Correcting a booking date
Read a hotel email exchange about a wrong booking date. Practise checking arrival and departure details with B1 vocabulary and five questions.
Noura was planning a short trip with her cousin. Their train would reach the town on 5 May, and they would leave on 7 May. When she read the hotel confirmation, however, it showed arrival on 6 May and departure on 7 May: only one night.
She began an email with “Please move my booking back one day.” Then she stopped. That could mean moving the whole stay, including the departure date. She wanted to add the missing first night, not leave earlier.
She wrote a more precise message: “My booking reference is K84, for one room for two guests. The confirmation says 6 to 7 May, but we need to arrive on 5 May and leave on 7 May. Is the room also available on 5 May? Please keep our departure date and send an updated confirmation.”
The hotel replied that afternoon. “We can add the first night. Your booking is now for two nights, with arrival on 5 May and departure on 7 May. The room and number of guests are unchanged. Your reference is still K84. This confirmation replaces the earlier one.”
Noura checked both dates and the number of nights before saving the new message. She sent it to her cousin, who had already saved the old one. Now they both had the same corrected details for their trip.
Words to take with you
- confirmation
- a message showing that an arrangement has been madeThe course confirmation arrived in my email this morning.
- arrival
- the act or time of reaching a placePlease tell us your arrival time before you travel.
- departure
- the act or time of leaving a placeWe packed our bags on the evening before our departure.
- reference
- a code used to find a particular booking or recordI gave the travel office my reference so they could find my ticket.
- available
- free and ready for someone to useA meeting room is available on the second floor.
- replaces
- takes the place of something that was used beforeThis new timetable replaces the one beside the door.
Check your understanding
Choose an answer, then check each question.
Use your English
Imagine your room confirmation shows arrival on 12 June and departure on 14 June, but you need 12 to 15 June. Write a short message with both correct dates and ask for an updated confirmation.
Say your answer aloud or write two or three sentences.