Accommodation In Spanish: 30+ Best Terms To Use

Let’s begin preparing for the vacation you have been hoping to have for a long time. You may be able to book your hotel online through English websites. But what if you have an emergency that forces you to find a new place to stay? It would be best if you learned at least some basic phrases related to accommodation in Spanish and how to book a room.

Besides, while you are at the accommodation, you will need to engage in conversations with the staff regarding offered services or your needs. 

Clever tourists understand that not every place, even if it’s a touristy destination, will have English as an available and common language. Many locals will appreciate it if you make communication easier by talking to them in Spanish. 

So if you want to travel and speak with native speakers with confidence, zero misunderstandings, and no faux pas, read this guide and the complete list of key phrases for tourists. All this information will come in handy while traveling across Spain or Latin America. 

Let’s begin! 

 

Accommodation In Spanish Vocabulary

Accommodations are your safe places away from home where you can enjoy relaxing and comfortable vacations. It is a place where you need to interact with staff, ask for help, expect the best services, and enjoy your overall experience during the stay.

You need to know this essential vocabulary before arriving at your next accommodation in a Spanish-speaking country.

How To Say Accommodation In Spanish? 

The word for accommodation in Spanish is ‘Alojamiento‘ To refer to this term, you must use the male pronoun ‘el’: el alojamiento.

If you want to refer to, for instance, two hotels or more, you will say ‘los alojamientos‘ in the plural form. And if you want to talk about only one hotel, you say ‘el alojamiento‘ in the singular.

Meaning Of Alojamiento

Alojamiento‘ is the action of staying somewhere or accommodating. It is the place where people can spend the night during vacations, such as hotels or camping sites. 

The verb is ‘alojar,’ (Accommodate/To stay), such as in the following sentences: 

  • Me voy a alojar en este hotel hoy. (I will stay at this hotel today.)

This term wouldn’t be appropriate to use when referring to the place where you are living.

Origin 

Now let’s get to know the origin of these terms. As always, I love to inquire into the Spanish word’s etymology. 

Alojamiento comes from the verb’ alojar,’ which you just learned means ‘to accommodate’ or ‘to stay.’ ‘Alojar’ comes from the Catalan word ‘alotjar,’ which comes from the medieval Latin’ cobijo’ that means ‘shelter.’

In addition, the suffix ‘-miento’ indicates action and result. 

 

Common Accommodations

Now that you understand the meaning and origin of ‘alojamiento’ and are probably even able to pronounce it clearly, you can learn all the vocabulary related to accommodation in Spanish.

Let’s begin with the names of the places that can be categorized as ‘alojamientos.’

1. El hotel

hotels in spanish

English translation: Hotel 

A hotel accommodation is a building or establishment where guests or travelers are welcomed and pay to stay for one or more nights.

Although the word is very similar to the English term, the pronunciation is different. The phonetics of ‘hotel’ is o·tel. 

Sentence:

  • Quiero alojarme en un hotel frente a la playa. (I want to stay in a hotel in front of the beach.)

2. Hotel-Apartamento

English translation: Apartment hotel/Serviced flats

These sites are private apartments, but they include the services of a hotel. They can accommodate entire families and are often larger than a standard hotel room. They include a living room, dining room, kitchen, and perhaps more than one bedroom.

If you plan to travel around Spain with your family and need extra comfort and feel at home, you can choose a hotel apartment, also known as ‘aparthotel.’ An excellent benefit of this type of accommodation is that they are soundproofed and have separate exclusive areas for each family.

Sentence:

  • Tengo una suscripción de hotel-apartamento para cuando quiera ir a la playa. (I have a hotel-apartment subscription for when I want to go to the beach)

3. Los apartamentos

English translation: Apartments 

An apartment can be a rented accommodation such as an Airbnb, a vocational renting apartment. You can rent someone’s entire apartment with kitchen, rooms, bathrooms, living room, and dining room for a short or long period. 

Sentence:

  • Voy a rentar un apartamento por un mes en España. (I am going to rent an apartment for a month in Spain.)

4. El albergue

albergue spanish accommodations

English translation: Hostel

‘Albergue’ is a temporary facility that mainly provides shelter, aid, food, and security. These kinds of lodging are common after emergencies such as natural disasters. However, they can also be seen as a vocational short time accommodation.

They are facilities that provide shelter, food, shelter, and security to the victims of an emergency or disaster. The shelters must be temporary, that is, during the critical phase of the emergency.

Moreover, as you can see in the image above, in Europe, the ‘albergues para peregrinos’ (hostels for pilgrims) are common for pilgrims to spend the night safely.

