German for Beginners: How to Reserve a Hotel Room
Learn to reserve a hotel room in German: say 'I'd like to book a room for two nights,' name room types, and give dates and guest numbers politely with 'ich möchte' and 'für.'
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn to reserve a hotel room in German by phone, email or in person. You will practise the key sentence Ich möchte ein Zimmer für zwei Nächte buchen ('I'd like to book a room for two nights'), name common room types, and give your dates and the number of guests. The focus is the reservation itself, not check-in, so you will use polite request forms with ich möchte and the verb buchen. German nouns are always capitalised, and every noun has a grammatical gender: der, die or das. Learn each room word together with its article, because the article affects the words around it.
By the end, you can…
- say 'I'd like to book a room for two nights' in German.
- name common room types such as Einzelzimmer, Doppelzimmer and Zweibettzimmer.
- give arrival and departure dates and the number of guests.
- ask politely whether a room is available and understand a simple answer.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Ich möchte ein Zimmer für zwei Nächte buchen.
I'd like to book a room for two nights.
ikh MÖKH-tuh ine TSIM-mer fewr tsvai NESH-tuh BOO-khen
The standard polite way to start a reservation. Ich möchte is softer than ich will ('I want'). Use it in person, on the phone or in an email.
Haben Sie ein Doppelzimmer frei?
Do you have a double room available?
HAH-ben zee ine DOP-pel-tsim-mer fry
Doppelzimmer means a room with one double bed. Frei here means 'available', not 'free of charge'. Use Sie with hotel staff you do not know.
Ich brauche ein Einzelzimmer vom dritten bis zum fünften Mai.
I need a single room from the third to the fifth of May.
ikh BROW-khuh ine INE-tsel-tsim-mer fom DRIT-ten bis tsum FÜNF-ten mai
Use vom ... bis zum ... for a date range. Months are often written with a number plus a dot, for example 3. Mai, said der dritte Mai.
Wir sind zwei Personen.
We are two people.
veer zint tsvai per-ZOH-nen
Give the number of guests after the room type. For one guest you can say Ich bin eine Person, or simply mention the room type.
Was kostet das Zimmer pro Nacht?
How much does the room cost per night?
vas KOS-tet das TSIM-mer pro nakht
A direct but polite price question. You can also ask Ist der Preis mit Frühstück? ('Is the price with breakfast?').
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is Ich möchte ... buchen. Put the thing you want after möchte, then buchen at the end: Ich möchte ein Zimmer buchen. To add the length of stay, use für plus the accusative: für eine Nacht, für zwei Nächte, für drei Nächte. Notice that Nacht becomes Nächte in the plural, with an umlaut and -e. For dates, use vom ersten bis zum dritten Juni. The words ersten and dritten are ordinal numbers and take an ending after vom and zum.
When to use it
Use Ich möchte when you make a polite request, and Ich brauche when you state a need more directly: Ich brauche ein Zimmer für eine Nacht. With hotel staff you do not know, use the polite Sie form: Haben Sie ein Zimmer frei? In a more casual hostel or with friends, du is possible, but in hotels Sie is the safe choice. If you are not sure about the room type, ask Was empfehlen Sie? ('What do you recommend?'). For email reservations, the same phrases work; add Guten Tag at the start and Mit freundlichen Grüßen at the end.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Guten Tag, ich möchte ein Zimmer für zwei Nächte buchen.
Hello, I'd like to book a room for two nights.GOO-ten tahk, ikh MÖKH-tuh ine TSIM-mer fewr tsvai NESH-tuh BOO-khenGerne. Ein Einzelzimmer oder ein Doppelzimmer?
Certainly. A single room or a double room?GER-nuh. ine INE-tsel-tsim-mer OH-der ine DOP-pel-tsim-merEin Doppelzimmer, bitte. Vom dritten bis zum fünften Mai.
A double room, please. From the third to the fifth of May.ine DOP-pel-tsim-mer, BIT-tuh. fom DRIT-ten bis tsum FÜNF-ten maiDas geht. Das Zimmer kostet neunzig Euro pro Nacht.
That works. The room costs ninety euros per night.das gayt. das TSIM-mer KOS-tet NOYN-tsikh OY-ro pro nakhtA little context goes a long way
In German-speaking countries, hotel staff usually expect the polite Sie form, and using Herr or Frau plus a surname is common in emails. Prices are often quoted per room per night, not per person, and breakfast may or may not be included, so ask Ist das Frühstück inklusive? In Austria, a room with two separate beds is often called ein Zweibettzimmer, while a Doppelzimmer usually has one double bed; usage can vary by hotel, so it is worth confirming. In Switzerland, the polite form is also Sie, but some everyday words and spellings differ, for example no ß in Swiss Standard German.
One thing to watch for
Using ich will instead of ich möchte: Ich will ein Zimmer buchen.
Try this instead: Ich will can sound demanding or childish in a service situation. Use Ich möchte ein Zimmer buchen or, very politely, Ich würde gerne ein Zimmer buchen. Ich möchte keeps the request friendly and is the standard choice for reservations.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I'd like to book a room for two nights' in German?
Show a sample answer
Ich möchte ein Zimmer für zwei Nächte buchen.
This uses the polite ich möchte, the accusative ein Zimmer, and für zwei Nächte for the duration. You can also say Ich möchte für zwei Nächte ein Zimmer buchen; both are correct.
2Which German word means a room with one double bed, and which means a room with two separate beds?
Show a sample answer
Doppelzimmer means a room with one double bed; Zweibettzimmer means a room with two separate beds.
Doppelzimmer is the standard term for a double room. Zweibettzimmer is common in Austria and Germany for two single beds. In some hotels, Doppelzimmer may also have two beds, so ask if you need to be sure.
3How do you ask whether a double room is available, using the polite Sie form?
Show a sample answer
Haben Sie ein Doppelzimmer frei?
Haben Sie ... frei? is the standard polite availability question. Frei means 'available' here. You can also ask Ist ein Doppelzimmer frei? or Haben Sie noch ein Doppelzimmer?
Start every hotel reservation with Ich möchte ... buchen, add für plus the number of nights, and use the polite Sie form with staff. Learn each room word with its article: das Einzelzimmer, das Doppelzimmer, das Zweibettzimmer.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s German into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr