The Arrival Inspection Standard
Five steps for the supervisor’s inspection that releases a vacant room for an arrival. A room marked ready too early costs the guest their first ten minutes.
- Who
- Floor supervisors, with front office for VIP arrivals
- When
- Every vacant room, before it is released as inspected
- You need
- Inspection sheet or app, the arrival list with notes, a torch
- Measured by
- Every room inspected before release
- Faults to engineering within 10 minutes
- VIP rooms checked again 1 hour before
5 steps
01
Read the arrival
Before you open the door, read the guest’s notes on the arrival list: extra bed, cot, pillows, allergies, a returning guest’s preferences. Check these first, because they are what the guest asked for.
Say this
“1015, Mrs Tanaka: twin beds, foam pillows, cot. Check first.”
Common mistake Inspecting to the standard and missing the request. The room is spotless and the cot isn’t there.
02
Walk the room
Walk the room in the same order every time: door, entrance, wardrobe, bathroom, bed, desk, window. Tick only what you looked at, in this room, today. Write down faults, never general impressions.
Say this
“1015: hair on the shower ledge, robe belt missing. Back to Ana.”
Common mistake Ticking from memory by the third room of the day. The sheet says inspected; the room says otherwise.
03
Fix or return
Fix small faults on the spot. Send cleaning faults back to the attendant with the room and the fault, then inspect again. Call engineering faults in within 10 minutes and keep the room out of release.
Say this
“Ana, 1015 needs the shower ledge again and a robe belt. I’ll be back in 15 minutes.”
Common mistake Fixing every fault yourself to save time. The attendant never hears about it and repeats it in every room tomorrow.
04
Set the room
Set the room for arrival: 21°C, sheers drawn, drapes open by day, entrance and bedside lights on after dark, and the welcome card and any amenity from the arrival notes in their places.
Say this
“1015 set: 21°C, sheers drawn, entrance light on, cot made up.”
Common mistake Leaving the room at the last guest’s 17°C. The new guest walks into a cold room, and their first call is a complaint.
05
Release
Change the status to inspected in the PMS only once the last fault is cleared, and phone front office for any room with a guest waiting. Check VIP rooms again one hour before the arrival time.
Say this
“Front desk, 1015 is inspected and released for Mrs Tanaka, 14:20.”
Common mistake Releasing rooms in a batch at 14:00 to clear the board. One is still waiting for engineering when its key is cut.
The Supervisor’s Release Check
Thirteen checks the supervisor signs before a room is released. A tick means the supervisor looked at that item, in that room, that day.
- Guest notes on the arrival list read first
- Requested items in place: cot, pillows, beds
- Door lock, chain and spyhole working
- Wardrobe: hangers, robes, slippers, safe open
- Bathroom: no hair, no spots, full amenities
- Bed flat at eye level, linen unmarked
- Desk: stationery, pen, chargers, directory
- Every light, the TV and the coffee machine
- Minibar at par, fridge cold
- Temperature set to 21°C
- Drapes and lights set for the time of day
- Welcome card and arrival amenity in place
- PMS status changed after the last fix
This week the housekeeping manager walks one release with each supervisor and compares sheets. From then on, the manager reinspects two released rooms a day at random and briefs the gaps on Friday.
The Standards Library.
No. 47 · Housekeeping
The Door Standard
Five steps for entering a guest room without surprising anyone inside. Most privacy complaints begin at a door that was knocked on correctly, once.
No. 48 · Housekeeping
The Belongings Standard
Five steps for cleaning around a guest’s things so the room looks cared for and nothing looks searched. Papers squared by a stranger feel like being watched.