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Elementary ‐Daily Life ‐ Hotel Upgrade (C0003)

A: Good afternoon. What can I do for you?
B: I’d like to check in please. I have a reservation under the name Anthony Roberts.
A: All right R.O.B.E.R.T.S... Oh, Mr. Roberts we’ve been expecting you& and here is your keycard to the presidential suite.
B: But there must be some mistake; my reservation was for a standard room.
A: Are you sure? Let me double check .
B: Yeah&Here, this is my confirmation number.

A: You’re right Mr. Roberts, there seems to be a mixup,unfortunately we’re oVerbooked at the moment .
B: So&
A: Not to worry. We’re pleased to offer you a complimentary upgrade.
B: Presidential suite baby!

A: 下午好。我能为你做什么？

B: 我想请办理入住。我预定时候报的名字是AnthonyRoberts。

A: 好的，R.O.B.E.R.T.S ....哦，罗伯茨先生，我们一直期待着您，这是您总统套房的钥匙卡。

B：但是一定有错误。我的预订是一间标准房。

A: 你确定吗？让我仔细检查一下。

B: 是的，这是我的确认号码。

A: 您说得对，罗伯茨先生，似乎是搞错了，很遗憾，我们目前订满了。

B: 所以？

A: 不用担心。我们很高兴为您提供免费升级。

B：总统套房! 宝贝!

M: Hello English learners! And welcome to EnglishPod! My name is Marco.
A: I‟m Amira.
M: Amira and I are here today with an interesting lesson about a hotelsituation. Amira, why don‟t you give us a little bit more information?
A: Well, the situation is taking place in a hotel and someone is checking in andis updating an upgrade.
M: An upgrade, okay, that‟s an interesting word. Why don‟t we listen to thedialogue and then we‟ll come back and explain all this vocabulary. DIALOGUE,FIRST TIME
A: Okay, everyone, that is nice, ha?
M: Yeah, the guy is really excited that he‟s gonna get the presidential suite.
A: Yes, there‟re some interesting phrases and vocabulary items here and I know,Marco, you want to talk about some of them.
M: Right, um, the first one and this is really useful for all our listeners whotravel a lot, this phrase will come in handy and it is “I have a reservationunder the name”.
A: Under the name.
M: Under the name.
A: Under the name.
M: So, before we explain this phrase, let‟s listen to some examples on how itis used in other situations and then we‟ll come back and give you moreinformation. Example one.
A: My secretary made a reservation under my name. Example two. B: I’m sorry,sir, I don’t have a reservation under that name. Example three.

C: Do you have a reservation under the nameSmith?
M: Alright, some really good examples there on how we could use this phrase inother situations, but just in case let me explain it real fast. Under the namemeans that when you go to the restaurant or a hotel and you tell them yourname, they know that you are the person that they have been expecting, theyhave been waiting.
A: Yes, well, I have chosen another useful phrase for you and it is mix-up.
M: Mix-up.
A: Mix-up.
M: Mix-up.
A: “There seems to be a mix-up”. Before we talk about this phrase, let‟s listento some examples of how it is used. Example one.
A: There was a mix-up at the airport and my bags were sent to Antarctica.Example two. B: I’m sorry, sir, there’s been a terrible mix-up. We’ve given youthe wrong baby.
A: Okay, that was useful and funny. Hehe.
M: Yeah, that‟s, uh, the baby situation is…
A: Oh, my God! Imagine that happening.
M: Yeah, I know.
A: Well, guys, so, a mix-up is a confusion or a misunderstanding.
M: Uhu, exactly. Well put.
A: Alright, Marco, what do you have for us?
M: Okay, the next word that [we] should take a look at is overbooked.
A: Overbooked.
M: Overbooked.
A: Overbooked. What does that mean?

M: So, if a hotel or a flight is overbooked, it means that they are full, theyare more than full.
A: Right, so, they cannot accept any more people.
M: Exactly.
A: Okay, now, ah, why is this phrase useful?
M: Because it happens all the time.
A: There‟re so many other situations where you can use this word or hear itfrom other native English speakers. Um, for example, a bus or a train can beoverbooked.
M: Exactly, that‟s really common. Okay, let‟s take a look at the last phrasefor today and that is complementary upgrade.
A: Complementary upgrade.
M: Complementary upgrade.
A: Complementary upgrade.
M: So, this means that, for example, when the hotel is overbooked and all oftheir standard rooms are full, they will give you a better room, a moreexpensive room, but free.
A: Yes, because it was not your fault.
M: Right, this also happens sometimes if you‟re lucky on airplane flights.
A: Yes.
M: So, if you are in „economy class‟ in an airplane, but for some reason it‟soverbooked, they will move you to „business class‟ or „first class‟ for free.
A: I have a similar story, but I‟m not gonna tell you about it now. For now,let‟s go and listen to the dialogue one more time and when we come back, we‟lltalk some more. DIALOGUE, SECOND TIME
A: I love listening to this dialogue. It just, ah… it‟s just so nice to seethat someone is enjoying his upgrade so much, ha?
M: Yeah, especially since he was expecting just a really normal room and nowhe‟s gonna be treated like a king.

A: So, Marco, have you ever gotten a complementary upgrade?
M: Yes, yes, I did. When I was traveling through India I bought a normal seatin the train, but for some reason th… it was overbooked, so, I talked to the,mm, station manager and I got a complementary upgrade to first class.
A: I had a similar experience as well. I was flying from Shanghai to Qatar and,uh, I actually had an economy seat, but for some reason they just upgraded meand I was so happy.
M: Oh really? Like…
A: Yes.
M: It wasn‟t overbooked.
A: Oh, well… I‟m not sure, because normally the night flight is not that full,but they upgraded me for some reason…
M: Ooh.
A: And I was so happy with an upgrade to first class.
M: Wow! That‟s really cool! I…
A: Yes.
M: I would prefer a first class upgrate on an airplane, yeah, any day.
A: Well, you know what really amazed me was like there f… the food you getthere, you know, you have a five course meal.
M: Oh really?
A: Yes.
M: And you get all the drinks you can get right?
A: Exactly.
M: Wow, that… yeah, I would be really happy there. Alright, everyone, we‟re outof time today, but be sure to listen tomorrow, because we‟ll be back again withanother great podcast. And also don‟t forget to go to our website atenglishpod.com and leave us all your questions and comments in our communityforum.

A: Yes, and we would also appreciate your suggestions and, um, I hope youenjoyed the lesson today and Marco and I will be back tomorrow with anothergreat lesson for you, but for now, it‟s… Bye!
M: Bye!