Spanish at the Hotel: 35 Essential Phrases for Check-In and Beyond

To speak Spanish at a hotel, learn a few polite, practical sentences: Tengo una reserva /ˈteŋ.ɡo u.na reˈseɾ.βa/ for “I have a reservation,” Quisiera una habitación /kiˈsje.ɾa u.na aβitaˈsjon/ for “I would like a room,” and La cuenta, por favor /la ˈkwen.ta poɾ faˈβoɾ/ for “The bill, please.” These phrases will handle check-in, room requests, problems, breakfast, and checkout in Spain and Latin America.

Spanish is an official language in 20 countries, and Instituto Cervantes estimates that more than 500 million people speak it as a native language. Hotel staff in tourist areas may speak English, but clear Spanish makes every interaction easier, especially at smaller hotels, guesthouses, and family-run properties.

Before arriving, review the basics of how to say hello in Spanish. A simple greeting and a polite request create a much better first impression than opening with a translated sentence from your phone.

The polite hotel Spanish you need

Spanish hotel conversations are usually built around three useful tools: a greeting, a request with quisiera /kiˈsje.ɾa/, and a closing such as gracias /ˈɡɾa.sjas/. The word quisiera is the conditional form of querer, “to want,” but functions as a courteous “I would like.”

This matters because Spanish has several ways to request something. Quiero /ˈkje.ɾo/, “I want,” is grammatically fine but can sound blunt with staff. Quisiera and me gustaría /me ɣustaˈɾi.a/, “I would like,” are safer choices for visitors.

Research on interactional politeness by Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson describes how indirect requests reduce social pressure. In practical hotel Spanish, that principle is simple: use por favor /poɾ faˈβoɾ/, frame requests politely, and say gracias /ˈɡɾa.sjas/ after help is offered.

Llegada

Tengo una reserva

Tengo una reserva /ˈteŋ.ɡo u.na reˈseɾ.βa/ means “I have a reservation.” It is the core check-in phrase and works at hotels, hostels, rural guesthouses, and vacation rentals with a staffed desk.

Add a nombre de /a ˈnom.bɾe ðe/, “under the name of,” before the name used for booking. Spanish hotels commonly ask for a passport or identity document, so have it ready when you use this sentence.

Quisiera hacer el check-in

In many Spanish-speaking hotels, staff use check-in /ˈtʃek.in/ and check-out /ˈtʃek.aut/ as English loanwords. You may also hear registrarse /rex.isˈtɾaɾ.se/, “to register,” especially in more formal settings.

Say Quisiera hacer el check-in /kiˈsje.ɾa aˈseɾ el ˈtʃek.in/ if you are ready to register. If you arrive early, ask ¿Puedo hacer el check-in antes? /ˈpwe.ðo aˈseɾ el ˈtʃek.in ˈan.tes/, “Can I check in earlier?”

¿A qué hora es el check-in?

Ask ¿A qué hora es el check-in? /a ke ˈo.ɾa es el ˈtʃek.in/ to confirm arrival time. A receptionist may answer A partir de las tres /a paɾˈtiɾ ðe las tɾes/, meaning “from three o’clock onward.”

If your room is not ready, try ¿Puedo dejar mi equipaje? /ˈpwe.ðo deˈxaɾ mi ekiˈpaxe/. This means “Can I leave my luggage?” The noun equipaje is uncountable in Spanish, so do not make it plural.

La habitación

¿Tiene una habitación disponible?

¿Tiene una habitación disponible? /ˈtje.ne u.na aβitaˈsjon dispoˈni.βle/ means “Do you have a room available?” Use it when you are walking in without a reservation.

In Spain, habitación doble /aβitaˈsjon ˈðo.βle/ can mean a room for two people, often with one double bed. If bed configuration matters, ask directly whether it has una cama doble /u.na ˈka.ma ˈðo.βle/ or dos camas individuales /dos ˈka.mas indiβiˈðwa.les/, two single beds.

La llave de la habitación

For “room key,” say la llave de la habitación /la ˈʎa.βe ðe la aβitaˈsjon/. Many hotels use key cards, but llave remains the everyday word staff may use.

You might hear Aquí tiene su tarjeta /aˈki ˈtje.ne su taɾˈxe.ta/, “Here is your card.” In that context, tarjeta means card, not necessarily a payment card.

¿Cuál es la contraseña del wifi?

Ask ¿Cuál es la contraseña del wifi? /kwal es la kontɾaˈse.ɲa ðel ˈwi.fi/ for the Wi-Fi password. In Spain, you may also see wifi written as wi-fi, and both forms are familiar in speech.

The Real Academia Española records contraseña as the standard word for password. Avoid relying on English password when staff may be helping several guests quickly.

Problemas en la habitación

Travel problems are easier to solve when you say the issue plainly, then ask for help. Start with Disculpe /disˈkul.pe/, “Excuse me,” or Perdón /peɾˈðon/, “Sorry/excuse me.”

The useful negative structure is no funciona /no fuŋˈsjo.na/, “does not work.” You can attach it to almost any item in the room: the air conditioning, shower, television, light, or safe.

El aire acondicionado no funciona

El aire acondicionado no funciona /el ˈaj.ɾe akondisjoˈnaðo no fuŋˈsjo.na/ means “The air conditioning does not work.” In hot climates, be direct and report it promptly.

