Chapter 17
Finding a Place to Stay
In This Chapter
Finding the best hotel for your needs
Checking in and checking out
Resolving problems you may have to deal with
Staying in a comfortable гостиница (gahs-tee-nee-tsuh) (hotel) while you travel is extremely important. If you have a nice, comfy hotel room, life will be good and you’ll probably love the country you’re in. If, however, you stay in an old, dilapidated hotel, you may feel miserable and sorry that you ever came. To make your stay in a Russian hotel more pleasurable, in this chapter we show you how to find and book the right hotel room, what to say and do when checking in, how to resolve service problems, and how to check out and pay your bill.
Finding a Hotel that’s Right for You
To ensure the hotel you’re staying in doesn’t disappoint you, make sure the room meets your needs and has the amenities you want. In the following sections, you discover different types of hotels to choose from and find out to how to make reservations in Russian.
Distinguishing different types of hotels
Two main types of hotels exist in Russia:
The more expensive, more comfortable пятизвёздoчные гостиницы (pee-tee-zvyohz-dahch-ni-ee- gahs-tee-nee-tsi) (five-star hotels)
The less expensive, less comfortable однозвёздные гостиницы (ahd-nah-zvyohzd-ni-ee gahs-tee-nee-tsi) (one-star hotels)
But don’t be surprised if one- or two-star hotels in Russia charge you as much as four- or even five-star hotels. Another Russian puzzle for you!
Russian today has two words for the English hotel:
One of them is a good old Russian word, гостиница (gahs-tee-nee-tsuh) (hotel, Literally: a place for the guests).
The other word is отель (ah-tehl’) (hotel), an offspring from the foreign word.
Although from a linguistic point of view both words are interchangeable, they’re charged with slightly different meanings. Nobody in Russia uses the word отель in reference to a little, old, shabby hotel. In this situation, the word гостиница is more appropriate. On the other hand, when speaking about luxurious four- or five-star hotels, Russians use both words interchangeably.
Making a reservation
If you’re making a reservation online, the forms that you fill out are self-explanatory. If, however, you prefer to make a reservation on the phone, you want to begin by saying
Я хотел/хотела бы забронировать номер. (ya khah-tyehl/khah-tyeh-luh bi zuh-brah-nee-rah-vuht’ noh-meer.) (I would like to make a reservation for a room.)
Use хотел if you’re a man and хотела if you’re a woman.
When they talk about hotel rooms, Russians use the word номер, which also means number. In a way it makes sense, because all rooms in a hotel have numbers!
You have to provide some important information when you make a hotel reservation on the phone. We steer you through the process in the following sections.
Saying when and how long you want to stay
After you state that you want to make a reservation on the phone, the person you’re talking to will probably ask:
На какое число? (nuh kuh-koh-ee chees-loh?) (For what date?)
To answer this very predictable question, use this formula: На (nah) (for) + the ordinal numeral indicating the date in its neuter form + the name of the month in the genitive case. (Flip to Chapter 5 for details on ordinal numbers and Chapter 3 for details on the genitive case.) For example, if you’re planning to arrive on September 15, you say
На пятнадцатое сентября (nuh peet-naht-tsuh-tah-ee seen-teeb-rya) (For September 15)
You may also be asked for the range of dates during which you want to stay in the hotel:
С какого по какое число? (s kuh-koh-vah pah kuh-koh-ee chees-loh?) (From what date to what date?)
To answer this question, use с (s) (from) + the genitive case of the ordinal number indicating the date + the genitive case of the word indicating the month + по (pah) (until) + the ordinal numeral indicating the date in its neuter form (and accusative case) + the name of the month in the genitive case. Got that? If, for example, you’re planning to stay in the hotel from June 21 to June 25, you say
С двадцать первого июня по двадцать пятое июня. (s dvaht-tsuht’ pyehr-vah-vah ee-yooh-nyeh pah dvaht-tsuht’ pya-tah-ee ee-yooh-nyeh.) (From June 21 to June 25.)