Sentence:

  • No conseguí hotel y una familia local me ofreció albergue en su casa. (I couldn’t find a hotel, and a local family offered me shelter in their house.)

5. La pensión

English translation: Pension

In many Latin American countries, this term is no longer used as much as it used to be. A pension is a public accommodation much cheaper than a hotel, usually one star, where people can stay for a certain time.

If you travel through colonial cities in South America, you can see the buildings where the pensions used to be, and you can see that they were quite small and low-class places.

On the other hand, a pension or boarding house can also be known as a hostel since it provides lodging for a brief time. People often use both terms as synonyms.

The main difference between a pension and a hotel is that pensions generally do not have a communal dining room. And it is also quite different from a commercial hostel because the latter has better service quality and category.

Sentence:

  • Si viajas por un país Latinoamérica y eres mujer, no te alojes en pensiones. (If you travel through a Latin American country, and you are a woman, do not stay in pensions.) 

6. El motel

English translation: Motel

As in several other regions in Latin America, motels are seen as places to stay while on the road. They are mostly located on highways. They have fame for being a location for sexual encounters, and so in conservative Latin countries, people’s perspective regarding these kinds of accommodations is extremely negative.

They are places where clients can even arrive anonymously by having an exclusive parking lot for their room. So, they do not need to go through a lobby or see anyone.

They are very discreet and often even feel clandestine. In addition, as part of the service, food, drinks, and condoms are offered.

It is not where someone would decide to spend a night as accommodation instead of a hotel.

These places are less luxurious than a hotel intended for couples, with better services, and without so much secrecy.

Sentence: 

  • Tuve que alojarme en un motel que encontré en el camino. (I had to stay in a motel that I found on the way.)

7. El hostel

hostal accommodations in spanish language

English translation: Lodging house

A hostel is a cheap place that can be used for students who need a place to stay for a long time. They often have shared amenities and spaces, such as a kitchen and a lounge.

The accommodation in a hostel can be private or shared. It is pretty common to book only a bed in a shared bedroom with many other people. Sometimes you can find hostels that divide rooms between men and women or mixed.

It is one of my favorite accommodations as you can socialize and meet so many interesting people with many stories to share.

Sentence:

  • Me gusta alojarme en hosteles para conocer otros viajeros. (I like to stay in hostels to meet other travelers.)

8. El hostal/Hostal Residencia

English translation: Guesthouse/Boarding house

A hostal or guesthouse may seem to be the same as a hostel, but they are quite different. The hostel usually offers a private room, which means you are paying for a bigger space, not only a bed in a shared room. You can compare it with a B&B (Bead and breakfast), a place with a kitchen where many of you can prepare your breakfast, share communal areas with other tourists, and have a private room. It can be a room with a shared or private bathroom.

Sentence:

  • En Japón me alojé en un hostal donde ofrecen clases de cocina. (In Japan I stayed in a hostel where they offer cooking classes.)

9. La autocaravana/Remolque

spain caravana circus hotel accommodation in spanish

English translation: Motor home/Camper 

The term ‘auto’ means ‘car,’ and ‘caravana’ means caravan. 

In Spain, motor home hotels are becoming quite popular. It is undoubtedly an original concept, ideal for those who want to feel on the road to adventure. If you are traveling but do not own a camper, you can go to an ‘autocaravana’ hotel where you can experience sleeping in a motor home. 

My favorite one in Spain is the themed Hotel Raluy, located in a circus! You will not only sleep in the camper but also meet the circus artists.

Sentence: 

  • Si quieres sentirte cerca de la naturaleza debes alojarte en una autocaravana. (If you want to feel close to nature, you should stay in a motorhome.)

More Places To Stay At In Spain

EnglishSpanishSound
CampingCamping
TentLa tienda de campaña
Rural houses Casas Rurales 
ResortResort
CruiseCrucero

Even transportation such as a cruise can be accommodation!

 

Basic Rooms & Parts Of Accommodations

If you have already read the article about rooms of a house in Spanish, you will be familiar with some of the following words. However, the accommodation has other kinds of rooms that you should learn about.

