The Hotel Car Standard

Before every ride, check the car outside and in: bodywork washed, windows clean, seats and mats vacuumed, boot empty, and no smell of food, smoke or strong air freshener.

Stock the car with still and sparkling water, chilled, in glass or reusable bottles (local or filtered where you can), glasses or cups that are not plastic, tissues, sanitising gel and cool towels.

Check the universal charger works, the Wi-Fi is on if the car has it, an umbrella is in the boot, and child seats are fitted if the job sheet asks for them.

Read the job sheet: the guest’s name and how to say it, pickup time and place, destination, bags, language, mobility needs and any occasion. Check the route and the traffic 30 minutes before.

Pair the hands-free kit and set the navigation before the engine starts. Once the car moves, the driver does not touch the phone again until it stops.

Check yourself against The Presence Standard before the pickup: uniform or dark suit, name badge, hands, shoes. Arrive 10 minutes early and park where the guest can see the car.

Wait by the rear kerbside door. Greet the guest by name and introduce yourself with your first name and the hotel’s name.

“Good morning, Mr Al-Harbi. I’m Karim, your driver from [hotel name].”

Open the rear door, hold it until the guest is seated with coat and bag inside, and close it gently. Load the bags yourself and count them aloud with the guest.

Before the car moves, tell the guest the destination and the journey time you expect today, with the reason if traffic will make it longer.

“We’ll be at the airport in about 40 minutes, a little longer if the ring road is busy.”

At an airport arrival, the meeting in the hall follows The Airport Transfer Standard. This standard takes over at the car door.

Within the first minute, offer the water and a cool towel, saying what there is and where it is.

“There’s still and sparkling water beside you, and a cool towel if you’d like one.”

Ask about the temperature and set it at once. Ask again later if the guest looks warm or cold.

“Is the temperature comfortable for you, or shall I make it a little cooler?”

Ask whether the guest would like music or quiet. If music, ask what kind, keep it low, and turn it off for any call the guest takes.

“Would you like some music, or would you prefer it quiet?”

Point out the charger and the Wi-Fi once, then let the guest decide whether to talk. Answer questions fully; never raise politics, religion, other guests or the hotel’s business.

Before moving, check that everyone has a seat belt on. Drive within the speed limit and smoothly enough for a guest to read or sleep: no sharp braking, no weaving between lanes.

Use the phone only through the hands-free kit, and only for the desk or the guest. Never read or send messages while the car moves; pull over somewhere safe first.

No eating, smoking or vaping in or beside the car, and no personal calls while a guest is on board, even on the hands-free kit.

If you will be more than 10 minutes late, tell the guest calmly with the new time, and call the desk hands-free so whoever is waiting is told.

“There’s an accident ahead, Mrs Tanaka. We’ll arrive at about 20:15, and the desk is letting the restaurant know.”

If the guest asks to stop, find a safe place within a few minutes and say where you are stopping and for how long you can wait there.

Stop as close to the entrance as is safe, get out first and open the guest’s door. If it is raining, hold the umbrella over them to the door.

Unload the bags, count them aloud with the guest, and hand them to the door team or the venue. Check the seats and footwells for phones, glasses and bags before you drive off.

If a return is booked, give the guest the pickup time and place and a card with the desk’s number.

“I’ll be here at 22:30 for your return, Mrs Tanaka. The desk’s number is on this card.”

Call the desk once the guest has been dropped off, with the time and anything to pass on: a request, a change of plan, a comment about the day.

Send these rules in writing to every partner car and boat company as part of The Partner Standard: the door, water without plastic, temperature and music asked, the phone hands-free only, and the desk called first.

Each partner driver confirms in writing that they have read the rules before their first job, and receives the job sheet 24 hours ahead with the guest’s name and how to say it.

Once a month, the head concierge checks one partner car at pickup without notice, or rides with the driver, and scores it against this standard in the partner file.

After every partner ride, ask the guest about the car and the driver the same day and log the answer. Two weak reports in a season pause the partner, as The Partner Standard sets out.

Log the ride: times out and back, the guest dropped off, distance, fuel or charge, and anything the guest said or asked for, so the preferences reach the profile.

Reset the car straight away: bottles replaced, bin emptied, seats checked, towels and tissues restocked. The car is ready for the next ride within 30 minutes.

Report any damage, warning light or fault to the head concierge the same day. A car with a fault carries no guest until it is fixed.