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.
- Who
- Bell attendants and the agents who escort guests
- When
- Every check-in where the guest accepts the escort
- You need
- Room number, bag count, the guest’s notes, a clean trolley
- Measured by
- Bags in the room within 5 minutes
- Cases on the rack, handles facing out
- No more than three features shown
5 steps
01
Offer the walk
Offer the escort at the desk in one sentence. If the guest declines, say the bags will follow within five minutes and make sure they do. The room number stays written, never said aloud.
Say this
“May I show you to your room, Mr Okafor? Your bags will come up with us.”
Common mistake “Do you need help finding the room?” Phrased like that, most guests say no out of politeness.
02
Walk alongside
Walk half a step ahead on the guest’s side, hold the lift door and press the floor button yourself. In the lift, one line about the hotel or the city; silence is fine if the guest is tired.
Say this
“The terrace on the sixth floor gets the sunset around seven, if you’d like somewhere quiet this evening.”
Common mistake Walking in front and talking over your shoulder. The guest follows your back down a corridor.
03
Place the bags
Cases go on the rack with the handle facing out and the zip up; garment bags are hung at once. Never prop the door open with luggage, and never open a case unless the guest asks you to.
Say this
“I’ve hung your garment bag in the wardrobe so it doesn’t crease.”
Common mistake Propping the door with a suitcase while unloading. The guest’s luggage becomes a doorstop.
04
Show three things
Show three features the guest would not find alone, chosen for them: the lights and curtains from the bed, the climate control, and one item from their notes. Skip the minibar and the TV unless asked.
Say this
“The master switch is by the bed, the air conditioning is here, and the still water you asked for is in the fridge.”
Common mistake The full tour. Ten minutes on the safe and the TV while the guest only wanted to find the bathroom.
05
Leave well
Ask one question before you go: is there anything they need in the next hour. Leave within 30 seconds of the answer, close the door quietly and tell the desk the guest is in the room.
Say this
“Is there anything you’ll need in the next hour, Mr Okafor? Then I’ll leave you to settle in.”
Common mistake Lingering at the door. The guest wonders whether a tip is expected, and the welcome ends awkwardly.
The Room Arrival Check
What the escort checks in the room before leaving the guest alone. It takes under three minutes and happens while the guest settles in.
- Door opened and held; the guest enters first
- Lights already on before the guest steps in
- Temperature set to the guest’s notes
- Cases on the rack, handle out, zip up
- Garment bags hung straight away
- Bag count matches the tags from the kerb
- Curtains shown from the bedside controls
- Climate control shown once
- One item from the guest’s notes pointed out
- Wifi details left in writing
- Water or ice offered
- Door closed quietly on the way out
- Desk told the guest is in the room
Brief three lines a day at the bell desk. For one week the bell captain shadows one escort per shift and ticks the card in the corridor afterwards, never in front of the guest.
The Standards Library.
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.
No. 22 · Front Office
The Room Move Standard
Five steps for moving a guest to another room mid-stay. Done well, the guest leaves one room for dinner and comes back to find everything in the other.