒ tián zhè zhāng biǎo ma? |
|
| Dinner starts from 7:00 to 10:00 | wǎncān cóng qī diǎn kāishǐ yīzhí dào shí diǎn |
|
| Do you have a business card? | nǐ yǒu míngpiàn ma? |
|
| do you have a cheaper room? | nǐ yǒu gèng piányí de fángjiān ma? |
|
| Does the room include breakfast? | fángjiān bāohán zǎocān ma? |
|
| Hello, I have booked | nǐ hǎo, wǒ yùdìngle |
|
| How do you want to pay? | nǐ yào zěnme fùkuǎn? |
|
| How much is it? | jiàgé shì duōshǎo qián? |
|
| How much per night? | yī wǎn duōshǎo qián？ |
|
| I have a reservation | wǒ yùdìng le |
|
| I have not booked | wǒ méiyǒu yùdìng |
|
| I have two bags | wǒ yǒu liǎng gè bāo |
|
| I want to check in | wǒ yào bànlǐ rùzhù |
|
| I would like a double room | wǒ yào dān rén fáng |
|
| I would like a room | wǒ yào fángjiān |
|
| I would like a room with a… | Wǒ xiǎng yào yǒu… de fángjiān |
|
| I would like a room with shared bath | wǒ yào pǔtōngfáng |
|
| I would like a single room | wǒ yào shuāng rén fang |
|
| I would like a suite | wǒ yào tàofáng |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 10:30am | qǐng shí diǎn bàn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 10am | qǐng shí diǎn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 11:30am | qǐng shíyī diǎn bàn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 11am | qǐng shíyī diǎn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 3:30am | qǐng sān diǎn bàn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 3am | qǐng sān diǎn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 4:30am | qǐng sì diǎn bàn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 4am | qǐng sì diǎn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 5:30am | qǐng wǔ diǎn bàn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 5am | qǐng wǔ diǎn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 6:30am | qǐng liù diǎn bàn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 6am | qǐng liù diǎn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 7:30am | qǐng qī diǎn bàn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 7am | qǐng qī diǎn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 8:30am | qǐng bā diǎn bàn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 8am | qǐng bā diǎn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 9:30am | qǐng jiǔ diǎn bàn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like a wake-up call for 9am | qǐng jiǔ diǎn jiào xǐng wǒ |
|
| I would like to check out | Wǒ yào tuì fáng |
|
| I’ll take it | wǒ dìngle |
|
| Is breakfast included? | bāohán zǎocān ma? |
|
| Is it possible to book for a room? Staying one night | wǒ néng dìng jiān fáng ma? zhù yī wǎn |
|
| Let me check | wǒ chá yīxià |
|
| Lunch starts at twelve o’clock until half past three | wǔcān cóng shí’èr diǎn kāishǐ yīzhí dào sān diǎn bàn |
|
| My surname is… | wǒ xìng… |
|
| Okay | hǎo de |
|
| Please fill in this form | qǐng tiánxiě zhè zhāng biǎogé |
|
| Please fill in this registration card | qǐng tiánxiě yīxià rùzhù dēngjì kǎ |
|
| Please show (me) your passport | qǐng chūshì nǐ de hùzhào |
|
| Please sign here | qǐng nǐ zài zhè’er qiānmíng |
|
| Please sign here | qǐng qiānmíng zài zhè’er |
|
| That is a little expensive, do you have something else? | nà shì yīdiǎn guì, nǐ yǒu qítā de ma? |
|
| The bill is incorrect | zhàng dān bú duì |
|
| This is my confirmation email | zhè shì wǒ dí quèrèn yóujiàn |
|
| This is my passport | zhè shì wǒ de hùzhào |
|
| This is your room key | zhè shì nín de fángjiān yàoshi |
|
| Use cash | yòng xiànjīn |
|
| Use credit card | yòng xìnyòngkǎ |
|
| use travelelrs cheque (check) | yòng lǚxíng zhīpiào |
|
| We need a receive a deposit of 500 RMB | wǒmen xūyào shōu 500 yājīn zhào zhào |
|
| What are the check-in and check-out times? | rùzhù hé tuì fáng shíjiān fēnbié shì jǐ diǎn |
|
| What is your name? | nǐ jiào shénme míngzì? |
|
| What’s your surname? | nǐ de xìng shì shénme? |
|
| When do you start serving breakfast? | nǐmen shénme shíhòu kāishǐ gōngyìng zǎocān? |
|
| When do you start serving dinner? | nǐmen shénme shíhòu kāishǐ gōngyìng wǎncān? |
|
| When do you start serving lunch? | nǐmen shénme shíhòu kāishǐ gōngyìng wǔcān? |
|
| When do you stop serving breakfast? | zǎocān jǐ diǎn tíngzhǐ gōngyìng ne? |
|
| When do you stop serving dinner? | wǎncān jǐ diǎn tíngzhǐ gōngyìng ne? |
|
| When do you stop serving lunch? | wǔcān jǐ diǎn tíngzhǐ gōngyìng ne? |
|
| Where is the dining room? | cāntīng zài nǎlǐ? |
|
| Where is the elevator? | diàntī zài nǎli? |
|
| Where is the escalator? | zìdòng fútī zài nǎlǐ? |
|