Alternately, you can simply state how many nights you plan to stay in the hotel. If you’re checking in on June 21 at 3 p.m. and leaving on June 25 at 11 a.m., you’ll be staying in the hotel четыре ночи (chee-ti-ree noh-chee) (four nights). For more info about numbers with nouns, check out Chapter 5.
Choosing your room: Double or single?
When you’re done talking about dates, you may hear
Вы хотите одноместный номер или двух-местный номер? (vi khah-tee-tee ahd-nah-myehst-niy noh-meer ee-lee dvoohkh-myehst-niy noh-meer?) (Do you want a single or double accommodation?)
Most rooms in hotels are either одноместные (ahd-nah-myehst-ni-ee) (single accommodation) or двухместные (dvoohkh-myehst-ni-ee) (double accommodation). If you have a third person, such as a child, you may get a раскладушка (ruhs-kluh-doohsh-kuh) (cot). And if you’re the happy parent of two kids, you probably want to spring for an extra room.
In a Russian hotel room, you won’t find king- or queen-sized beds, only односпальные (ahd-nah-spahl’-ni-ee) (twins) or двуспальные (dvooh-spahl’-ni-ee) (doubles).
Asking about amenities
One very important thing you need to ask about is whether the room has a ванная (vah-nuh-yeh) (bathtub), душ (doosh) (shower), or even a туалет (tooh-uh-lyeht) (toilet). In an inexpensive hotel in a small provincial city, showers and toilets may be located на этаже (nuh eh-tuh-zheh) (on the floor) rather than в номере (v noh-mee-ree) (in the hotel room). To avoid any disappointments, you can ask
В номере есть ванная, душ и туалет? (v noh-mee-ree yehst’ vah-nuh-yeh doohsh ee tooh-uh-lyeht?) (Is there a bathtub, shower, and toilet in the room?)
Note that although the word туалет best translates as toilet, it really refers to the room in which a toilet is found. The actual toilet itself is called an унитаз (ooh-nee-tahs).
Understanding how much your room is going to cost you
Certainly an important question to ask is
Сколько стоит номер? (skohl’-kah stoh-eet noh-meer?) (How much is the room?)
If the hotel you’re calling has a number of vacancies, chances are the rates may be different for different rooms. If this is the case, you may hear something like this:
Есть номера за семьдесят евро, за восемьдесят евро, за сто евро. (yehst’ nah-mee-rah zuh syehm’-dee-syeht yehv-rah, zuh voh-seem’-dee- syeht yehv-rah, zuh stoh yehv-rah.) (There are rooms for 70 euros, for 80 euros, for 100 euros.)
When you decide which room you want, express it like this:
Я возьму номер за восемьдесят евро. (ya vahz’-mooh noh-meer zuh voh-seem-dee- syeht yehv-rah.) (I will take a room for 80 euros.)
You may also want to inquire whether this amount includes breakfast:
Это включает завтрак? (eh-tah fklyooh-chah-eet zahf-truhk?) (Does it include breakfast?)
Checking In
Congratulations! You made it to your hotel. To make your check-in process as smooth as possible, in the following sections, we tell you what to say when checking in, what to expect in your room, and how to find the services you’re looking for in the hotel. We also tell you about the names of important hotel employees you may want to know.
Enduring the registration process
When you arrive at your hotel, you’re likely to be greeted by a швейцар (shveey-tsahr) (doorman) and a носильщик (nah-seel’-scheek) (porter), especially if you’re at a nice hotel.
Look for a sign with the word регистрация (ree-gee-strah-tsee-yeh) (check-in). That’s where you report upon your arrival. Simply say
У меня забронирован номер. (ooh mee-nya zuh-brah-nee-rah-vuhn noh-meer.) (I made a reservation for a room today; Literally: I have a room reserved.)
Expect to be asked for your name:
Как ваша фамилия? (kahk vah-shuh fuh-mee-lee-yeh.) (What is your last name?)
