OVERVIEW & OBJECTIVES

This ESL lesson plan on checking in at a hotel offers engaging activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials designed for beginner A1-A2 students. In this lesson, students will:

• Practice speaking by describing images and discussing common hotel experiences in the preview.
• Learn and use vocabulary related to hotel check-in and guest services.
• Watch a short video demonstrating a hotel check-in with friendly staff and useful information.
• Use key phrases and vocabulary to complete dialogues and answer comprehension questions.
• Participate in role-plays and discussions to simulate real hotel check-in situations and build confidence in speaking.

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

Students begin this hotel check-in ESL lesson plan by looking at images of a hotel check-in process and describing what they see, such as people at the reception desk and guests handing over passports. Then, they discuss simple questions about their own hotel experiences, such as how often they stay in hotels and what they like about them. They also talk about the role of a hotel receptionist. Next, students complete a short dialogue by filling in missing nouns related to checking in, such as “reservation,” “receipt,” and “floor.” Finally, they share what is important to them when choosing a hotel, such as price or comfort. VIEWING ACTIVITY

In this section, students watch a short video that shows a warm and welcoming hotel check-in. The hotel staff smoothly help a guest through the reservation, payment, and explain useful hotel details like breakfast times and Wi-Fi. While watching, students complete ordering activities by putting the receptionist’s actions in the correct sequence. Then, they answer true/false questions about the video, correcting any false statements. For a bonus task, students watch part of the video again and write short answers about the guest’s stay, including length, cost, and room number. 

DISCUSSION & DIALOGUE PRACTICE

Students discuss questions about the receptionist’s performance and whether they would enjoy working in a hotel. They then complete a dialogue between a hotel receptionist and a guest, using common hotel phrases such as “My reservation is under…” and “The total is…” Finally, students match sentences from the dialogue to specific hotel-related topics like room location, check-out time, and cost. This section focuses on target language use, helping students practice important phrases and sentence structures needed for checking in at hotels.

WELCOME TO OUR HOTEL! ROLE-PLAY

Students engage in a role-play activity to activate their language skills. In Step 1, each student writes down details about a guest’s hotel reservation, including hotel name, length of stay, room number, and breakfast times. Then, in Step 2, students take turns role-playing the guest and the hotel receptionist. They practice greeting, asking and answering questions about the reservation, payment, Wi-Fi, and other hotel services. An alternative option allows students to discuss questions about hotels in their own lives, such as describing a nice hotel or sharing travel plans. This activation builds confidence in real-life hotel conversations and encourages natural speaking practice.

BENEFITS OF USING THIS HOTEL CHECK-IN ESL LESSON PLAN

This hotel check-in ESL lesson plan offers clear, easy-to-follow materials designed specifically for beginner students. It combines speaking, listening, and vocabulary practice in a way that builds student confidence step-by-step. The use of images, video, and role-play creates an engaging and realistic learning experience. The lesson supports vocabulary retention with repeated practice in different contexts. It also encourages communication by providing opportunities for meaningful student interaction. This makes it a practical and effective tool for teaching essential travel and hospitality language.