Holiday Accommodation Problems
Gillian and her boyfriend are on Holiday in Greece. They booked a 4-star hotel which looked
amazing in the brochure. However, when they arrived, it was completely different to what
they had expected. Gillian calls reception to complain again…
Receptionist: Good afternoon, reception. How can I help you?
Gillian: This is the third time I’ve called today about the leak in our room, and it’s still not
fixed yet!
Receptionist: I’m very sorry about that. What room are you in?
Gillian: Room 502. Another thing – the noise from the building work outside is unbearable!
We came here to get away from it all and instead, it has been so stressful! Why were we were
not warned about this?
Receptionist: Unfortunately, madam, the building work has been ongoing for several months
now. We are in the process of renovating part of our hotel. The only thing I can do is change
your room to another area of the hotel where the noise level will be reduced.
Gillian: But we’ve just unpacked! This is total disaster! The hotel is nothing like we
expected…On the website, it was advertised as a ‘luxurious seaside hideaway’ – it’s not even
close to the sea and we are in a built-up area!
Receptionist: A lot of new apartment blocks have been built around us in the last couple of
years after the photographs were taken.
Gillian: Exactly – the photographs are very misleading! It also says that the restaurant offers
‘one-of-a-kind cuisine’ with a top chef. However, our food was cold and very unappetising
yesterday evening! I want to submit an official complaint…
Receptionist: I understand your frustration, and I’m terribly sorry that you’ve had a bad
experience here in our hotel. Our goal here is to ensure customer satisfaction and we will do
everything we can to ensure that the remainder of the stay here is enjoyable. However, if you
would still like to submit an official complaint, you can collect a complaint form from me,
here at reception.
Gillian: I’ll be down now to collect it now! Goodbye…
PHRASAL VERBS
Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example sentence | Categories |
|---|---|---|---|
To run up against | To experience something difficult and unexpected. | The politicians ran up against strong opposition from the people. | Problem |
To wrestle with | To try very hard to deal with a problem or a difficult situation. | I wrestled with the decision for a few months before deciding to quit. | Problem |
To think through | To carefully consider the possible results of doing something. | I need some time think this through before making a decision. | Problem |
To knuckle down | To start working or studying harder. | He’s going to have to knuckle down if he wants to pass the course. | Problem |
To talk over | To discuss a problem or situation with someone. | We talked over the issues in the meeting before making a decision. | Problem |