Keep your passport ready — you need it for registration. To ask for your passport, the регистратор (ree-gee-strah-tahr) (receptionist) says Ваш паспорт (vahsh pahs-pahrt) (Your passport).
Beware: Your driver’s license (be it Russian or foreign) isn’t a valid ID in Russia. We suggest that you carry your passport with you at all times, just in case you need ID.
The next step in registration is filling out the регистрационная карточка (ree-gee-struh-tsi-oh-nuh-yeh kahr-tahch-kuh) (registration form). The регистратор may say
Заполните, пожалуйста, регистрационную карточку. (zuh-pohl-nee-tee, pah-zhahl-stuh, ree-gee-struh-tsi-ohn-nooh-yooh kahr-tahch-kooh.) (Please fill out the registration form.)
In most cases, this form requires you to provide the following information:
Имя (ee-myeh) First name)
Фамилия (fuh-mee-lee-yeh) (Last name)
Адрес (ahd-rees) (Address)
Домашний/рабочий телефон (dah-mahsh-neey/ruh-boh-cheey tee-lee-fohn) (Home/work phone number)
Срок пребывания в гостинице с . . . по . . . (srohk pree-bi-vah-nee-yeh v gahs-tee-nee-tseh s . . . pah . . .) (Period of stay in the hotel, from . . . to . . .)
Номер паспорта (noh-meer pahs-pahr-tuh) (Passport number)
Next, you’ll be asked if you have to register, a procedure that’s different from a hotel’s registration. If you’re staying in Russia for longer than 72 hours from the moment of arrival, you have to register. If you’re changing locations and your new stay is also longer than 72 hours, you have to register again, so the answer is almost always Да (dah) (Yes). Your passport will be taken by the hotel’s personnel and returned with the registration card within the next 24 hours, or you can pick it up at the registration desk. Make sure that you have a colored copy of your passport with you. Like your passport, you should carry it everywhere while your passport is being used for registration.
The beauty of staying in a hotel is that all the registration procedures are fulfilled by the hotel personnel; otherwise, you or your hosts have to do it — a very time-consuming adventure.
After you fill out all the forms and give the receptionist your passport, you receive the all-important ключ от комнаты (klyoohch aht kohm-nuh-ti) (key to your room) and your карточка гостя (kahr-tahch-kuh gohs-tyeh) or визитка (vee-zeet-kuh) (hotel guest card).
Don’t assume that your room number is related to the floor number. For example, if the номер комнаты (noh-meer kohm-nuh-ti) (room number) is 235, it doesn’t mean that the room is on the second floor; it can actually be on any floor of the hotel. Before you leave check-in, ask:
На каком этаже мой номер? (nuh kuh-kohm eh-tuh-zheh mohy noh-meer?) (On what floor is my room?)
Make sure you drop off your key with the reception desk each time you leave the hotel (and certainly pick it up when you come back). If you take your key with you, the administration of the hotel can’t be held responsible for your personal belongings if anything of value left in your room mysteriously disappears.
Never leave the hotel without your карточка гостя or визитка if you want to be let into the hotel when you come back after a long day of sightseeing. In most cases, you need to present your визитка to the security officer that most Russian hotels are staffed with today.
Taking a tour of your room
What can you expect to find in your hotel room? Most likely, you’ll see a двуспальная кровать (dvoohkh-spahl’-nuh-yeh krah-vaht’) (double bed) or an односпальная кровать (ahd-nah-spahl’-nuh-yeh krah-vaht’) (twin bed) if you have a номер на одного (noh-meer nuh ahd-nah-voh) (single room).