For heating, say La calefacción no funciona /la kalefakˈsjon no fuŋˈsjo.na/. Spanish varies by region, as Francisco Moreno Fernández explains in Variedades de la lengua española, but these hotel terms are widely understood.

No hay agua caliente

No hay agua caliente /no ai ˈa.ɣwa kaˈljen.te/ means “There is no hot water.” The expression no hay literally means “there is not” or “there are not.”

For a plumbing problem, say El baño está inundado /el ˈba.ɲo esˈta inuŋˈda.ðo/, “The bathroom is flooded.” If you need clean towels, ask ¿Me puede traer toallas limpias? /me ˈpwe.ðe tɾaˈeɾ toˈa.ʎas ˈlim.pjas/.

Hay mucho ruido

Hay mucho ruido /ai ˈmu.tʃo ˈrwi.ðo/ means “There is a lot of noise.” If noise is preventing sleep, use No puedo dormir /no ˈpwe.ðo doɾˈmiɾ/, “I cannot sleep.”

Be specific but calm: Hay mucho ruido en el pasillo /ai ˈmu.tʃo ˈrwi.ðo en el paˈsi.ʎo/, “There is a lot of noise in the hallway.” Hotel staff can then identify whether the source is a neighboring room, street noise, or an event.

Desayuno y servicios

¿A qué hora es el desayuno?

¿A qué hora es el desayuno? /a ke ˈo.ɾa es el desaˈʝu.no/ asks what time breakfast is. Ask ¿El desayuno está incluido? /el desaˈʝu.no esˈta iŋˈklu.i.ðo/ if you are unsure whether it is included in your rate.

To find the breakfast room, ask ¿Dónde se sirve el desayuno? /ˈdon.de se ˈsiɾ.βe el desaˈʝu.no/. The verb servir means “to serve,” and is especially useful in restaurants and hotels.

For dietary needs, say Soy vegetariano /soi βexetaˈɾja.no/ if you are male or Soy vegetariana /soi βexetaˈɾja.na/ if you are female. If you have an allergy, say Tengo alergia a... /ˈteŋ.ɡo aleɾˈxia a/, followed by the food.

¿Hay lavandería?

Ask ¿Hay lavandería? /ai laβandeˈɾi.a/ for laundry service or laundry facilities. For a taxi, say ¿Puede llamar un taxi, por favor? /ˈpwe.ðe ʎaˈmaɾ un ˈtak.si poɾ faˈβoɾ/.

Many hotel staff members will ask ¿Necesita algo más? /neseˈsi.ta ˈal.ɣo mas/, “Do you need anything else?” You can reply No, gracias, eso es todo /no ˈɣɾa.sjas ˈe.so es ˈto.ðo/, “No, thank you, that is all.”

Salida

Quisiera hacer el check-out

At departure, say Quisiera hacer el check-out /kiˈsje.ɾa aˈseɾ el ˈtʃek.aut/. If you need to leave luggage after checking out, use ¿Puedo guardar el equipaje hasta esta tarde? /ˈpwe.ðo ɣwaɾˈðaɾ el ekiˈpaxe ˈas.ta ˈes.ta ˈtaɾ.ðe/.

To request the final bill, say La cuenta, por favor /la ˈkwen.ta poɾ faˈβoɾ/. In some hotels, staff may say la factura /la fakˈtu.ɾa/ for an official invoice, particularly if you need documentation for work expenses.

¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?

¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? /ˈpwe.ðo paˈɣaɾ kon taɾˈxe.ta/ means “Can I pay by card?” While card payment is widespread, asking is sensible at independent properties and in areas where a payment terminal may be unavailable.

To leave politely, say Muchas gracias por todo /ˈmu.tʃas ˈɣɾa.sjas poɾ ˈto.ðo/, “Thank you very much for everything.” Follow it with Hasta luego /ˈas.ta ˈlwe.ɣo/ or review more options in our guide to saying goodbye in Spanish.

Practice with real hotel dialogue

Memorizing isolated vocabulary helps, but hotel Spanish becomes automatic when you hear phrases in context. Watch short scenes, pause after a receptionist’s line, repeat it aloud, and then change one detail: the room number, number of guests, or item you need.

This approach supports what Paul Nation’s work on vocabulary learning emphasizes: frequent encounters and meaningful use make words more retrievable. Practice one mini-dialogue until it feels easy, rather than trying to memorize all 35 expressions at once.

Try this short exchange:

Recepcionista: Buenas tardes, ¿en qué puedo ayudarle?
/ˈbwe.nas ˈtaɾ.des en ke ˈpwe.ðo aʝuˈðaɾ.le/

You: Tengo una reserva a nombre de Taylor.
/ˈteŋ.ɡo u.na reˈseɾ.βa a ˈnom.bɾe ðe ˈtei.loɾ/

Recepcionista: Perfecto. Aquí tiene la llave de su habitación.
/peɾˈfek.to aˈki ˈtje.ne la ˈʎa.βe ðe su aβitaˈsjon/

You: Muchas gracias. ¿A qué hora es el desayuno?
/ˈmu.tʃas ˈɣɾa.sjas a ke ˈo.ɾa es el desaˈʝu.no/

If you can confidently complete that conversation, you are prepared for a normal check-in. For broader travel language, use our essential Spanish travel phrases, and practice listening to natural dialogue through Spanish movie and TV clips on Wordy’s Spanish learning page.