The Parcel Standard
Five steps for parcels arriving for guests and shipments going home. Once the desk signs for a parcel, it is the hotel’s responsibility, not the courier’s.
- Who
- Concierges and bell staff, with front office at night
- When
- Every parcel received for a guest and every shipment sent for one
- You need
- The parcel log, numbered tags, a locked parcel room, courier accounts
- Measured by
- Logged within 5 minutes of arrival
- Guest told the same day
- Every collection signed for in the log
5 steps
01
Receive
Check the name against the PMS before signing. Note any damage on the courier’s screen and photograph it. Refuse a cash-on-delivery parcel unless the guest has approved the amount.
Say this
“14:20, DHL, 1 box for Ms Rossi, room 508. Corner crushed, photo taken. Tag P-117. G. Russo.”
Common mistake Signing for a box that looks fine and finding the damage later. Once you sign it as clean, the courier owes nothing.
02
Log and store
Give every parcel a numbered tag, log the time, sender, courier and condition, and lock it in the parcel room within 5 minutes. Parcels for future arrivals go on their own shelf, by date.
Say this
“P-117, Rossi, 508, DHL, 1 box, 14:20, shelf B.”
Common mistake Leaving the parcel behind the desk “for a minute”. By the shift change nobody remembers who signed for it.
03
Tell the guest
Tell the guest the same day by message or a note in the room, and ask whether they want it brought up or kept at the desk. Never leave a parcel in the room without asking first.
Say this
“Ms Rossi, a parcel from DHL has arrived for you. Shall we bring it to your room, or keep it at the desk?”
Common mistake Taking every parcel straight up to the room. The guest is out, and the gift for their partner sits on the bed.
04
Hand over
Check the guest’s name against the room before handing it over, and ask them to sign the log. If someone collects on the guest’s behalf, the guest must have named them to the desk in advance.
Say this
“Here is your parcel, Ms Rossi. Could you sign here for me? It’s tag P-117.”
Common mistake Handing a parcel to someone who says “it’s for my wife in 508”. You have no way of knowing that is true.
05
Ship it home
For shipments, give the guest the courier price, delivery time and customs forms before booking. Pack fragile items with the guest there, photograph the box, and send the tracking number the same day.
Say this
“Shipped with FedEx, 2 boxes, tracking number sent to your phone. Due in Riyadh on Thursday. Customs form signed.”
Common mistake Booking the courier without the customs paperwork. The box sits at the border for three weeks and the guest pays storage.
The Parcel Room, Every Night
Twelve checks the night team makes in the parcel room before 23:00. Count the shelves against the log, then sign the log with the time.
- Every parcel has a numbered tag
- Every tag matches a line in the log
- Room locked, key signed out by name
- Arrival parcels on their own shelf, by date
- Parcels over 7 days old flagged to the guest
- Departed guests contacted within 24 hours
- Damaged parcels photographed and noted
- No cash-on-delivery without guest approval
- Flowers and food in the fridge, logged
- Valuable items in the safe, not on a shelf
- Courier cut-off times posted on the wall
- Boxes, tape and customs forms in stock
Brief four lines a night at the evening briefing for three nights. For the next two weeks the head concierge checks the night’s signature each morning and recounts one shelf at random.
The Standards Library.
No. 35 · Concierge
The Doctor on Call Standard
Five steps for when a guest feels unwell. The desk’s job is to reach the right help quickly, never to diagnose, and to keep the guest’s health private.
No. 36 · Concierge
The Third-Party Payment Standard
Five steps for paying suppliers and tips on a guest’s behalf. A charge the guest didn’t expect can turn a well-made booking into a dispute at checkout.