OVERVIEW & OBJECTIVES

This ESL lesson plan on hotel reviews offers engaging activities, PDF worksheets, and digital materials designed for pre-intermediate A2-B1 students. In this lesson, students will:

• Discuss hotel design, accommodation reviews, and personal travel experiences.
• Use descriptive language for rooms, facilities, cleanliness, and comfort.
• Watch a firsthand review of a poorly rated hotel in Tokyo.
• Practice language for balanced reviews, problems, and recommendations.
• Write a new review or discuss memorable accommodation experiences.

PREVIEW & DISCUSSION

Students examine photos of an unusual dessert-themed hotel in Tokyo and describe its exterior, room, hallway, bathroom, furniture, and facilities. Prompts help them comment on its appearance and decide whether they would stay there.

Next, they imagine Becca had a bad experience at the hotel and predict what she may have written in her review. They use simple review prompts with nouns such as room, bathroom, shower, wardrobe, refrigerator, microwave, sofa, and cushions, while also adding their own ideas.

The preview ends with discussion questions about the importance of reviews, preferred types of accommodation, and the differences between hotels and short-term rentals.

VIEWING ACTIVITY

The video investigates whether a Tokyo hotel with a 2.8-star rating is really as bad as guests claim. The visit reveals a bad-smelling bathroom, a hard sofa, dirty pillows, mold, dust, and a disturbing surprise inside the microwave.

Before watching, students discuss whether they would stay in a hotel with such a low rating.

In the first task, students put the reviewer's actions in order as she checks the bathroom, sofa, pillows, wardrobe, and microwave.

They then correct inaccurate statements about the smell, pillows, guest experience, and appliance she checks.

Finally, students choose the correct answers to questions about the sofa material, what she finds in the bathroom, and what appears inside the microwave.

VIEWING FOLLOW-UP

Students share their opinions of the hotel, explain how they would feel if they stayed there, and decide whether its 2.8-star rating seems fair.

They then read three accommodation reviews with different balances of positive and negative details. Based on the rooms, locations, facilities, problems, staff responses, and recommendations, students decide how many stars each guest probably gave.

In the final task, students choose one of the reviews and imagine they had a very different experience. They rewrite the review, select a new rating, and use language such as "Overall...," "However...," "The host / staff...," and "I would / wouldn't stay here again.

HOW WAS YOUR STAY? REVIEW YOUR ACCOMMODATION

Option A asks students to think of an accommodation they stayed in, find one online, or imagine one. They write a short review, rate the property, and mention its price, location, cleanliness, service, facilities, amenities, or other details. Afterward, they share their reviews and ask questions about each other's experiences.

In Option B, students choose from six accessible discussion topics. These include a recent stay, an especially good or bad experience, accommodation booking sites, memorable features, unusual places, and plans for an upcoming trip.

BENEFITS OF USING THIS HOTEL REVIEW ESL LESSON PLAN

• Gives teachers a memorable video with strong reactions and clear details.
• Builds practical language for positive, negative, and mixed hotel reviews.
• Reviews accommodation vocabulary from earlier lessons in the series.
• Develops critical thinking through ratings, recommendations, and guest opinions.
• Supports both written review practice and flexible speaking alternatives.