Booking a Hotel Room by Email
Write a polite email to a small hotel to book a room and ask two questions.
- Time
- 20 min
- Length
- 70-100 words
Writadia · A2 · Emails
NameClassDate
The situation
You and your family want to stay at the Seaview Hotel for two nights next month. You see this on their website:
Contact us at booking@seaviewhotel.example to book a room. Please tell us the dates and the number of guests.
Your task
Write an email to the hotel. Include:
- the dates and the number of people
- the type of room you want
- two questions (for example about breakfast, parking or the beach)
Write 70–100 words.
Writing toolkit
Open these only when you need them. Try the first draft on your own.
Plan it in steps
- Start with "Dear Sir or Madam," (you don't know the name).
- Say why you are writing in the first sentence.
- Use polite questions: "Could you tell me...?", "Is there...?"
- End with "Thank you" and "Best regards".
Useful phrases
Opening
Details
Questions
Ending
Tap a phrase to add it to your text. Gaps (…) are selected so you can type over them.
Vocabulary
- book
- reserveI'd like to book a room.
- double room
- a room for two peopleone double room
- included
- part of the priceIs breakfast included?
- guest
- a person who stays at a hotelfour guests
Model answer (76 words)
Read it after you’ve written your own version. Notice the highlighted parts. The numbers explain why they work.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I would like to book a room at the Seaview Hotel for two nights, from 14th to 16th July.1
We are a family of four: two adults and two children. We would like a family room or two double rooms next to each other.2
I have two questions. Is breakfast included in the price? Also, is there a car park at the hotel?3
Thank you for your help.
Best regards, Selin Kaya
- Reason + dates in the first sentence.
- Number of guests + room type.
- Two polite questions.
Teacher notes
Register bridge: this task prepares A2 students for formal emails at B1. Compare "I want a room" with "I would like to book a room".
Extra challenge
Write the hotel's reply confirming the booking.
Lesson plan
- 5 minWarm-up
Show the situation on the classroom screen and ask: “What would you write in this situation?” Take two or three quick answers.
- 6 minWord pool
Open “Word pool” on the classroom screen. Students make one sentence each with: book, double room, included, guest.
- 7 minModel text
Reveal the model sentence by sentence in “Model text” mode. At each sentence ask: “What job does this sentence do?” Write these phrases on the board: “I would like to book a room for ... .”, “We are a family of four.”, “We would like to arrive on ... and leave on ... .”.
- 15 minWriting
Start the timer. Students write their own text; anyone stuck can use the plan in the toolkit. (70-100 words)
- 5 minPeer review
Students swap texts and fill in the peer-review sheet.
- 2 minWrap-up
Set the extra challenge as homework.
The task’s own teacher notes give extra ideas for the warm-up and focus.
Assessment rubric
| Criterion | 4 · Excellent | 3 · Good | 2 · Developing | 1 · Beginning | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task | All the requested information is there. | One point is missing. | Several points are missing. | Little connection to the task. | |
| Organisation | Sentences in order; and, but, because used well. | Mostly in order. | Order is confusing. | Unconnected sentences. | |
| Vocabulary | Topic words used; most spelled correctly. | Simple but enough. | A lot of repetition and spelling errors. | Words do not carry the meaning. | |
| Grammar and mechanics | Capitals, full stops and basic tenses correct. | A few errors, meaning clear. | Frequent errors, meaning sometimes lost. | Hard to understand. | |
| Total | / 16 | ||||
Each criterion scores 1–4 (total 16). Use the task checklist below to tick what the student actually did.
Task checklist
- I wrote the dates and the number of people.
- I asked two questions politely.
- I started with "Dear Sir or Madam" and ended with "Best regards".
Teacher comment
Peer-review sheet
Students swap texts and give each other feedback with this sheet.
Before you finish
Before you finish
- I wrote the dates and the number of people.
- I asked two questions politely.
- I started with "Dear Sir or Madam" and ended with "Best regards".
Writadia · A2 · Emails
Assessment rubric: Booking a Hotel Room by Email
| Criterion | 4 · Excellent | 3 · Good | 2 · Developing | 1 · Beginning | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task | All the requested information is there. | One point is missing. | Several points are missing. | Little connection to the task. | |
| Organisation | Sentences in order; and, but, because used well. | Mostly in order. | Order is confusing. | Unconnected sentences. | |
| Vocabulary | Topic words used; most spelled correctly. | Simple but enough. | A lot of repetition and spelling errors. | Words do not carry the meaning. | |
| Grammar and mechanics | Capitals, full stops and basic tenses correct. | A few errors, meaning clear. | Frequent errors, meaning sometimes lost. | Hard to understand. | |
| Total | / 16 | ||||
Each criterion scores 1–4 (total 16). Use the task checklist below to tick what the student actually did.
Task checklist
- I wrote the dates and the number of people.
- I asked two questions politely.
- I started with "Dear Sir or Madam" and ended with "Best regards".
Teacher comment
Writadia · A2 · Emails
Peer-review sheet: Booking a Hotel Room by Email
WriterReviewer
Read your partner’s text carefully. Be kind and specific: say why, not just “good”.
Task checklist
| Yes | Partly | No | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I wrote the dates and the number of people. | |||
| I asked two questions politely. | |||
| I started with "Dear Sir or Madam" and ended with "Best regards". |
Questions
- Does the text give all the information asked for?
- Does every sentence start with a capital and end with a full stop?
- Did the writer use and, but or because? Copy one example.
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Writadia · A2 · Emails
Lesson plan: Booking a Hotel Room by Email
- 5 minWarm-up
Show the situation on the classroom screen and ask: “What would you write in this situation?” Take two or three quick answers.
- 6 minWord pool
Open “Word pool” on the classroom screen. Students make one sentence each with: book, double room, included, guest.
- 7 minModel text
Reveal the model sentence by sentence in “Model text” mode. At each sentence ask: “What job does this sentence do?” Write these phrases on the board: “I would like to book a room for ... .”, “We are a family of four.”, “We would like to arrive on ... and leave on ... .”.
- 15 minWriting
Start the timer. Students write their own text; anyone stuck can use the plan in the toolkit. (70-100 words)
- 5 minPeer review
Students swap texts and fill in the peer-review sheet.
- 2 minWrap-up
Set the extra challenge as homework.
The task’s own teacher notes give extra ideas for the warm-up and focus.
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