EnglishSpanishSound
BuffetEl buffet
BathEl baño
BookshopLa librería
Convenience storeLa tienda de conveniencia 
CafeteriaLa cafetería
Dining roomEl comedor
GymEl gimnasio
Game roomLa sala de juegos
KitchenLa cocina
Living roomLa sala 
LobbyEl Lobby
The double roomLa habitación doble
The single roomLa habitación individual  
RestaurantEl restaurante
Swimming poolLa piscina
StairsLa escalera
SpaEl spa
The receptionLa recepción
The parking lotEl estacionamiento
The elevatorEl ascensor 
YardEl jardín

 

A Survival Kit! Phrases For Tourists

It’s time to learn some Spanish key phrases that will be your ticket to effective communication with the staff at your accommodation.

Phrases To Use For Booking Accommodation In Spanish

  • Quiero reservar alojamiento por favor. (I would like to book accommodation, please.)
  • ¿Tiene usted habitaciones disponibles? (Do you have rooms available?)
  • ¿Quedan habitaciones libres en el hostal? (Are there any free rooms in the hostel?)
  • ¿Hay lugar para dos personas en el hostel? (Is there room for two people in the hostel?)
  • ¿El hotel tiene comodidades para gente con disabilidad? (Does the hotel have facilities for people with disabilities?)
  • Quisiera reservar una habitación individual para cinco noches, por favor. (I would like to book a single room for five nights please.)
  • ¿Podemos llegar a un acuerdo para la cancelación de mi reserva? (Can we reach an agreement to cancel my reservation?)
  • ¿Cuáles servicios ofrece su hotel? (What services does your hotel offer?)
  • Necesito reservar una habitación doble en Londres. (I need to book a double room in London.)
  • ¿Tiene desayuno incluído? (Do you have breakfast included?)
  • ¿Cuánto cuesta la estadía por noche? (How much is the stay per night?)
  • Perdón por llegar trade, tengo reservada una habitación. (Excuse me for arriving trade, I have reserved a room.)
  • ¿Me puede preparar la cuenta por favor? (Could you get my bill ready please?)
  • ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta de crédito? (I can pay with credit card?)
  • ¿Me puede traer más toallas, por favor? (Can I have more towels, please?)
  • ¿Me puede ayudar a pedir un taxi para el aeropuerto, por favor? (Can you help me order a taxi to the airport, please?)

Besides these phrases, you would want to learn alternatives to say thank youyou are welcome, and greetings in Spanish to make sure you are engaging with the locals appropriately.

Phrases To Talk About Accommodation 

  • ¿Podría llevar mi equipaje a mi habitación? (Could you take my luggage to my room?)
  • ¿Cómo puedo pedir comida a mi habitación? (How can I order food to my room?)
  • ¿Me podría dar un mapa de la ciudad?  (Could you give me a map of the city?)
  • Mi televisión no funciona.  (My television doesn’t work.)
  • ¿Podría arreglar mi habitación, por favor?  (Could you fix my room please?)
  • ¿Dónde está la caja fuerte? (Where is the safe?)
  • ¿Me podría traer papel higiénico? (Could you bring me toilet paper?)
  • ¿Dónde puedo parquear mi auto?  (Where can I park my car?)
  • ¿Sabe dónde puedo encontrar una tienda cerca?  (Do you know where I can find a store near me?)
  • ¿Le puedo encargar la llave de mi habitación?  (Can I give you the key to my room?)
  • ¿Me puede recomendar alojamiento parecido en la siguiente ciudad a la que viajaré? (Can you recommend similar accommodation in the next city I will travel to?)

 

Ready To Start Learning Spanish? 

Spanish is a flowing and beautiful language, described as a pleasant romance language by many. Learning this language is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the rich Latin American culture and get familiar with Spain. Once you understand other people’s cultures, you can create much stronger bonds with them and eventually become fluent in how they communicate with each other. 

If you plan to visit a Hispanic country, you will require some basic Spanish vocabulary to get by during the first days. After that, you will naturally grasp more and more skills until you become fluent. But for that, you must be constant, speak with the locals, and practice daily. 

Learn Spanish Ling App

Ling App is the perfect compassion for your trip if your ideal way of studying a language is by immersion and spaced repetition. Take the app with you whenever you go, even when you decide to go camping, and choose a caravana hotel as accommodation. With Ling, you can learn even when there is no Wi-Fi signal! Download the content to your phone ¡y listo! (That’s it!). 

Fun and engaging lessons and quizzes will keep you hooked from the beginning to the end, making you complete 50 lessons that cover grammar rules, sentence structure, reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Ling will teach you everything you have to know to be prepared for talking with your Spanish-speaking friends, family, colleagues, or even staff at a hotel. 

Are you ready to try it out?

Your goal of achieving Spanish fluency is just a click away! Start learning Spanish with Ling App now. 

Download the app from App Store or Play Store

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