Writing an Inquiry Email About Hotel Reservation (Intermediate)

Patterns for Inquiry Emails

In this question format, you are given a situation in which you attempted to complete a task but encountered a problem along the way. The issue may involve a technical error, a system problem, or human error. You are then required to write an email to the person or department in charge.

Depending on the prompt, your email should include some or all of the following elements:

• A brief introduction that maintains appropriate formality and explains the background
• A clear description of the problem you experienced
• A request for assistance or a solution
• A request for confirmation or clarification, if necessary

In real life, inquiry emails cover a wide range of situations, and the same is true in TOEFL tasks. Topics may include anything from school admissions to hotel reservations.

Maintain Formality

The level of formality in an email depends on the context and the relationship between the sender and the recipient. In general, inquiry mail is sent to stranger to you, meaning that certain level of formality should be maintained for politeness.

For this reason, avoid using casual or colloquial expressions when writing an inquiry email. A clear, polite, and neutral tone is the safest and most appropriate choice.

Practice Question

Email Prompt

You will read some information and use the information to write an email. You will have 7 minutes to write the email.

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You recently made a reservation at a hotel for an upcoming trip using the hotel’s online booking system. You selected your room type and travel dates and completed the payment process. However, you have not received a confirmation email, and you are unsure whether your reservation was successfully recorded.

You need to contact the hotel to clarify the situation.

Write an email to the hotel’s reservations department. In your email, do the following:

• Explain when and how you made the reservation.
• Describe the problem you are experiencing.
• Ask for confirmation of your reservation status.

Write as much as you can and in complete sentences.

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Your Response:
To: reservations@cityviewhotel.com
Subject: Inquiry About Reservation Confirmation

For inquiry-type questions, you are often required to mention when you took the initial action, such as making a reservation. In this case, simply stating something like “three days ago” or “earlier this week” is sufficient. Saying a month ago is usually unrealistic and can sound unnatural in this context.

Because you have only 7 minutes to complete this task, it is important to decide in advance what kinds of details you can safely assume. Having these choices prepared beforehand allows you to focus on structure and clarity, rather than wasting time deciding on minor details during the test.

Model Answer

To: reservations@cityviewhotel.com
Subject: Inquiry About Reservation Confirmation

Dear Reservations Team,

I am writing to inquire about a hotel reservation I made through your website earlier this week. I selected my room type and travel dates and completed the payment process, but I have not yet received a confirmation email. At this point, I am unsure whether my reservation was successfully recorded.

I am very much looking forward to staying at your hotel, as the location and facilities looked appealing. Could you please confirm the status of my reservation or let me know if any additional information is required?

Thank you for your assistance.

Kind regards,
Joe

Sharing Background (When and How)

For an inquiry email, it’ it’s important to begin by explaining the context of why you are writing, unless the prompt explicitly tells you otherwise. In this case, the issue occurred during a hotel room reservation.

In the model answer, the following sentence serves this purpose:

I am writing to inquire about a hotel reservation I made through your website earlier this week. I selected my room type and travel dates and completed the payment process

Describing Problem

After outlining the background of the inquiry, the next step is to clearly describe the problem you are experiencing. In this case, the issue is that you have not received a confirmation email from the hotel, which leaves the status of your reservation uncertain.

In the model email, this is expressed as follows:

but I have not yet received a confirmation email. At this point, I am unsure whether my reservation was successfully recorded.

This sentences work well because they state the problem directly and explain the consequence. You are not simply saying that the email is missing; you are clarifying why that matters. This kind of explanation is important in inquiry emails, because it helps the recipient understand what needs to be checked or resolved.

Suggestion (Requesting Confirmation)

In the final part of an inquiry email, you are required to ask for confirmation from the reservation team. While it is possible to make this request immediately after describing the problem, adding a brief reason before the request helps maintain a polite and formal tone.

In the model email, the request appears at the end and is phrased as follows:

I am very much looking forward to staying at your hotel, as the location and facilities looked appealing. Could you please confirm the status of my reservation or let me know if any additional information is required?

The first sentence works as a cushion, softening the request that follows. Instead of sounding demanding or impatient, the email communicates interest and goodwill before asking for confirmation.

Using this kind of cushioning expression is important in TOEFL Writing Part 2. Direct, blunt, or aggressive requests are considered inappropriate, even when the situation involves a problem. Maintaining a polite and professional tone throughout the email helps ensure a higher score.