At the Hotel
Handle hotel check-in, check-out, room requests, and common complaints.
Korean hotel check-in follows international norms with a few Korean-specific touches. Bring your passport (여권) — it is required by law for foreign guests. Key vocabulary: 체크인 (check-in), 체크아웃 (check-out), 예약 (reservation), 방 (room), 키 (key), 와이파이 비밀번호 (Wi-Fi password). Standard requests: 일찍 체크인할 수 있어요? (can I check in early?), 늦은 체크아웃 가능해요? (can I do a late checkout?).
Korean hotels often have specific room types: 온돌방 (ondol, traditional heated floor with bedding rather than a Western bed) and 침대방 (bed room, Western-style). If you have a strong preference, specify when booking. For complaints: 에어컨이 안 돼요 (the AC doesn't work), 와이파이가 안 돼요 (Wi-Fi doesn't work), 너무 시끄러워요 (too noisy). Korean hotel staff are generally responsive to complaints when phrased politely, especially with -주세요 attached to your request.
-(으)로 바꿔 주세요 — Request a change
Use N+(으)로 바꿔 주세요 to ask to change or swap something. After a consonant: 으로, after a vowel or ㄹ: 로. Common in hotels when requesting a different room or item.
-아/어 주시겠어요? — Very polite request
A very polite way to make a request, more formal than -아/어 주세요. Often used when asking hotel staff for assistance. Verb stem + 아/어 주시겠어요?