You may also see some or all of the following items, depending on the quality of the hotel:
торшер (tahr-shehr) (standing lamp)
тумбочки (toohm-bahch-kee) (nightstands)
письменный стол и стул (pees’-mee-niy stohl ee stoohl) (desk and chair)
шкаф (shkahf) (wardrobe)
вешалки (vyeh-shuhl-kee) (hangers)
телефон (tee-lee-fohn) (telephone)
телевизор (tee-lee-vee-zahr) (TV set)
будильник (boo-deel’-neek) (alarm clock)
телефонный справочник (tee-lee-foh-niy sprah-vahch-neek) (phone book containing hotel numbers)
If you have a bathroom in your room, you find an унитаз (ooh-nee-tahs) (toilet) and a душ (doohsh) (shower) or ванная (vah-nuh-yeh) (bathtub). Check to make sure you have полотенца (pah-lah-tyehn-tsuh) (towels). Don’t expect to see towels of various sizes in the bathroom of your hotel room. In the best-case scenario, you find two kinds of towels: a банное полотенце (bah-nah-ee puh-lah-tyehn-tseh) (bath towel) and a smaller личное полотенце (leech-noh-ee pah-lah-tyehn-tseh) (face towel).
Familiarizing yourself with the facilities
To idle away time in the hotel, you may want to explore. Here’s what you may find:
гардероб (guhr-dee-rohp) (cloak room)
почта (pohch-tuh) (post office)
сувенирный киоск (sooh-vee-neer-niy kee-ohsk) (souvenir kiosk)
камера хранения (kah-mee-ruh khruh-nyeh-nee-yeh) (storeroom)
бюро обслуживания (byooh-roh ahp-slooh-zhi-vuh-nee-yeh) (customer service)
ресторан (rees-tah-rahn) (restaurant)
бар (bahr) (bar)
To inquire where a certain service is, go to бюро обслуживания and ask the following question, substituting the service you need for the one shown here:
Скажите, пожалуйста, где камера хранения? (skuh-zhi-tee, pah-zhahl-stuh, gdyeh kah-mee-ruh khruh-nyeh-nee-yeh?) (Could you tell me where the storeroom is?)
If you aren’t staying in the hotel but are just visiting somebody or having lunch in one of the hotel bars or restaurants, leaving your coat and hat in the гардероб is customary.
Meeting the staff
Looking for a particular type of staff member? People who work in various hotel positions include the following:
администратор (uhd-mee-nee-strah-tahr) (manager, person working at the front desk, or concierge)
гардеробщик/гардеробщица (guhr-dee-rohp-sh’eek/guhr-dee-rohp-sh’ee-tsuh) (person working in the cloak room)
носильщик (nah-seel’-sh’eek) (porter)
швейцар (shveey-tsahr) (doorman)
горничная (gohr-neech-nuh-yeh) (maid)
Resolving Service Problems Successfully
Experienced travelers know that something almost always goes wrong when you stay in a foreign country. In the following sections, we show you how to resolve some of the most common problems, including reporting a broken item, asking for missing items, and requesting a room change.
Reporting a broken item
A very common problem is that something in your room doesn’t work. The key refuses to open the door, the phone is silent when you pick it up, or the shower pours only cold water on you. You need to speak to a работник (ruh-boht-neek) (employee) in бюро обслуживания (byooh-roh ahp-slooh-zhi-vuh-nee-yeh) (customer service) to get help with these problems.
To report the problem, use the phrase У меня в комнате не работает. . . . (ooh mee-nya f kohm-nuh-tee nee ruh-boh-tuh-eet) (The . . . in my room is not working), inserting the item that’s not working in the nominative case (see Chapter 3 for details on this case). If your telephone is broken, for instance, you say
У меня в комнате не работает телефон. (ooh mee-nya f kohm-nuh-tee nee ruh-boh-tuh-eet tee-lee-fohn.) (The telephone in my room is not working.)
Requesting missing items
The formula you need to know to report that something is missing is У меня в номере нет (ooh mee-nya v noh-mee-ree nyeht) (In my room I don’t have a) plus the word denoting the missing item in the genitive case. (For more information on forming the genitive case, see Chapter 3.)
