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What exactly does 〜ておきます mean in this context?

旅行{りょこう}する前{まえ}にホテルを予約{よやく} **しておきます** 。

Is this trying to say something like "Before traveling, reserve a room". Is
this a suggestion? An order? (If so, why aren't they using ください at the end
instead of おきます?)
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2013-09-27T23:48:04.827
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2013-10-04T03:57:04.217
2013-09-27T23:59:13.847
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question
grammar て-form
What's the meaning of 〜ておきます?
It means "in preparation". It is generally used when the action in question is
done as a preparatory action. In your example, a translation would be

> Before traveling, I am booking a hotel (in preparation).

The general construction is ～ておく, and it gets conjugated like any other verb.
For example:

> I booked a hotel in preparation for traveling.  
>  流行のためにホテルを予定しておきました。
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2013-09-27T23:59:24.677
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2013-09-27T23:59:24.677
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answer
This sounds like a sentence taken from a travel agency's website, an
instruction sheet or something along those lines. If that's the case, this
〜しておきます contains two grammatical points.

Before explaining the grammatical points, here's my (very loose) translation
of the sentence:

Make sure to book a hotel before you leave.

The first grammar point is the combination of a te-form verb and auxiliary
verb おく. While this combination can have multiple meanings, in your particular
example, it carries the sense that someone does the action referred to by the
verb in advance or make sure that it will have been done when its effect
becomes important. Usually the action is a good or important thing to do now
such as preparation or a precaution. The doer typically has some purpose or
objective, but it can be that the doer just does it for no particular reason
other than "just in case." In your example, 予約 in 予約しておく is the action, which
you do before the event "旅行" happens.

The second grammar point is 〜ます. You probably already know that this makes a
sentence polite. And actually this is what this auxiliary verb is doing here
too. Then how come this sentence is telling you what to do? You might find it
easier to see the reason why the whole sentence sounds like an instruction or
order of some sort if you think of your sentence this way:

ホテルを予約よやくしておく + ます = Book a hotel (i.e., grammatical imperative form) +
Please.

It's not exactly "Please do it." But 〜します is a very common phrase in an
instruction and the like. For example, an instruction

> Click here to edit your post.

on an online forum can be translated as

> 自分の投稿を編集するにはここをクリックします.

depending on context.

So if your context actually suggests that it's very likely an instruction of
some sort, you can say it's a strong suggestion or request.

As for why it's not 下{くだ}さい, it's just the writer's choice of words. This 〜します
version as a request can sound stronger or more forceful than the 下さい
alternative if you say it the wrong way at the wrong time. But it's a very
common phrase for when the speaker tells you how something is supposed to be
done or how you're supposed to do something, which makes it a handy phrase
when writing instructions, manuals, guides, etc.
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2013-09-28T00:51:12.007
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2013-10-04T03:57:04.217
2013-10-04T03:57:04.217
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answer