The Partner Standard
Five steps for choosing, briefing and checking the drivers, guides and boat crews the desk sends guests to. To the guest, every one of them works for the hotel.
- Who
- Head concierge, with the concierge on duty
- When
- Before a partner is added, before every job and after every job
- You need
- The partner file, licence and insurance copies, the job sheet
- Measured by
- Licence and insurance on file, in date
- Job sheet sent 24 hours before
- Guest feedback logged after every job
5 steps
01
Vet
Before a partner takes a first guest, file a copy of their licence and insurance, check two references, and have someone from the desk take the tour or ride as a paying guest. Review each partner yearly.
Say this
“Marco Boats: licence to 2027, insurance to March, ride taken 3 Sept by G. Russo. Approved for up to 8 guests.”
Common mistake Adding a guide because one guest liked them. One good afternoon is not a record, and the hotel’s name is on the next one.
02
Brief
Send a written job sheet 24 hours ahead: guest name and how to say it, party size, meeting point and time, language, any mobility or dietary needs, and the occasion. Ask for a reply.
Say this
“Mr Al-Harbi (al-HAR-bee), 3 adults, lobby 09:00, English, no stairs please. Stop for prayer near 12:30.”
Common mistake Briefing by phone only. The driver remembers the time and forgets the wheelchair.
03
Set the rules
Agree four rules with every partner in writing: arrive 10 minutes early, meet the guest by name, keep the car or boat clean, and call the desk, not the guest, if anything changes on the day.
Say this
“If you are running even five minutes late, call the desk first. We’ll speak to the guest.”
Common mistake Letting the partner message the guest directly. Plans change without the desk knowing, and you hear about it at checkout.
04
Check on the day
At the meeting time, the concierge on duty confirms the partner has arrived, in person or by a call. On a full-day job, one message to the guest around midday is enough, never more.
Say this
“Mrs Tanaka, I hope the morning in the vineyards is going well. Is there anything you need from us?”
Common mistake Assuming the driver turned up because nobody called. The guest has waited in the lobby for 15 minutes, too polite to ask.
05
Debrief
Within 24 hours, ask the guest about the partner and log it in the partner file. Pass praise on to the partner that week. After two weak reports in a season, pause their jobs and meet them.
Say this
“Marco Boats, 14 Oct, Tanaka: on time, boat clean, skipper spoke little English. Brief on language next time.”
Common mistake Keeping complaints from the partner to keep things friendly. They never learn, and the next guest gets the same day.
What the Partner File Holds
Fourteen things the desk keeps on every driver, guide and boat operator. A partner with a gap in the file gets no guests until it is filled.
- Company name, owner and a 24-hour phone
- Licence number and expiry date
- Insurance certificate and expiry date
- Two references from other hotels or clients
- Date the desk last took the service as a guest
- Cars or boats, with seats and plate numbers
- Languages each driver or guide speaks
- Access for wheelchairs and pushchairs
- Child seats available, and which sizes
- This season’s prices, in writing
- Any commission, agreed in writing with the hotel
- Cancellation terms for the guest and the hotel
- Feedback from the last five jobs
- Date of the next yearly review
The head concierge checks two partner files a day for one week, starting with the partners used most. Anything missing or out of date gets an owner and a date at the next briefing. Repeat every January.
The Standards Library.
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No. 32 · Concierge
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Five steps for every car booked to or from the airport. Flights often land early, and a guest left waiting in arrivals remembers it longer than the drive.