1. Welcoming a customer and checking in... organize your work and perfect your role as a Receptionist!

Checking in or the arrival of a potential guest at a hotel is a crucial phase in hotel management. Let's explore together how and what to do when our guest arrives and examine the various steps to follow to welcome a guest.

We've said it time and time again: the reception staff is a key figure in a hospitality facility: they represent the company and are the point of contact for every hotel's guests.

So, to be a good receptionist, you have to be organized! What do I mean? Try to arrive at reception at least 10 minutes before your shift starts, listen to the information your colleague leaves you (maybe take notes), and as soon as you can, start "analyzing" the day's arrivals.

It seems like a banal and perhaps even useless procedure, but I assure you that it is essential when you need to welcome a customer into an accommodation facility.

What procedures to follow for welcome a customer?

First of all let's focus our attention on the reservations of the day:

• Phase 1: We open every single resource of customers arriving for today's date from the management system, we retrieve all the paper notes we have and we try to memorize the name of the person who booked at our facility, the type of treatment reserved and the room number has been assigned. From the notes we have available we try to understand the customer by what means he will reach the hotel. For example: if he arrives by car he will have requested to reserve a place in the garage; if you arrive by train, you will have asked which buses reach the property or how far the station is on foot. Once this data has been verified, we note the approximate arrival time (it is usually indicated) and any requests from the customer (let's assume: the guest wants a room on the upper floors, 2 pillows, smoking room, etc., etc.).

Let's introduce a practical example:

“Mr. Pinko Mauro booked a double room indicating that it was his wedding anniversary, requested a parking space and communicated the arrival time of around 20.00 pm.”

What a good receptionist will have to do to welcome a customer in the best way will be: reserve a parking space (if available) for the time indicated by the customer or inform the arriving guest (preferably the day before the check in date) on the various parking options (garages, agreements, public car parks, etc.) and related costs.

• 2 phase: the process of welcoming a customer does not end in such a short way. After "getting to know" our guest, we move on to preparing the room, to ensure that it is comfortably set up to welcome a customer. Let's continue with another example:

“Are you coming in the evening? 5 – 10 minutes before the arrival indicated by the guest, we turn on the lamps in the room to create a welcoming and warm atmosphere upon entering the room. In fact, as soon as you open the door, finding yourself in a new environment and observing warm and soft lights transmits a cordial welcome. If it is a hot period, the ideal would also be to turn on the air conditioning 20 minutes before the scheduled time of entry into the room, allowing our guests to perceive the immediate relaxation and care towards them."

• Phase 3: everything necessary to "organize your welcome" is ready, our guest has arrived and what do we do? “we ask for documents” WRONG! Asking for an identification document must be part of the last stages of check-in. When we have our guest in front of the reception desk, the first thing to do to welcome a customer in the best way is to make him feel welcome. "Good evening Mr Pinco, good evening Mrs Pinco, welcome to us!" (…and at this point we show off our best smile 😀 ) “have you parked the car?” “I'll call my colleague to help you with your bags”, “how was the trip?”…. In short, let's take an interest in our customer to make him feel at ease.

• 4 phase: we are ready to follow the normal check-in procedure. We kindly ask for the documents, inform them that we will return them as soon as possible and give all the necessary and useful information regarding the hotel. It is important at this moment not to fill him with news, it is useless, our guest will be tired from the journey and his only desire is to go into the room to relax. So we communicate the reception times, breakfast times and the wifi password! (laugh, laugh! we know very well that this last information is of considerable importance for our guests!). Finally, we show them the room, informing them that the reception staff is available by dialing key 9 on the telephone.

  

• 5 phase: During your stay at our facility, the first moments of contact are relevant. When our newly arrived guest leaves the room it is appreciable to ask if he likes the room. If the answer is positive: perfect, we have nothing to worry about and we wish you a good walk. However, if the answer is negative, we try to understand what problem the customer has and if possible we resolve our guest's requests in the shortest time possible.

Therefore, welcoming a customer and conveying a welcome to our location is not difficult!

These are small details that will convey positivity in relationships with your guests. Do you have any other suggestions? share them with us, it's a pleasure to read your point of view too 😉

…and if you need support for your business, find the right hotel supplier and ask for a free quote.