WebQuest: ¿Apartamento u hotel?

Complete these web activities to expand your knowledge of the countries and communities in the Spanish-speaking world.

Unidad 5: Ecuador: ¡Bienvenido a nuestra casa!

Many people like to stay in hotels when they travel. Others prefer to rent an apartment and stay there, especially for longer trips. What
advantages or disadvantages can you see to each? When you and your family travel, do you like to stay with friends in their homes or
stay in hotels? Why? Have you ever rented an apartment in another city while you were on vacation? What do you look for when you
book a hotel or rent a place to stay? What things do you absolutely have to have? What things don’t matter?

Task:
Imagine that your parents are planning a trip to Quito, Ecuador. Because you speak Spanish, your parents have asked you to make the
arrangements for where they will stay while they are there. The visit is a long one—three weeks during the summer—and your parents
are relying you to find them a place to stay that is comfortable, in a good location, and not too expensive.

You will discuss what kind of hotel and what kind of apartment your parents would prefer. You will identify the features that the ideal
apartment and the ideal hotel would offer. Once you have identified your goal, you will research hotels & apartments in Quito. Once
you have completed your research, you will compare your results and decide which hotel and which apartment are the best for your
parents. You will then create a brochure advertising the benefits of each.

Step 1: Analyze the task and research

Think about your parents and their living preferences. Do they need a lot of space? A little space? Do they like to cook or do they
prefer to eat out? When they travel, do they spend a lot of time in the hotel or apartment, or do they prefer to spend most of their time
out exploring? How much money are they willing to spend?

Picture the ideal hotel and apartment for your parents. As you discuss the features of each, write down your decisions in the following
chart. All descriptions should be completed en español.

APARTAMENTO

El apartamento ideal es...

El apartamento ideal está...

El apartamento ideal está en el <ordinal number> piso.

El apartamento ideal tiene...

El apartamento ideal cuesta <$$$> al mes.

Otras cosas:
 HOTEL

El hotel ideal es...

El hotel ideal está...

El hotel ideal tiene...

La habitación ideal está en el <ordinal number> piso del hotel.

La habitación ideal cuesta <$$$> al día.

Otras cosas:

Once you have finished your summary, research apartments and hotels. Look at descriptions of a number of hotels and apartments
and choose your three favorites, based on the criteria you wrote. Click on your assigned category to get your resources and worksheet.

Apartamentos
Some of the apartment listings are by individuals, so those Web sites are more minimalist and brief. Notice that some of the listings
are in Spanish and refer to departamentos, not apartamentos. This is a regional variation in Spanish. Note the links to information
about the city’s neighborhoods so that you identify interesting locations.

Hoteles
The hotel listings, because they are sponsored by businesses and not individuals, tend to be better designed and contain more
information.

Step 2: Research
Use the list of Web sites provided for your category to research and gather the information. Use the T-charts provided to record the
advantages and disadvantages of the hotels or apartments you look at. As you research, if there are visuals you want to use when you
and your partner create your brochure, you can download them now.

¡OJO! Be sure to visit the Evaluation section of this activity before you start researching. Knowing how your presentation will be
evaluated will help you focus on the information you need to include.

Apartamentos

• Research different apartments.

 • Use the following T-chart to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the top apartment you research.

Apartment name:

Advantages Disadvantages

Resources

Quito

• Quito: Quito Neighborhood Guide: This Yahoo Web page provides an overview of the different neighborhoods of the city.
• Livetravelguides.com: The URL takes you to a page on Quito. Scroll down to Quito’s Sectors for information about some of
the neighborhoods.
• Map of Quito: Check the links on the left for a map that includes neighborhood names for ease of reference.

Apartments

• EcuadorExplorer.com: The URL takes you to a page on renting apartments. The Apartamentos Los Quipus link shows their
rental listings.
• Sublet.com: The URL takes you to a listing of apartments currently available in Quito.
• Casa Encalada apartment listing: An ad for a one-bedroom furnished apartment.
• MundoAnuncio.com: A listing of classified ads in Spanish that includes rental apartments in Quito. The two different URLs
are for two different sets of listings.
o MundoAnuncio.com listing 1
o MundoAnuncio.com listing 2
Hoteles

• Research different hotels.

• Use the following T-chart to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the top hotel you research.

Hotel name:

Advantages Disadvantages

Resources

Quito

• Quito: Quito Neighborhood Guide: This Yahoo Web page provides an overview of the different neighborhoods of the city.
• Livetravelguides.com: The URL takes you to a page on Quito. Scroll down to Quito’s Sectors for information about some of
the neighborhoods.
• Map of Quito: Check the links on the left for a map that includes neighborhood names for ease of reference.

Hotels

• Turisvisión: This tourism Web site describes a variety of three- to five-star Quito hotels in Spanish. Note that not all hotels
listed are in the Quito area. Hit the ver fotos link for visuals.
• Destinia.com: Another travel Web site with Spanish-language listings for high-end to mid-range Quito hotels. Click on
Reservar to learn more about each hotel.
• Orbitz.com: A U.S. travel Web site’s listings for the greater Quito area.
• EcuadorExplorer.com: The URL takes you to a page on hotels, apart-hotels, and houses for rent in the Quito area.
Step 3: Create your Presentation
Once you have finished researching, choose your ideal hotel and apartment, and then create a brochure that showcases each one,
listing its benefits, features, and cost. Include drawings or downloaded visuals from the Web sites to illustrate your brochure.

When you make your brochure, keep in mind the following features of an effective presentation:

• It will inform about the benefits and interesting features of your chosen apartment and hotel.
• It will include concrete information, such as cost, location, and number of rooms.
• It will explain why you chose this hotel and apartment, based on your parents’ preferences.

The whole project is worth 15 points (5 points per Step).

Excellent 12-15 points Good 8-11 points Needs Work 1-7 points

Step 1. Analysis Evidence of a good analysis and
division of the research task.
Appropriate use of Spanish to
analyze and create a description
of the ideal hotel and apartment.
Evidence of some analysis and
division of the research task.
Incomplete use of Spanish to
analyze and create a description
of the ideal hotel and apartment.
Project not turned in or little to
no real evidence of analysis of
task. Used little or no Spanish to
analyze and create a description
of the ideal hotel and apartment.

Step 2. Research Information only partially Little or no real evidence of

Information well organized.
organized or incomplete. research.

Step 3. Presentation Good brochure that includes all

the required topics, including
Disorganized presentation or not No presentation or little to no
the benefits of a potential hotel
much effort on presentation. effort on presentation.
or apartment for long-term
lodging in Ecuador.