01 · How you check in
Tengo una reserva a nombre de...
I have a reservation under the name of...
Say this, then your name. It's the one line that gets everything moving at the desk.
andbefluent.com/spanish/checkin
Checkin
Check in, ask about breakfast, report a broken AC, and check out — out loud.
Two lines get you through the desk: tengo una reserva a nombre de… plus aquí tiene mi pasaporte — and default to quisiera for every request (quisiera una habitación doble, por favor), which sounds polite where quiero sounds blunt. Know your region's word for room: el cuarto in Mexico, la pieza in Argentina, la habitación everywhere. And when something breaks, two universal starters carry any complaint: no funciona and no hay — el aire acondicionado no funciona, no hay agua caliente.
Below: the phrases for arrival, problems, and check-out, what locals actually say, the slips that cause confusion at the desk — and a way to rehearse the whole stay out loud before you're standing in the lobby.
The warm-up pack
The phrases that carry a hotel stay — from the front desk to the taxi at check-out.
01 · How you check in
Tengo una reserva a nombre de...
I have a reservation under the name of...
Say this, then your name. It's the one line that gets everything moving at the desk.
02 · What you actually ask for
Quisiera una habitación doble, por favor.
I'd like a double room, please.
Quisiera, not quiero — the polite default for hotel requests. Quiero sounds blunt at a reception desk.
03 · Hand it over
Aquí tiene mi pasaporte.
Here is my passport.
Short and practical — say it while you're already reaching for it, no extra explanation needed.
04 · Check what's included
¿El desayuno está incluido?
Is breakfast included? — In Argentina you may hear ¿el desayuno viene incluido? instead of está.
Worth asking before you assume — some rooms include it, some don't, and the desk won't always volunteer it.
05 · Ask for more than the basics
¿Tienen habitaciones con vista?
Do you have rooms with a view?
It costs nothing to ask. Worst case, the answer is no and you're exactly where you started.
06 · When something breaks
El aire acondicionado no funciona.
The air conditioning doesn't work.
No funciona is the universal starter for any broken thing — swap in la ducha, la luz, whatever it is.
07 · The other universal complaint
No hay agua caliente.
There's no hot water.
No hay covers anything missing, not just water. Lead with the problem, the fix comes next.
08 · Ask for the fix
¿Pueden cambiarme de habitación?
Can you change my room?
State the problem first, then this. It reads as a reasonable request, not a complaint.
09 · Stay one more night
Quisiera una noche más, por favor.
I'd like one more night, please.
Simple and direct — say it as soon as you decide, rooms fill up fast in busy periods.
10 · Settle the bill
¿Puedo ver la cuenta, por favor? ¿Aceptan tarjeta de crédito?
Can I see the bill, please? Do you accept credit cards?
Ask to see it before you pay — it's normal, not distrustful, and it catches mistakes before they're yours.
11 · Leave well
Aquí están las llaves. ¿Me pueden pedir un taxi?
Here are the keys. Can you call me a taxi?
Two short lines end the whole stay cleanly — no need to overexplain on your way out the door.
FLUENT
Finally, someone to talk to in Spanish.
Ten-minute spoken lessons. A teacher who answers back — and gently fixes what you got wrong.
First 10 lessons freeandbefluent.com/spanish/checkinRegional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| hotel room | el cuarto | la pieza |
| swimming pool | la alberca | la pileta |
| it doesn't work | no jala | no anda |
| suitcase | la maleta | la valija |
Watch out
The part no phrase list can do
Isabella
Your conversation teacher for this pack
In the Checkin pack, the final lesson puts you at the reception desk of a mid-range hotel — and Isabella is the receptionist on day shift: polished, kind to nervous travelers, strictly usted, and she hands every guest a little map of the area with the room key. You're checking in for two nights. Then the air conditioning stops working and you have to call down and get it fixed — and at check-out there's a charge on the bill you don't recognize. Out loud. And she talks back:
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 5 lessons and Checkin is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
Tengo una reserva a nombre de… — I have a reservation under the name of… — then hand over ID: aquí tiene mi pasaporte. No reservation? Quisiera una habitación doble, por favor.
¿El desayuno está incluido? and ¿a qué hora es el desayuno? In Argentina you'll hear ¿el desayuno viene incluido? — viene doing the job of está.
Lead with the problem, then the fix. No funciona and no hay start almost any complaint: el aire acondicionado no funciona, no hay agua caliente — then ¿pueden cambiarme de habitación?
The flow is short: quisiera hacer el check-out → ¿puedo ver la cuenta, por favor? → ¿aceptan tarjeta de crédito? → aquí están las llaves. If something on the bill looks off: ¿hay algún cargo adicional?
Quisiera una noche más, por favor — I'd like one more night. The formal version you might hear or use: quisiera prolongar mi estadía una noche más.