Accommodation in French covers all the words and phrases you need to talk about places where you stay while traveling, such as hotels, hostels, apartments, and more. It includes vocabulary for booking, checking in and out, describing your room, and dealing with any issues during your stay.
- French accommodation) spans hotels, hostels, B&Bs, and vacation rentals.
- Key phrases cover reservation (réservation), check-in (enregistrement), room service (service en chambre), and more.
- Knowing this vocabulary helps travelers manage their lodging confidently and comfortably.
Hotels, boats, and even ice sculptures can all be used as accommodation—depending on the context!
Réservation (booking), arrivée (arrival), and départ (departure) are key terms for hotel reservations.
Types of Accommodation
Hotels, hostels, B&Bs, and apartment rentals are common accommodation types.
- Hotel (hôtel): A commercial establishment offering lodging, meals, and other services.
- Hostel (auberge de jeunesse): Budget accommodation, often with shared rooms.
- Bed and Breakfast (chambre d'hôtes): A private home offering overnight accommodation and breakfast.
- Vacation Rental (location de vacances): A property rented out for short-term stays.
- Guesthouse (pension): Similar to a B&B, usually offering more meals.
- Camping (camping): Accommodation in tents, caravans, or camper vans.
'Hôtel', 'auberge de jeunesse', 'chambre d'hôtes', and 'location de vacances' are all types of accommodation in French.
The French word for 'hostel' is 'auberge de jeunesse'.
Exercise: Match these French terms with their English equivalents: hôtel, auberge de jeunesse, chambre d'hôtes, location de vacances, pension.
Booking and Reservation
Making a reservation:
- To book: Réserver
- Reservation: Réservation
- Booking confirmation: Confirmation de réservation
- To cancel: Annuler
- Deposit: Acompte
Essential information for booking:
- Room: Chambre
- Single room: Chambre simple
- Double room: Chambre double
- Suite: Suite
- Available: Disponible
- Price: Prix
When you arrive:
- Check-in: Enregistrement
- Check-out: Départ
- Reception: Réception
- Key: Clé
At hotel reception, you'll hear 'enregistrement' (check-in), 'réception', and 'clé' (key).
'Réservation' means reservation or booking.
Exercise: Use the vocabulary to role-play a hotel check-in conversation in French.
Staying at the Accommodation
During your stay, these terms and phrases can be very helpful:
- Room service: Service en chambre
- Housekeeping: Service de ménage
- Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi
- Breakfast included: Petit déjeuner compris
- Air conditioning: Climatisation
- Elevator: Ascenseur
- Laundry service: Service de blanchisserie
- Can I have...: Puis-je avoir...
- Is there...: Y a-t-il...
If you need something or there is a problem:
- I need...: J'ai besoin de...
- There is a problem: Il y a un problème
- Could you...: Pourriez-vous...
- Extra towel: Serviette supplémentaire
- More pillows: Plus d'oreillers
To request something, use 'Puis-je avoir...', 'J'ai besoin de...', or 'Pourriez-vous...'.
The correct term for 'room service' is 'service en chambre'.
Exercise: Write a short dialogue in French between a guest who needs extra towels and a hotel receptionist.
Checking Out
When it’s time to leave, these terms come in handy:
- Check-out: Départ
- To check out: Faire le départ / Libérer la chambre
- Invoice / Bill: Facture
- To pay: Payer
- Receipt: Reçu
- Luggage storage: Consigne à bagages
- Could we have the bill?: Pourrions-nous avoir la facture?
'Faire le départ' and 'Pourrions-nous avoir la facture?' are useful for checking out.
'Facture' means bill or invoice.
Exercise: Imagine you are checking out of a hotel in France. What would you say to request your bill and confirm your payment?
Conclusion
French accommodation vocabulary lets you navigate travel lodging situations smoothly—from booking to check-out.
- Types include hôtel, auberge de jeunesse, chambre d'hôtes.
- Key verbs: réserver, enregistrer, annuler.
- Handy phrases cover requests (Puis-je avoir...), problems (Il y a un problème), and departures (faire le départ).
'Location de vacances' means vacation rental.
A guesthouse is called a 'pension' in French.
You need to know 'réservation', 'prix', 'disponibilité', and 'type de chambre'.
Check-in is 'enregistrement' and check-out is 'départ'.
To ask for something: 'Puis-je avoir...', 'J'ai besoin de...', 'Pourriez-vous...'.