Hello, lovely.
I'm Maria.
And my name is Rory.
And we are the hosts of the IELTS Speaking for Success podcast.
The podcast that aims to help you improve your speaking skills as well as your listening skills along the way, and we want you to use high-quality vocabulary and gorgeous grammar in some of the most common IELTS speaking questions.
Rory is all over social media now.
Rory, are you okay?
How are you feeling?
I'm feeling great.
I'm really enjoying the social media experience.
And our podcast also has social media, Instagram, Telegram, Success with IELTS.
So you can check it out and get some updates, pictures, and also you can check out Rory's account.
Right, Rory?
Yeah.
I've forgotten what it's called!
Rory, where are you right now?
I'm staying at my partner's actually.
It's great because I'm having all of my meals made for me and it's a bit like living in a hotel, really.
What a coincidence!
We're gonna be talking about hotels today!
Our dear listener, our previous episodes were all about speaking part one.
Today, Rory's going to answer speaking part two task.
And this is a card that the examiner gives you, and you should prepare for one minute and then you can talk about it from one to two minutes.
So today Rory is gonna describe a hotel that he'd like to stay at.
Rory is gonna tell us why he'd like to stay at this particular hotel.
He's gonna tell us where the hotel is, give details of the hotel and the views from it, and he's gonna explain what makes this hotel special.
Rory, are you all ready to rock and roll and tell the world about the hotel?
I am.
Yes.
Shoot!
So I'd like to talk about the Radisson Blu Hotel.
It's located in, well actually it's a chain, but this particular hotel that they have is located in the heart of Berlin, right in the middle of the city. and I'd like to stay there because in addition to being quite luxurious this is a common feature in a lot of Radisson Bleu hotels anyway but it's got a humongous fish tank right in the middle of the lobby it's the largest one in the world and it's got over a million litres of water in it and fish from all over the world.
It's so big that they have to get divers into the tank to clean it and it just looks amazing and I'd really love to stay there.
I've not stayed there the night, but I have visited it before and I've seen like what it looks like.
For example, in the rooms you can look out over the city and enjoy the view there and you can see the sights with minimal effort because of course, everything is visible from that high up.
But the main attraction is definitely the fish tank and the cocktail bar underneath it.
So it's just nice sometimes to sit in the lobby and look up and enjoy the view of all the fish in the tank and maybe wave at the divers and if they're feeling friendly then they'll wave back.
It was particularly special because I remember seeing it in an article and I remember thinking what a great place it would be to visit and then when we went to Berlin, we were walking by and I spotted it out of the corner of my eye.
It was a great coincidence that made the holiday all the more memorable and special.
So you'd like to stay in a fish tank or in a hotel?
I'd like to stay in the hotel with the fish tank.
That was a joke.
So funny.
Rory, thank you so much.
It's okay.
Now, dear listeners, I'm going to ask Rory some speaking part three questions for him to talk about hotels in general.
Rory, what are some good hotels in your city?
Well, I suppose if we talk about Moscow, then that will probably be the Ritz or the Metropole.
I think they've got great reputations for quality service and, at the very least, their surroundings are quite nice.
What qualities make a hotel a good one?
Well, I suppose that's very subjective, but for me it's like convenience.
So is it located close to the attractions and the transport sorry, and the local transport and then the great cuisine as well, or at least a high quality menu and well-kept amenities, so toilets that are well maintained and clean all the time?
What problems do people usually have in hotels?
My guess would be... I think the thing that people complain about the most is poor service.
I think every other thing that goes wrong can be made okay. as long as the service is good.
But if the service is really bad, then no, you're not going to get away with it.
The same thing is true for the accommodation.
If the accommodation is not hygienic because you're sleeping there, if it's not very nice to sleep in, then it's gonna cause you some serious problems.
Yeah, if there are some bugs in your bed.
Yeah.
Dear listener, if you want to know which band score you can have for your IELTS speaking, you can actually take a mock speaking test with us.
Right, Rory?
Yes, you can.
If you want to find out more about the mistakes that you're frequently making, why you make them and how to improve on them.
And then also get advice on setting goals for yourself and setting aims for future development.
Then you can talk to us in a one-time consultation and get all the advice that you need.
If you're interested in this, check out the links in the description or go to our social media.
Rory, there was a nice story about the hotel.
So Radisson Blue, right?
Mm-hmm.
And you said it's a chain.
