Name: Real-Life English Conversations with Podcasts | Episode 003 Elementary | Hotel Upgrade
Uploaded: 2026-02-22T13:08:13.000Z
Duration: 9 min
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Hello English learners and welcome to EnglishPod.

Amira and I are here today with an interesting lesson about a hotel situation.

Amira, why don't you give us a little bit more information?

Well, the situation is taking place in a hotel and someone is checking in and is obtaining an upgrade.

Why don't we listen to the dialogue and then we'll come back and explain all this vocabulary.

I have a reservation under the name Anthony Roberts.

Oh, Mr. Roberts, we've been expecting you.

And here is your key card to the presidential suite.

Yeah, here, this is my confirmation number.

You're right, Mr. Roberts, there seems to be a mix up.

Unfortunately we're overbooked at the moment.

We're pleased to offer you a complimentary upgrade.

Yeah, the guy is really excited that he's gonna get the presidential suite.

Yes, there's some interesting phrases and vocabulary items here and I know, Marco, you want to talk about some of them, right?

And this is really useful for all of our listeners who travel a lot.

So before we explain this phrase, let's listen to some examples on how it is used in other situations.

And, and then we'll come back and give you more information.

My secretary made a reservation under my name.

I'm sorry sir, I don't have a reservation under that name.

Do you have a reservation under the name Smith?

Alright, some really good examples there on how we could use this phrase in other situations.

But just in case, let me explain it real fast.

Under the name means that when you go to the restaurant or a hotel and you tell them your name, they know that you are the person that they have been expecting.

Yes, well I have chosen another useful phrase for you and it is mix up.

Before we talk about this phrase, let's listen to some examples of how it is used.

There was a mix up at the airport and my bags were sent to Antarctica.

I'm sorry sir, there's been a terrible mix up.

So a mix up is a confusion or a misunderstanding.

Okay, the next word that we should take a look at is overbooked.

So if a hotel or a flight is overbooked, it means that they are full.

There's so many other situations where you can use this word or hear it from other native English speakers.

For example, a bus or a train can be overbooked.

Okay, let's take a look at the last phrase for today.

So this means that, for example, when the hotel is overbooked and all of their standard rooms are full, they will give you a better room, a more expensive room, but

This also happens sometimes if you're lucky on airplane flights.

So if you are in economy class and an airplane, but

for some reason it's overbooked, they will move you to business class or first class for free.

I have a similar story, but I'm not going to tell you about it now.

For now, let's go and listen to the dialogue one more time.

And when we come back, we'll talk some more.