Imagine that you’ve just taken a shower and are now reaching for the банное полотенце (bah-nuh-ee pah-lah-tyehn-tseh) (bath towel), only to discover you don’t have one! Shivering from cold and dripping water, you rush to the phone to call customer service. You say
У меня в номере нет банного полотенца. (ooh mee-nya v noh-mee-ree nyeht bah-nah-vah pah-lah-tyehn-tsuh.) (I don’t have a bath towel in my room.)
Other things you may want to request include
подушка (pah-doohsh-kuh) (pillow)
одеяло (ah-dee-ya-lah) (blanket)
вешалка (vyeh-shuhl-kuh) (hanger)
туалетная бумага (tooh-uh-lyeht-nuh-yeh booh-mah-guh) (toilet paper)
Asking to change rooms
To be honest, changing rooms isn’t the easiest thing to do in a Russian hotel, but as they say in Russia:
Попытка не пытка! (pah-pit-kuh nee pit-kuh) (It doesn’t hurt to try! Literally: An attempt is not a torture!)
To give it a whirl, call customer service and say
Я хотел/хотела бы поменять номер. (ya khah-tyehl/khah-tyeh-luh bi pah-mee-nyat’ noh-meer.) (I would like to change my room.)
Use хотел if you’re a man and хотела if you’re a woman. Then give some convincing reasons for wanting a room change, such as
В комнате очень шумно. (f kohm-nuh-tee oh-cheen’ shoohm-nah.) (It is very noisy in my room.)
В комнате очень холодно/жарко. (f kohm-nuh-tee oh-cheen’ khoh-lahd-nah/zhahr-kah.) (It is very cold/hot in my room.)
В комнате нет света. (f kohm-nuh-tee nyeht svyeh-tuh.) (There is no light in my room.)
Checking Out and Paying Your Bill
Your stay has come to an end, and now you have to pay. Or as Russians like to say:
Наступил час расплаты. (nuh-stooh-peel chahs ruhs-plah-ti.) (It’s time to pay; Literally: The hour of reckoning has arrived.)
In order to заплатить за гостиницу (zuh-pluh-teet’ zuh gahs-tee-nee-tsooh) (pay for your hotel stay), go to регистрация (ree-gee-strah-tsi-yeh) (check-in) and say
Я выписываюсь. Я хочу заплатить. (ya vi-pee-si-vuh-yoohs’. ya khah-chooh zuh-pluh-teet’.) (I am checking out. I want to pay for my stay.)
You may also want to ask whether the hotel takes credit cards:
Вы принимаете кредитные карточки? (vi pree-nee-mah-ee-tee kree-deet-ni-ee kahr-tahch-kee?) (Do you accept credit cards?)
If the hotel does, ask which cards it accepts:
Какие кредитные карточки вы принимаете? (kuh-kee-ee kree-deet-ni-ee kahr-tahch-kee vi pree-nee-mah-ee-tee?) (What credit cards do you take?)
See to it that everything is correct on your receipt. It may include a телефонный разговор (tee-lee-foh-niy ruhz-gah-vohr) (telephone call) you made from your room, or maybe стирка (steer-kuh) (laundry service). If you feel you’ve been overcharged for some service you didn’t use, point it out to the receptionist and politely ask
А это за что? (uh eh-tah zah shtoh?) (And what is this for?)
And don’t forget to получить квитанцию (pah-looh-cheet’ kvee-tahn-tsi-yooh) (get a receipt) before you hurry out of the hotel to catch your train or plane.
As in most hotels throughout the world, the рассчётный час (ruhs-chyoht-niy chahs) (check-out time) is полдень (pohl-deen’) (noon) or двенадцать часов дня (dvee-nahd-tsuht’ chuh-sohf dnya) (12 p.m.). So where do you put your luggage if your plane doesn’t leave until midnight? Most hotels have a камера хранения (kah-mee-ruh khruh-nyeh-nee-yeh) (storeroom).
