The Family Stay Standard
Five steps for welcoming families with children. Greet the child by name at eye level and the parents relax; the rest of the stay follows from that.
- Who
- Guest relations, with reception, housekeeping and restaurant
- When
- Every booking with a child under 12, from pre-arrival to check-out
- You need
- Children’s names and ages, child safety kit, welcome items
- Measured by
- Each child greeted by name on arrival
- Room safety-checked before arrival
- Cot and kit in place by 14:00
5 steps
01
Know the children
From the booking or the pre-arrival contact, get each child’s first name, age and any allergy. Send the ages to housekeeping and the restaurant, so cots, bath sets, high chairs and portions are ready.
Say this
“Moreau family, 2 rooms: Léa 7, Hugo 2 (cot, high chair, no cow’s milk). Arriving 15:00 by car.”
Common mistake Writing “2 children” and nothing else. A two-year-old and an eleven-year-old need very different rooms.
02
Make the room safe
Before arrival, for any child under five: socket covers fitted, blind cords tied up high, balcony door locked, kettle out of reach, cot made with a fitted sheet, no pillow and nothing loose inside.
Say this
“Room 410 safety check 13:30: sockets covered, blind cords up, balcony locked, cot made. Checked by Ana.”
Common mistake Bringing a cot and calling the room ready. The blind cord still hangs at the height of a child’s face.
03
Greet the child
At arrival, greet the parents, then crouch to the child’s eye level and greet them by name. Give each child their own welcome item, chosen by age: a colouring kit, a small book, a card game for older ones.
Say this
“Welcome, Léa. I heard you’re seven. This bag is yours, and there’s a map of the garden inside.”
Common mistake Talking only to the parents, over the child’s head. The child is bored and tired before the key is handed over.
04
Brief the parents
Within the first hour, give the parents one printed page: pool hours and rules, children’s menu times, babysitting notice and cost, the nearest pharmacy, a paediatrician’s number and your direct line.
Say this
“Mrs Moreau, everything for the children is on this one page, and my direct number is at the top.”
Common mistake Explaining it all at the desk while the toddler cries. The parents remember none of it and call reception five times.
05
Note for next time
At check-out, record each child’s name, age and what worked: the room type, the food they ate, the cot. Before the next booking arrives, update every age, because the child is now a year older.
Say this
“Moreau: Léa loved the pool. Hugo turns 3 in May, no cot from next stay. Connecting rooms worked well.”
Common mistake Setting up a cot for a child who is now four. The profile was right, last year.
The Family Room Check
Run this in every room booked for a child under 12, before the family arrives. The floor supervisor signs it with the time.
- Children’s names and ages on the arrivals list
- Cot made: fitted sheet, no pillow, nothing loose
- Covers on every socket a child can reach
- Blind and curtain cords tied up high
- Balcony and window locks checked
- Kettle, iron and minibar out of reach
- Bath mat and child bath set in place
- Step stool by the basin
- Welcome item for each child, by age
- Parents’ page: pool, menus, babysitting, doctor
- High chair booked in the restaurant
- Child’s allergy sent to the kitchen
Brief three lines a day for a week to housekeeping and guest relations. The floor supervisor ticks the list in the room before 14:00, and the guest relations manager checks one family room a day.
The Standards Library.
No. 45 · Guest Relations
The Accessible Stay Standard
Five steps for guests with access needs. Ask what will help, not what the condition is: most guests tell you exactly what they need in one sentence.
No. 46 · Guest Relations
The Long Stay Standard
Five steps for guests staying seven nights or more. By day four the welcome has worn off and small irritations add up; that is when the stay needs a plan.