Check-in form for Japanese tourists to prevent misunderstandings

By: A.E.L.S. (TanuTech)



A friend of mine went to New York last year and had a bad experience with a hotel. She was put into a room that was more expensive than what she'd reserved without being told about it and then charged the price for the more expensive room at checkout. I assisted her in getting a refund which took 3 months and a lot of trouble to get. The hotel claimed they had upgraded her and admitted that she should have not been charged the price for the more expensive room.

After hearing this and similar problems with hotels outside of Japan over the years, I have come to the conclusion that many of these mistakes and misunderstandings could be prevented through the use of a simple form that could be filled in by the hotel front person and given to the Japanese guest at check-in time. Putting the information in the hands of the guest at check-in time should allow even Japanese who speak little to no English to find someone who can explain their questions and give both parties time to resolve any questions or differences.

As a translation company, A.E.L.S. (TanuTech), has prepared a bilingual .pdf form available from the link at the bottom of this page that hotels, motels, B&Bs, etc. can download and print out on 8 1/2 X 11 inch letter-sized paper (it will also fit on A-4 size paper). Once printed out, copies can be made, filled in, and given to Japanese guests when they check-in. This should give the Japanese person time to ask any questions they might have (or get assistance and have someone interpret their questions) during their stay rather than being forced to fork out money at check out because the taxi's outside and they have to rush to the airport.


Disclaimer

The form mentioned above is provided free of charge and may be freely reproduced as long as the content is not changed and the copyright information left intact. A.E.L.S., Inc. will not be responsible for any problems or damages resulting from it's use.







Copyright, A.E.L.S., Inc. (Billy Hammond), 1999.