Hotel Vocabulary Essentials: Welcome to the Hotel
Your first shift at a five-star hotel throws a lot of new names, titles, and small talk at you, all at once. You don't need advanced grammar to get through it — you need the right words, ready to use the moment you meet your first colleague. Here's the full list, with exactly when and how to use each one.
When to use each greeting
| Greeting | When to Use |
|---|---|
| Good morning | Before 12:00 noon |
| Good afternoon | From 12:00 noon until it gets dark (roughly 18:00) |
| Good evening | After dark, roughly 18:00 onward |
| Hello | Any time, safe with anyone — including guests |
| Hi | Any time, but casual — only with colleagues you already know |
Use "Nice to meet you" only for the first time you meet someone — not the second meeting or the tenth.
Vocabulary List: Greetings & Basic Phrases
| English | Bahasa Indonesia |
|---|---|
| Good morning | Selamat pagi |
| Good afternoon | Selamat siang |
| Good evening | Selamat malam |
| Hello | Halo |
| Hi | Hai |
| Nice to meet you | Senang bertemu denganmu |
| How are you? | Apa kabar? |
| I'm fine, thank you | Saya baik-baik saja, terima kasih |
| My name is... | Nama saya... |
| See you later | Sampai jumpa lagi |
| Have a nice day | Semoga harimu menyenangkan |
Vocabulary List: People Around You
| English | Bahasa Indonesia |
|---|---|
| Guest | Tamu |
| Colleague | Rekan kerja |
| Supervisor | Atasan langsung |
| Manager | Manajer |
| Team | Tim |
Example sentences: "This is our supervisor." or "She is part of our team."
Vocabulary List: Places & Work Items
| English | Bahasa Indonesia |
|---|---|
| Hotel | Hotel |
| Room | Kamar |
| Floor | Lantai |
| Department | Departemen |
| Uniform | Seragam |
| Name tag | Papan nama |
| ID badge | Kartu identitas (ID badge) |
The most common self-introduction pattern: "My name is ___, I work in the Housekeeping department." One sentence, two answers — name and department.
Vocabulary List: Time & Shifts
| English | Bahasa Indonesia |
|---|---|
| Shift | Shift / giliran kerja |
| Morning | Pagi |
| Afternoon | Siang |
| Night | Malam |
Room numbers and floor numbers are always spoken as numbers, so have 1–100 solid before anything else — you'll need it for something as simple as "Room 305" or "Floor 12."
Vocabulary List: When You Don't Understand
| English | Bahasa Indonesia |
|---|---|
| Can you repeat that? | Bisakah Anda mengulanginya? |
| I don't understand | Saya tidak mengerti |
| How do you say...? | Bagaimana cara mengatakan...? |
You do not need to pretend you understood. These three phrases keep you sounding professional instead of nervous — supervisors respect a new hire who asks a clear question far more than one who stays quiet and gets the task wrong.
Practise until it's automatic
Reading this list doesn't make it ready to use. Try the short quiz below to see how ready you are for your first day.