英語(yǔ)播客 A Cup of English The Hotel of Choice.

Because it is Spring break, we have arranged a quick get-a-way to Seattle for a couple of days. My husband has been extremely busy at work, and hasn't even had a weekend break for a while, so I decided that it is time for us to 'get out of dodge'. He has taken this Friday off, and we are heading West. I got online yesterday and booked the hotel. What do you look for in a hotel? Location? A good rating? An available restaurant or swimming pool? These are all things to take into consideration. Because all of us are going, the location was most important to me; we don't often go to Seattle, so we should be close to downtown. The web page for this particular chain of hotels offered locations all over the city, at varying rates per night. The cheapest was in an area close to where my sister-in-law lives. Mmmm, that would be good, because we want to visit her anyway. But there wasn't a swimming pool available, and that is a priority for the kids. We could always travel a little from a different hotel to visit family. How about a decent breakfast? I have had experiences of staying in hotels that claim to serve a 'continental breakfast' which ends up being a dry pastry and a cup of coffee. If a breakfast is included, it should be substantial. Those two prerequisites limited our choice to about three out of the original list. So, I thought, what else would make our stay comfortable and pleasant? A free shuttle service to different parts of downtown. You know what it's like to drive in a big city when you don't know the streets; it can be a nightmare. A free shuttle would be soooo helpful! How about internet access. It seems to be a constant need in our lives, and so useful in so many ways. After considering this, I crossed off the least appealing hotels from the list, and ended up with, believe it or not, the same hotel we stayed in the last time we went. It has the amenities that we were after, all of them: location, a huge breakfast, a free shuttle, and internet service. I was even able to order a roll away bed, and extra towels. How convenient. I am so looking forward to our little break, especially as the hotel is just the right choice.

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary and expressions: a get-a-way, to get out of dodge, a prerequisite, access.

1. The travel agency is offering cheap weekend get-a-ways this month.

2. This place is driving me crazy! It's time to 'get out of dodge'.

3. If you want to get the position, the prerequisite is being bilingual. It is a must.

4. There is no wheel chair access to the theater, so we will go to the cinema instead.