check in — register on arrival
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
To officially tell someone you have arrived at a hotel, airport, or event, usually by giving your details.
Say it like a native
Textbook We must formally register our arrival at the hotel reception.
Native We need to check in at the hotel.
'Check in' is the standard travel verb; 'formally register our arrival' is stiff.
Pattern: check in (at/for something)
In use
- We need to check in at the hotel before 3 p.m.travel
- When I travel for business, I always check in online to save time at the airport.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ We checked in the hotel at noon.
✓ We checked into the hotel at noon. / We checked in at the hotel at noon.
'Check INTO / check IN AT' a place — bare 'check in the hotel' is wrong.
Common collocations
check in (at/into)— at the airport, into the hotel, online, for the flight
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'check out', which means to leave and pay.
Related
- check in (contact someone briefly) — Another meaning of 'check in' is 'contact someone briefly'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.