It's a chain.
Right.
A chain, like you can be wearing a chain or like restaurants, right could be a chain, a chain of restaurants, chain of hotels.
Exactly.
So it's like a group of hotels that all have the same branding and the same uniform, this kind of thing.
So, it's in the heart of Berlin, right?
Well, it just means it's in the middle of the city.
When you talk about hotels, you should use adjectives.
So, Rory has just used luxurious or luxurious, luxury.
What do you say?
Yeah, luxurious.
There are different options how you can pronounce this word, but I say luxurious.
Yeah, it's clear what you mean.
There are no words that sound similar to it, so it's all right.
But the key thing is that you're talking about something which is really expensive and expensive looking.
We can also say fancy.
Yes, very fancy and high quality.
This hotel is fancy, high quality, posh.
It is a very posh hotel.
Rory is posh.
No, I'm not.
Yeah, I knew you would start arguing.
Your favorite hotel could be affordable.
Right, you can afford this hotel.
It could be exclusive it can yeah, if only a few people can go there.
Maybe they're invited there, or maybe they just only cater to a certain type of client, like very, very rich people or very famous people.
Hotels could be expensive or pricey.
There are also boutique hotels.
You can stay in a boutique hotel.
I don't know what that means.
I hear that word a lot.
I hear the word boutique a lot, but I don't know actually what the word boutique means.
Can you tell me what that means?
You know it's like with designer furniture and a unique place, very atmospheric, with everything beautiful and pretty like some luxury items there.
It's a boutique hotel.
Why don't you just say it's fancy?
Well, it's fancy.
Yes, it is fancy.
Okay, it's fancy.
Sorted.
Rory, you've mentioned this humongous fish tank in the hotel's lobby.
First of all, what is humongous?
It's really, really big.
Yeah, it's like enormous.
Yeah.
Humongous.
And fish usually lives in a tank.
Yes.
It's called fish tank.
Can you say aquarium?
Absolutely you can, and maybe aquarium is a better way of describing this, although I always think of an aquarium as being a bit more widespread.
Anyway, regardless, it's got a lot of fish in it.
Yeah, a fish tank in the lobby, right?
We say lobby.
What kinds of fish did you see there?
Sharks and piranhas?
Not sharks, but you might see some very colorful tropical fish, for example.
Clownfish?
Clownfish?
Maybe.
I didn't look very closely.
Clownfish are very small.
Yeah, it's funny that Rory mentioned that divers had to clean it.
So divers in this fish tank, wow.
And I have also put a link in the Zoom chat for Maria to check it out.
Wow.
Oh, my God.
Whoa.
That's a fish tank?
Oh, okay, dear listeners, you have to check it out.
Please just Google it and check out the massive tank.
Whoa, the freaking diver.
It's like an elevator, like a lift.
Yeah, you can get in the lift and you can see it from the outside as well.
Okay, dear listeners, let's all go to Berlin and stay in this hotel.
And chill next to the fish tank.
Just, you know, just go there, check it out, have a margarita.
Rory, do you say stay in a hotel or stay at a hotel?
Oh, they're used interchangeably.
It's not a big deal.
What about the views?
What should we say?
Like, it overlooks or it has a view over or what?
Yeah, I think actually overlooks might be a better word.
But you can say you can look out over the city and it means the same thing.
Could you give us an example with overlook?
Yeah, for example, the view from the balcony here overlooks the street.
Yeah, overlooks the street.
You said something about, like, I remember seeing it, right?
Or I remember visiting this hotel right, so remember doing something when it actually happened.
Yes right, could you give us another example?
I remember, when we first started this podcast, how green we were.
Yeah, I remember recording our first episode.
Yes, We were green.
We were so green.
Yeah, we had no idea what we were doing, but we were having fun.
Of course we knew what we were doing.
We always know what we're doing.
Yeah, we've been preparing for ages.
Okay, you spotted something in the corner of your eye?
What out of the corner of my eye?
Yeah, so when you're walking past something and you just um, you're not focusing on it, but you see it, and then you focus on it because it looks interesting, this is out of the corner of your eye.
So Rory would like to stay in this hotel.
It's Reddison Blue.
And we are not advertising Reddison Blue in the heart of Berlin, okay?
They're not paying us.
Rory, if you stayed at this hotel, which kind of room would you like to stay in?
