The Kerbside Standard
Five steps for the first sixty seconds, from the car door to the reception desk. Most guests have decided how the stay will go before they reach the lobby.
- Who
- Doormen and bell attendants, checked by the bell captain
- When
- Every car, taxi or guest on foot reaching the entrance
- You need
- Today’s arrivals list with car details, luggage tags, a trolley
- Measured by
- Greeted within 30 seconds of the car stopping
- Every bag tagged before it leaves the kerb
- Handed to reception by name
5 steps
01
Watch the drive
Stand at the entrance, not behind the glass. Read the arrivals list at the start of the shift for expected cars and times, so the car that stops at 15:10 already has a name before its door opens.
Say this
“15:10, Mr Okafor, two adults, airport transfer, four bags, first stay.”
Common mistake Waiting indoors where the air conditioning is. The car stops, nobody moves, and the guest opens their own door.
02
Open and greet
Reach the car within 30 seconds of it stopping. Open the rear kerbside door first, keep a hand above the frame if it is low, and greet the guest before they are fully out of the car.
Say this
“Good afternoon, and welcome. Mr Okafor? We’ve been expecting you.”
Common mistake Going straight to the boot. The bags get a welcome before the guest does.
03
Take the bags
Offer to unload at once, count the pieces aloud with the guest and tag each one with their name before it leaves the kerb. Check the seats and footwells for phones and jackets before the car pulls away.
Say this
“Four pieces: two cases, a garment bag and a briefcase. Would you like to keep the briefcase with you?”
Common mistake Letting the taxi go before checking the back seat. The phone on the floor leaves with it.
04
Walk them in
Open the lobby door and walk the guest inside yourself, half a step ahead and to the side. Never point the way: take them all the way to reception or to the guest relations host waiting for them.
Say this
“This way, please. Let me introduce you to my colleague at reception.”
Common mistake “Reception is just on the left.” The guest crosses the lobby alone with a coat, a phone and the first doubt of the stay.
05
Introduce by name
Introduce the guest to the agent by name, with one useful fact so reception never asks again: the bag count, a long journey, a child asleep. Once the room is issued, the bell desk takes the bags up.
Say this
“Ms Rossi, this is Mr Okafor, just in from the airport. His four bags are with us.”
Common mistake Leaving without a word. Reception asks the guest for their name and the welcome at the door is wasted.
Sixty Seconds at the Door
Who does what between the car stopping and the guest reaching the desk. Two people can cover it on a busy afternoon if each knows their part.
Brief it at the start of every arrival shift. Time three arrivals a day for a week on a phone stopwatch, and let the bell captain read the times aloud at the next briefing. Fix the slowest row first.
The Standards Library.
No. 18 · Front Office
The Registration Standard
Five steps from the desk to the key in under five minutes. Most of the work happens before the guest arrives; the desk only confirms what is already prepared.
No. 19 · Front Office
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.