Guest Arrival SOP | The Check-In Process

Guest Arrival SOP establishes a welcoming atmosphere while enlightening guests on the available services and amenities. Therefore, guests ought not to walk away with emotions that their inquiries or requests are taxing to the front office staff. Instead, the staff must always show eagerness and gladness to assist. Thus, any issues raised during their occupancy in the hotel are swiftly solved and remedied appropriately.

Hotel guests can get a warm feeling out of something as simple as the doorman’s smile. It is all about saluting them by name, adjusting to their feelings while showing interest. Remember that it is crucial to use the name of the guest. Customers are more often than not surprised when hotel staffs recognize their names. Check out similar articles.

What To Do Before The Arrival Of The Guests

Ahead of guests’ arrival, it is significant to get in touch with them through email, phone, or social media channels. Inquire whether they have any special needs and the purpose of their stay. In case you recognize any guest favorites, then aim to deliver them accordingly. On the other hand, customer contact gives the team a chance to inform the guests about other features of the hotel. These include specialty restaurants and entertainment spots among others. Personal opinion from your clients informs you that your welcome demonstration is the primary thing they noticed. Above all, this makes your hotel attain a reasonable market share from the competitive environment.

Guest Arrival SOP | Self-Check-In

With the availability of self-check-in hotels, the guests’ welcome emanates what they see and experience gained from the technology. Ensure the outside and inside of your facility is spotless and the self-check-in section is easily used. Always remember that the first impressions are fundamental. Therefore, ensure that your hotel is clean and attractive both outside and inside. Make sure that the pathways are thoroughly swept and flower vessels watered. Above all, the hotel facility should be in an excellent condition of repair with sparkling windows.

Guest Arrival SOP | At The Reception

Ensure that the hotel door is unfastened for the clients by a polite staff member with a smile and warm friendly greetings. Escort residential guests to the front office desk and introduce them to the staff who will guide them through the check-in procedure. The receptionist should remember to use guest’s names to build a rapport. The desk should appear professional and orderly. The receptionist should be in a position to establish booking details with no trouble. Besides he/she should have a ready room and explain clearly how to reach there. In case your hotel has concierge personnel, they should be there to assist with ferrying the luggage. Check out how we help hotels achieve their objectives

Below I have explained some of the best practices when dealing with guest arrival into hotels;

Create A Feeling Of Warm Welcome Of Your Guests

• At the hotel entrance, the doorman welcomes all guests whether driving or walk-in.
• Open the car door and direct guests accordingly, either to the conference room, restaurants, or any other function. Where necessary, assist in parking the vehicle.
•  No guest waits longer than 3 minutes in a wait in line before being served. If the waiting line is long, more staff are brought in to help.
• The reception cashier should look around the lobby and assure guests that they will be served promptly.
• Welcome guests using the name of the hotel as well as the name of the guest if known.
• Porters to provide towels as well as welcome juice when guests are filling the registration card.
• Confirm room type, meal plan, departure date, and mode of payment. Front desk staff to up-sell guests to a suite based on the initial requisite.
• For repeat guests, the staff will recognize them by bringing out some details from the history of the guest. This makes the guest feel esteemed and cherished.

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Guest Arrival SOP | Check-In Process

• The check-in process at the front desk should take no more than 3 minutes.
• Upon completion of check-in, porters take the guests to their rooms.
• The cashier introduces the porter to the guest. For instance, “Mr. KYZ, this is James our porter who will take you to your room.”
• Porter acknowledges the customers and offers help.
• The porter courteously asks the guests to identify his luggage.
• The porter points out the F&B Outlets on the way to the room. He explains to the guest where they can take food and drinks.
• On reaching the room, the porter highlights diverse facilities and how they operate. These include lights, air condition, the television, and or the fridge.
• The porter then wishes the guests a pleasant stay. Besides, he informs them to call room service extension, reception, or guest relations if they need assistance.
• Distributed guest luggage for groups to individual rooms within 5 minutes of check-in.
• Handle with care and safely all guest luggage left under the hotel’s storage. Store it in a tidy and systematic manner within the security department.

The Bottom-Line

Each hotel has a diverse check-in policy prepared by top management. Some hotels take more time for check-in than others. But as a hotelier, doing your best by valuing every minute spent by your guest in your facility.

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