Thai hotel phrases

Hotel staff in tourist areas often speak English, but a few Thai phrases make check-in warmer and help a lot in guesthouses, homestays and condo buildings. Ask มีห้องว่างไหมmii hâwng wâang mǎi ("any rooms free?") or say จองไว้แล้วjawng wái láew ("I've booked"). The question every guest asks is รหัสไวไฟอะไรrá-hàt wai-fai à-rai, "what's the Wi-Fi password?"

When something breaks, the key word is เสียsǐa, broken: แอร์เสียae sǐa (the air-con is broken). For hot water that won't come, say น้ำร้อนไม่ออกnáam ráwn mâi àwk. Add ช่วยดูให้หน่อยchûay duu hâi nàwy ("could you take a look?") and someone will come up.

If you rent a condo, you'll deal with the building office (นิติní-dtì, short for "juristic person") for parcels, key cards and repairs, and with a security guard you'll greet every day. A smile and a สวัสดีsà-wàt-dii go a long way.