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Quería una habitación para dos noches.

Quería una habitación para dos noches.
I'd like a room for two nights.
From Lesson 297:Polite past (quería…, venía a…)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Quería una habitación para dos noches.

Why is the past tense quería used here if the translation says "I'd like"?
In Spanish, the imperfect tense (quería) is often used as a polite way to make a request. It sounds much softer and more polite than saying quiero (I want), similar to saying "I was wanting" or "I was hoping for" in English.
Could I use quisiera or me gustaría instead of quería?
Yes, absolutely. Quisiera and me gustaría are also polite ways to say "I would like." However, in everyday spoken Spanish in Spain, quería is extremely common and perfectly natural when asking for services like a hotel room or ordering at a shop.
Why use para instead of por for "two nights"? Isn't por used for duration?
This is a tricky one! While por is generally used for the duration of an action, para is used here because it describes the intended purpose or allocation of the noun before it (the room). You are asking for a room that is intended para (for the purpose of) a two-night stay.
Would it be wrong to say un cuarto instead of una habitación?
It would be understood, but habitación is the standard and most natural word used for a hotel room in Spain. Cuarto is more often used for a general room in a house, and dormitorio specifically means a bedroom at home.

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