The Early Arrival Standard
Five steps for the guest whose room isn’t ready. The wait rarely causes the complaint; a promised time that passes without a call almost always does.
- Who
- Front desk agents, with the bell desk and housekeeping
- When
- Any guest who arrives before their room is ready
- You need
- Live room status, the floor supervisor’s number, tags, a place to wait
- Measured by
- A time checked with housekeeping first
- Bags tagged and stored within 2 minutes
- Guest called before the promised time ends
5 steps
01
Check first
Before giving any time, call the housekeeping supervisor for that floor and ask when the room will be inspected and released. Add 15 minutes to the answer. That is the time you give the guest.
Say this
“412, Ms Rossi: housekeeping says 13:30, promised 13:45. Call her mobile.”
Common mistake “It should be soon.” The guest can plan nothing, and every minute after that feels like the hotel’s fault.
02
Say it plainly
Say the room isn’t ready, give the time, and in the same breath offer what can happen now. If a ready room of the same type is free, offer it first; the guest may prefer it to waiting.
Say this
“Your room will be ready by 13:45. Until then, would you like breakfast on the terrace or to freshen up at the spa?”
Common mistake Apologising three times in a row. The guest starts to wonder what else has gone wrong.
03
Free their hands
Tag and store every bag within two minutes with the guest’s name and mobile on the tag, and hand over the stub. Offer the changing room or the spa showers to anyone who has travelled overnight.
Say this
“Your three bags are stored under your name, Mr Al-Harbi. Here is the stub, though you won’t need it.”
Common mistake Leaving the cases beside the desk. The guest stays to guard them instead of resting.
04
Call first
Call or message the guest before the promised time ends, ready or not. If it isn’t ready, give a new time and offer something now. Never let a promised time pass in silence.
Say this
“Mr Al-Harbi, your room is ready. Your bags will be there in five minutes. Shall I meet you in the lobby?”
Common mistake Waiting for the guest to come back to the desk. They come back annoyed, and they are right.
05
Close the loop
Escort the guest up yourself or through the bell desk, with the bags in the room within five minutes. Note the wait in the profile, so the next stay is planned around it.
Say this
“Arrived 09:40, room ready 13:40. Next stay: hold a ready room from 10:00.”
Common mistake Treating it as solved once the key is handed over. On the next visit the same guest waits again.
Our Waiting Options
What your hotel can offer while a room is being prepared. Fill it in once, so nobody improvises at 10:00 on a full Saturday.
A place to sit and eat
- Where exactly
- Who to call
- Cost to the guest
- Opening hours
A place to freshen up
- Where exactly
- Who to call
- Cost to the guest
- Opening hours
Something to do nearby
- Where exactly
- Who to call
- Cost to the guest
- Opening hours
Fill it in with the front office, F&B and spa managers this week. Read it at the morning briefing on any day with more than five early arrivals, and keep it under the desk.
The Standards Library.
No. 20 · Front Office
The Escort Standard
Five steps from the desk to the closed room door. A room introduction names three things the guest would miss; anything more is a tour nobody asked for.
No. 21 · Front Office
The Farewell Standard
Five steps from the luggage call to the car pulling away. The bill is checked the night before, so the last five minutes at the desk belong to the guest.