Checking Into a Hotel in Spanish: Phrases That Work

The first real Spanish conversation of any trip happens at a hotel desk, usually after a night flight, with a line of people behind you. It is also the most predictable conversation you will ever have. The receptionist asks the same four things every time, in the same order.

Learn that order and check-in stops being scary. Here is the whole thing, from the door to the key.

🎯Quiz ahead: At the end of this article a short quiz puts you at the desk. Question 4 catches almost everyone who translates from English.↓

The three phrases that open the door

Ninety percent of check-ins start with one of these.

• Tengo una reserva a nombre de García. (I have a reservation under the name García.)
• ¿Tienen habitaciones libres para esta noche? (Do you have any rooms free for tonight?)
• Somos dos, para tres noches. (There are two of us, for three nights.)

Note a nombre de, not en nombre de. And use usted with hotel staff. ¿Me puede ayudar? (Can you help me?) lands much better than the tú version when you have never met the person.

What the receptionist will say back

You do not need to produce these sentences. You need to recognize them fast, because they come at you in about twenty seconds.

Paying, and the question people forget

Ask about the deposit before you hand over the card, not after.

• ¿El pago es ahora o al salir? (Do I pay now or at checkout?)
• ¿Aceptan tarjeta o solo efectivo? (Do you take card, or cash only?)
• ¿El precio incluye impuestos? (Does the price include taxes?)

That last one matters in Latin America, where the rate you saw online is often quoted before tax. In Spain, IVA is normally already baked in.

The four questions worth asking before you take the key

Ask these at the desk and you avoid a second trip downstairs at midnight.

• ¿A qué hora es el desayuno? (What time is breakfast?)
• ¿Cuál es la contraseña del wifi? (What is the wifi password?)
• ¿A qué hora hay que dejar la habitación? (What time do we have to leave the room?)
• ¿Puedo dejar las maletas aquí hasta la hora de entrada? (Can I leave my bags here until check-in time?)

That last phrase is the one that saves you when you land at 8am and the room is not ready. La hora de entrada is check-in time, la hora de salida is checkout.

When something in the room is wrong

Spanish uses funcionar for machines, never trabajar. Saying el aire no trabaja is a direct English import and it sounds exactly as odd as it looks.

• El aire acondicionado no funciona. (The air conditioning is not working.)
• No hay agua caliente. (There is no hot water.)
• La habitación da a la calle y hay mucho ruido. ¿Tienen otra? (The room faces the street and it is very noisy. Do you have another one?)
• Falta papel higiénico. (There is no toilet paper.)

Falta plus a noun is the fastest complaint structure in Spanish. Faltan toallas. (There are no towels.) No verb gymnastics needed.

A real check-in, start to finish

Tú: Buenas tardes. Tengo una reserva a nombre de Ruiz. (Good afternoon. I have a reservation under the name Ruiz.) Recepcionista: Perfecto. ¿Me permite su pasaporte? (Perfect. May I have your passport?) Tú: Aquí tiene. ¿El pago es ahora o al salir? (Here you go. Do I pay now or at checkout?) Recepcionista: Al salir, pero necesito una tarjeta para la fianza. (At checkout, but I need a card for the deposit.) Tú: Muy bien. ¿A qué hora es el desayuno? (Fine. What time is breakfast?) Recepcionista: De siete a diez, en la planta baja. Habitación 302, aquí tiene la llave. (From seven to ten, on the ground floor. Room 302, here is your key.) Tú: Gracias. ¿Me repite el número, por favor? (Thanks. Could you repeat the number, please?)

¿Me repite, por favor? is the single most useful sentence in this whole article. Use it instead of nodding at a number you did not catch.

Test yourself at the desk

Five moments from a real check-in. Pick what you would actually say.

Hotel check-in cheat sheet

Save this to your phone before the trip. It follows the real order of the conversation.