Three London hostels, one school budget
You are in class 4B at a school in Zwolle. Your mentor, Mr Dekker, has printed three web pages about London hostels for the school trip from Thursday to Sunday (three nights). The group has 14 people: twelve students of 15 and 16, and two teachers. The school pays a maximum of €45 per person per night; anything above that must be paid by the students themselves. The coach arrives at the hostel at about 22:30 on Thursday and leaves at 07:00 on Sunday, so the group will be out of the building all day. The printouts say:
- City Rest Hostel: £36 per person per night, 8-bed dorms, breakfast £5 per person per day, reception open until 23:30, group bookings for a maximum of 10 people.
- Riverside Lodge: £40 per person per night including breakfast, groups up to 16 people, check-in from 15:00 to 22:00, £150 deposit for the group, quiet hours from 22:00.
- Backpackers Hub: £26 per person per night, breakfast included, guests must be 18 or older.
The school uses an exchange rate of £1 = €1.15.
1. Which hostel should Mr Dekker book? Use at least three figures to explain why the other two are not possible, and name the two things that must be arranged for the hostel you choose.
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Riverside Lodge.
- Backpackers Hub is out immediately: the rule is '18 or older' and twelve of the fourteen travellers are 15 or 16. Age rules are hard rules; price does not help here.
- City Rest Hostel fails twice. First, 'group bookings for a maximum of 10 people' against a group of 14. Second, it only looks cheap: £36 + £5 breakfast = £41 per person per night, and £41 × 1.15 = €47.15, which is above the €45 school limit.
- Riverside Lodge: £40 × 1.15 = €46 per person per night, including breakfast. That is only €1 over the limit, so each student pays €1 × 3 nights = €3 extra (€42 for the group). It also takes up to 16 people, so 14 fits.
Two things to arrange: (1) ask for a late check-in, because reception closes at 22:00 and the coach arrives at 22:30; (2) collect the €150 deposit and the €3 per student. Quiet hours from 22:00 mean the group must be silent on arrival.
2. A classmate says: 'City Rest is cheaper, so book that one.' Give two reasons, each with a figure, why this is wrong.
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- The price is not actually lower. City Rest is £36 per night, but breakfast is £5 extra, so the real price is £41. Riverside is £40 with breakfast included. In euros: €47.15 against €46 per person per night. Over three nights that is €3.45 per person more.
- The group size breaks a rule. City Rest takes group bookings for a maximum of 10 people and the group is 14 (twelve students plus two teachers). Splitting into 10 + 4 would mean two separate bookings, no group price and two different dorms, which the teachers cannot supervise. Riverside allows up to 16, so 14 fits in one booking.
The cheaper-looking price is a trap: always add the extras and check the numbers against the size of your group before you compare prices.
3. Write the short note (2–3 sentences in English) that Mr Dekker sends to the chosen hostel about the arrival time.
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Example:
Dear Sir or Madam, We would like to book for a group of 14 people from Thursday 10 April to Sunday 13 April. Our coach arrives at 22:30, so we cannot check in before 22:00. Could you please arrange a late check-in for us? Kind regards, Mr J. Dekker
Why this works: it gives the two facts the hostel needs (group size and arrival time), it names the problem instead of hoping the hostel will notice it, and it asks a polite question ('Could you please...'). 'Dear Sir or Madam' is correct because he does not know a name yet; signing off with 'Kind regards' is safe and neutral.