ahotelinitaly.com blog

Top among the questions we get asked by non-UK guests looking for Italian hotel rooms on ahotelinitaly.com is ‘what the heck is an en suite’ and ‘why is the first floor on the second floor’. Okay, some quick clarification here for those looking to book hotel rooms in Italy but who didn’t grow up speaking British English as their first language. For some reason, the British just love to attach a French handle to an everyday object. Classy? Exotic? Who knows. But for this reason a dead end street becomes a ‘cul de sac’ (not a phrase the French would ever use) and a bathroom that leads off your bedroom becomes an ‘en suite bathroom’ or simply ‘en suite’ (often also written ensuite). So ‘Italian hotel rooms en suite’ for example simply means you get your own private bathroom and don’t have to share. Ah, on the delicate subject of bathrooms. To a Brit, a bathroom is a place with a bath in it, we call the room with a WC ‘a toilet’ … many other English speakers don’t. So if your Italian hotel room is advertised ‘with bathroom’ don’t automatically assume it has a bath … or a tub if you’re an American.

Confused yet? If not let’s briefly touch on the first floor. Italian hotel room on the first floor to an American means at ground level. To a Briton, the first floor of the hotel is the ‘first floor up’. He will call the ground level floor ‘the ground floor’. Italian hotels will sometimes adopt British English conventions, in other cases they’ll use American English. As ever, when on holiday in Italy (or anywhere far from home), smile, laugh, be patient … but don’t get cross. You’re on holiday (sorry vacation) after all.

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