Asking for Opinions

Introduction

There are many ways in English to ask for someone’s opinion on something.  Within the hospitality industry, obtaining feedback from customers and guests is a crucial way to improve service and continually make sure the guest experience you are curating is the best it can possibly be.  A robust quality assurance cycle requires robust (and grammatically correct) questions!

Gaining Insight = questioning

Gaining an insight into a guest or customer’s experience can be via email, online survey or by having a chat.  This week’s blog examines ‘be like’.

Many students know the verb ‘like’ as a way to express preference.  “I like swimming but I don’t like sailing.”  “I like the ice-cream.”  But ‘be like’ is used to ask about opinion.

How would you change the questions below, using ‘be like’?

Think!  💡💡💡

What’s your opinion on the hotel’s amenities?

What do you think about your room?

Did you like the food?

What did you think about our cocktail masterclass?

How was breakfast?

What’s your opinion on the view from your balcony?

How about your bed?

Now, let’s use ‘be like’.  I have also included some answers (A) to show how someone would respond.

✅  What were the hotel’s amenities like?

A:  Amazing!  My personal favourite was…

✅  What was your room like?

A:  Incredible!  Everything was spotless and…

✅  What was the food like?

A:  Delicious.  I especially enjoyed…

✅  What was the cocktail masterclass like?

A:  It was the best lesson in making cocktails I have ever had…

✅  What was breakfast like?

A:  Wonderful.  The variety of dishes and the quality of the food was excellent.

✅  What was the view from your balcony like?

A:  Stunning.  I have no complaints.

✅  What was your bed like?

A:  It was very comfortable, thank you.

Grammar

Remember that ‘like’ is placed after the subject.  Use the question word ‘What’.

Style

‘be like’ for asking about opinions is informal and extremely natural.  The next time you chat with a guest or customer about their experience, try to use ‘be like’.  Good luck!  🐐