La reserva que apareció de inmediato
The reservation that appeared right away
1 · Spanish Story
La historia
Tomás llegó al hotel el jueves por la tarde, con la chaqueta mojada y el computador en la mochila. Afuera llovía fuerte y el centro estaba más lento de lo normal. Había reservado una habitación para una noche, porque al día siguiente tenía una reunión importante. En recepción, la empleada revisó la pantalla dos veces, pero no pudieron encontrar la reserva. Tomás se puso inquieto, porque su celular tenía poca batería y todavía debía avisarle a su jefa que ya había llegado.
Entonces explicó que la reserva estaba a nombre de la empresa y que Camila, una compañera, había hecho el trámite por correo. La empleada buscó otra vez y al fin la encontró. Después apareció otro problema. La boleta salía a su nombre, pero Tomás necesitaba que quedara con los datos de la empresa, porque después le reembolsaban solo si todo estaba correcto. La recepcionista dijo que lo podía arreglar, aunque el sistema estaba lento y ella no quería prometer algo que no pudiera cumplir.
Tomás subió con la maleta y abrió la ventana para respirar un poco. Desde ahí escuchó ruido del ascensor y pasos en el pasillo. Cerró los ojos y pensó que quizá no iba a descansar bien. Ya estaba cansado y no quería empezar el viaje con mal humor. Llamó a recepción desde el teléfono del cuarto y preguntó si había otra opción. Necesitaba dormir de verdad, así que pidió una solución clara.
La recepcionista le explicó que había una habitación más silenciosa, pero todavía no estaba lista. Tomás aceptó esperar unos minutos. Poco después, ella volvió a llamarlo y le dijo que se había liberado un cuarto por una cancelación. Le hicieron el cambio al tiro y también corrigieron la boleta. Tomás se quedó mirando el papel, sorprendido. No esperaba que resolvieran todo tan rápido ni que además confirmaran el desayuno sin costo extra.
A la mañana siguiente, Tomás bajó temprano al comedor. El desayuno era simple, pero estaba bien servido. Comió tranquilo, revisó el correo en su celular y guardó la boleta en una carpeta. Después tomó la micro hacia la reunión, ya sin apuro. Pensó que el hotel no era perfecto, pero el trato había sido bueno y la solución, rápida. Antes de entrar al edificio, le escribió a Camila para agradecerle y le dijo que, para un viaje corto, sí lo recomendaría.
2 · Key Phrases
Language to keep
no pudieron encontrar la reserva
could not find the reservationUse this when a booking is missing in the system or cannot be located.
En el mostrador no pudieron encontrar la reserva y llamaron a la oficina.
At the desk, they could not find the reservation and called the office.
a nombre de la empresa
under the company's nameUse this when a reservation, bill, or account is registered to a company.
La factura quedó a nombre de la empresa.
The invoice was made out to the company.
ruido del ascensor
elevator noiseIt refers to noise coming from the elevator area.
Dormí mal por el ruido del ascensor toda la noche.
I slept badly because of the elevator noise all night.
Le hicieron el cambio al tiro
They made the change right awayUse it for something done immediately, without delay.
Usage: Conversational; common in relaxed speech. This phrase is common in Chile and means “right away.” It is informal.
Vieron el error y le hicieron el cambio al tiro.
They saw the mistake and made the change right away.
sin costo extra
without extra costIt means nothing more was charged.
Nos dieron agua sin costo extra.
They gave us water without extra cost.
tomó la micro
took the busIn Chile, this refers to taking a city bus.
Usage: Conversational; common in relaxed speech. In Chile, micro means a city bus. This phrase is common in everyday speech.
Para ir al centro, tomó la micro de las ocho.
To go downtown, he took the bus at eight.
el hotel no era perfecto
the hotel was not perfectUseful when something has flaws but is still acceptable or good enough.
El hotel no era perfecto, pero la cama era cómoda.
The hotel was not perfect, but the bed was comfortable.
3 · English Translation
The full story in English
Tomás arrived at the hotel on Thursday afternoon, with his jacket wet and the computer in his backpack. Outside, it was raining hard, and downtown was slower than normal. He had booked a room for one night because he had an important meeting the next day. At reception, the employee checked the screen twice, but they could not find the reservation. Tomás became worried because his cell phone had little battery and he still had to tell his boss that he had arrived.
Then he explained that the reservation was under the company's name and that Camila, a coworker, had handled the process by email. The employee searched again and finally found it. After that, another problem appeared. The receipt was in his name, but Tomás needed it to have the company's details, because later they reimbursed him only if everything was correct. The receptionist said she could fix it, although the system was slow and she did not want to promise something she could not keep.
Tomás went up with the suitcase and opened the window to breathe a little. From there he heard noise from the elevator and footsteps in the hallway. He closed his eyes and thought that maybe he would not rest well. He was already tired and did not want to start the trip in a bad mood. He called reception from the room phone and asked if there was another option. He needed to sleep for real, so he asked for a clear solution.
The receptionist explained that there was a quieter room, but it was not ready yet. Tomás agreed to wait a few minutes. Soon after, she called him again and told him that a room had become free because of a cancellation. She made the change right away and also corrected the receipt. Tomás stared at the paper, surprised. He had not expected them to solve everything so quickly or to also confirm breakfast without extra cost.
The next morning, Tomás went down early to the dining room. The breakfast was simple, but it was well served. He ate calmly, checked his email on his cell phone, and put the receipt in a folder. After that, he took the bus to the meeting, now without hurry. He thought that the hotel was not perfect, but the service had been good and the solution, quick. Before entering the building, he wrote to Camila to thank her and told her that, for a short trip, he would recommend it.