At the Hotel

Objective & content

By the end, A2 students can check in at a hotel: give their name, get their room, and ask about breakfast. This resource is a pair speaking activity: two self-contained cut-out role cards — a guest (Card A) and a receptionist (Card B) — each carrying only the phrases that role needs, plus [S]/[A] variants. Prints 5 sets per A4 page.

Pedagogical guide

Roleplay cards work because each student only sees their own role, keeping the exchange a real information gap. This card set targets check-in functional language (giving personal details, asking wh-questions about times and services) and pairs naturally with a travel or telling-time lesson. Use it once students can form basic wh-questions and state simple facts.

Suggested procedure

1. (2 min) Distribute one Card A and one Card B per pair; model one round with a confident student.
2. (1 min) Set the goal: Card A checks in and asks about breakfast; Card B finds the booking and answers.
3. (8–10 min) Pairs run the check-in, then swap roles and repeat.
4. (2 min) Quick whole-class check: did students give a name, get the room, and ask about breakfast?

Adaptations

• [S] Give the guest the booking details on the card; ask one question only.
• [A] Cover the "You can say" lines and improvise; use the complication (the room is not ready — bags kept until two o'clock); bonus: swap roles and ask a second question (lift? restaurant?).

Materials & prerequisites

Print the cards sheet (A4, 5 sets per sheet) and cut into cards; one set per pair. Assumes basic wh-questions and telling the time.

Curriculum alignment

Maps to Cycle 3 "child and close environment" (FR 6e) — everyday transactions while travelling.