Oh, I think if there's a penthouse suite that's usually the one on the top floor, the biggest one, the most luxurious as well then I would like to stay there.
Yeah, all presidential, sweet.
I wonder how much it is to stay there, actually.
Yes, how much it is.
Rory's posh, so it's going to be, you know, chicken feed for him.
Sweet.
Sweet is not like something sweet, like your tea is sweet.
But sweet is a room in a hotel.
It's spelled S-U-I-T-E.
And we say a suite.
So presidential suite, for example, or a royal suite, the most expensive room in the hotel.
You can also stay in a standard room, a single double room, deluxe room, also kind of high quality deluxe room.
We also should talk about facilities.
Yeah hotels facilities, or another synonym would be Amenities.
Yes.
Do you say amenities or amenities?
Amenities.
Well, I say amenities.
I think a lot of other people say amenities.
I say amenities.
Okay.
So basically the same.
Yeah, facilities or amenities, for example a coffee maker in your room or airport shuttle service laundry, for example.
Absolutely.
Spa facilities, for example, are very important for me.
Why are they so important?
No, because I need spa.
I need massages.
I need my face massaged every day.
Fair enough.
It would be interesting to watch Rory having a massage with all this hair on his face.
I think I didn't have a shave long before then.
No massages, no spa for Rory.
Not quite.
Oh, gosh.
Okay.
Right.
We can also talk about like king-size beds, right?
Lobbies, like cocktail bars, restaurants in a hotel.
Yes.
Can a hotel be well-maintained?
Oh, definitely.
Well, if it's looked after, if people are making sure it doesn't collapse.
Poor service, right?
Or unhygienic rooms, right?
Unhygienic, like dirty, filthy.
Right, everybody, thank you very much for listening.
Now you know where to stay in Berlin.
So I'd like to talk about the Radisson Blu Hotel.
It's located in.
Well, actually it's a chain, but this particular hotel that they have is located in the heart of Berlin, right in the middle of the city, and I'd like to stay there because, in addition to being quite luxurious this is a common feature in a lot of Radisson Bleu hotels anyway but it's got a humongous fish tank right in the middle of the lobby.
It's the largest one in the world and it's got over a million litres of water in it and fish from all over the world.
It's so big that they have to get divers into the tank to clean it and it just looks amazing and I'd really love to stay there.
I've not stayed there the night, but I have visited it before and I've seen like what it looks like.
For example, in the rooms you can look out over the city and enjoy the view there and you can see the sites with minimal effort because, of course, everything is visible from that high up, but the main attraction is definitely the fish tank and the cocktail bar underneath it.
So it's just nice sometimes to sit in the lobby and look up and enjoy the view of all the fish in the tank and maybe wave at the divers and if they're feeling friendly, then they wave back.
It was particularly special because I remember seeing it in an article and I remember thinking what a great place it would be to visit and then when we went to Berlin, we were walking by and I spotted it out of the corner of my eye.
It was a great coincidence that made the holiday all the more memorable and special.
So you'd like to stay in a fish tank or in a hotel?
I'd like to stay in the hotel with the fish tank.
That was a joke.
So funny.
Rory, thank you so much.
It's okay.
Now, dear listeners, I'm going to ask Rory some speaking part three questions for him to talk about hotels in general.
Rory, what are some good hotels in your city?
Well, I suppose if we talk about Moscow, then that will probably be the Ritz or the Metropole.
I think they've got great reputations for quality service and, at the very least, their surroundings are quite nice.
What qualities make a hotel a good one?
Well, I suppose that's very subjective, but for me it's like convenience.
So is it located close to the attractions and the transport sorry, and the local transport and then the great cuisine as well, or at least a high quality menu and well kept amenities, so toilets that are well maintained and clean all the time?
What problems do people usually have in hotels?
My guess would be... I think the thing that people complain about the most is poor service.
I think every other thing that goes wrong can be made okay.
As long as the service is good.
But if the service is really bad, then no, you're not going to get away with it.
The same thing is true for the accommodation.
If the accommodation is not hygienic because you're sleeping there, if it's not very nice to sleep in, then it's going to cause you some serious problems.
Yeah, if there are some bugs in your bed.
Dear listener, we have Patreon and you can check it out and become our supporter.
Stories with Rory are going to be available only on Patreon, so do check it out.
Thank you very much for listening.
Stay only in great, lovely hotels with massive fish tanks.
Yeah.
Bye.
Bye.
