Prepare for Guest Arrival

Introduction

Obtaining the guest's information prior to arrival is crucial in effective delivery of valet services. The more the Valet Staff knows about the guest, the better the services would be provided. This could be done by referring to the guest history. Doing so allows the valet staff to prepare for most requests a guest might demand.

Obtain Guest's Information Prior to Arrival

One of the important characteristics required of a valet staff is being proactive. This means a valet staff must not wait for the hotel management to provide information about the guests. Valet staff themselves must ask the management to contact the guest to gather information from them. For some VIPs, this may be done through their secretaries or Personal Assistants.

If a guest is a previous customer, a hotel’s guest history is a vital source of information as it contains the details of the guest’s last stay at the hotel. The guest history may include about the likes and dislikes of the guest, do’s and don’ts, personal preferences such as brand names, wake up calls, food, and beverage, room preferences, facilities required, among others.

The guest history would also show things that went wrong (if any) during the guest’s time with the hotel. Such an incident report must have the root cause analysis of what went wrong and the recommendations made to prevent it from happening again.

Information about the guest may be provided by the guest themselves, or by a member of their staff. This information may come either as written or verbal requests.

If communication is done verbally, it is important to take note of the contact’s details like their name, telephone number, email for follow up and verification purposes. While talking to the contact person, taking notes is a must. After the discussion, the notes have to be sent to the contact person for confirmation.

After all available information from the guest is collected. Having a pre-arrival meeting with other staff members would be very useful. The meeting will provide valuable information about the guest, especially the staff members’ experience with the guest (if the guest is a previous customer). It could also provide small details that might have been missed in the previous information gathering.

Examples of guest information prior to arrival:

• Names - the primary guest and his/her party (Spouse, children, Personal Assistants, security, cooks, hair and makeup staff, advisors, media personnel, nannies)

• Title - how the guest wants to be addressed (professional titles, royalty, and culture-specific titles)

• Special requests - any specific tasks the guest requests to be delivered

• Itinerary - the schedule of the guest while staying at the hotel

Identify Guest Preferences

Before the guest arrives:

Skills learned in the previous topic are to be applied:

• Reviewing the guest history

• Reviewing of guest communication (notes on calls, emails or other means)

• Communicate with the guest or a member of his party

• Communicate with venue staff and third-party providers who worked with the guest before

Upon Arrival of the guest:

No amount of preparation can fully prepare the Valet Staff for everything that could possibly be wanted by the guest. When the guest requires service that has not been prepared prior to arrival, the following should be observed:

• Common sense - determine what service to provide based on one’s own experiences, or product knowledge

• Ask the guest or a member of their staff what is needed - this should be done immediately after the guest is greeted. It is better to describe to the guest upfront what the available services are

• Clarify when and where the guest needs the attendance of the Valet Staff - identify the times the guest requires valet services

Ideally, asking the guest of their needs are not supposed to happen because all arrangements should have been done before the guest arrives at the hotel. Besides, due to the busy nature of guests, contacting them is very difficult before they arrive at the hotel.

Valet staff has to make do with the available information with what they have. The important thing to keep in mind is to make all the necessary preparation based on the available information and be prepared for requests that the guest might make.

When asking the guest what they need, listen carefully and take note of every detail and ensure that the request is granted to the full capabilities of the hotel.

Asking the guest of their needs establishes their expectations, and all of these expectations should be addressed as much as possible.

Examples of guest requests:

• Particular brands of food or beverage

• Reading materials such as newspaper and magazines (with the brand in mind)

• Room temperature

• Calls (Reminders and wake up calls)

• Room Service - Food and beverage service, massage services, business support,

• Organized tours

• Restaurant reservations

• Making travel arrangements

• Other personal requests

These are just some examples of common requests. Some VIPs have over the top requests that cannot be addressed by valet service alone so coordination with other offices is a must.

Liaise with Other Staff

The Valet Staff can’t do everything by himself/herself. Thus, there must be constant coordination with other concerned hotel departments or external providers in order to fully satisfy the preferences of the guest.

Liaising with other staff:

Valet Staff may be required to do the following:

• Coordinate with other hotel staff to discuss the stay of the guest and the required arrangements while the guest is in the hotel

• Coordinate the arrival of the guest:

  • Transportation

  • Preparation of room

  • Food and beverage

  • Security and logistics

  • Luggage movement

• Informing of other offices of the arrival of the guest that may include:

  • Informing the hotel officials - if they will personally welcome the guest

  • Informing the front desk - because standard check-in procedures may not be followed for VIP guests

  • Confirming the number of the guest’s party with the Food and Beverage Department when the guest has a reservation

  • Coordinating with Security (number of guests, room numbers, close in security)

  • Coordinating with Housekeeping for confirmation of guest arrival, number of guests, room allocations, and special services

  • Other department staff necessary for delivering the required service of the guest

Liaising with Third Party Individuals

External Providers

External providers may include the following

• Various suppliers (food, beverages, flowers, equipment, etc)

• Transport providers (pickup and drop off, tours)

• Event organizers (venue staff)

• Operators of leased equipment (lights, sounds, etc)

• Local Government Units (local permits, courtesy calls)

• Sponsors of events (sponsor kiosks)

• Press/Media

• Other external providers

In dealing with external providers, it is important that the Valet Staff contacts them and update any new information they might need. The arrangement, including the new and updated ones, should be confirmed with them.

The Guest and Their Staff

Valet Staff would not just deal with the primary guest, but also communicate with the other party members of the guest. In dealing with them, remember the following:

• Introduce yourself as the valet staff

• Provide contact details

• Welcome not just the VIP guest but also their entourage

• Offer your services

• Identify any changes to previous plans

• If possible, find out more about the preferences of the guest through their staff

Checking of the Guest Room Prior to Arrival of the Guest

Before the guest arrives, the valet staff must check the room if they comply with house protocols and to the specifications of the guest.

Guest Room Preparation

In preparing the guest’s room, the valet staff must do the following:

• Double check if the room is prepared according to the specifications of the guest

• The valet should be involved in the actual preparation of the room because ultimately, the valet would be the one who will have to answer to the guest in case the room turned out to be out of the specifications of the guest

• Prepare the room according to the usual hotel standards if the guest did not specify any requests for the room.

Things to consider when inspecting rooms:

• Timing - the room must be ready at least 3 hours before the estimated time of arrival of the guest

  • Three hours is allotted because it would be enough time to apply any changes to the rooms as to specific instructions

Concerned Inspectors:

The following personnel must inspect the room before the guest arrives and must do so separately:

• Guest Room Attendants

• Floor Housekeeper

• Executive Housekeeper

• Valets

Inspection Checklist:

• Floors, walls, ceilings, and carpets

• Fixtures, furniture, and equipment

• Appliances -

• Interior and Outdoor areas

• Complementary products

• Door locks

• Alarms are turned off

• Arrival items

• Reservation confirmations

• Guest specified items

• Vault (exact term)

Tips for Inspecting:

• See - look at everything inside the room, even the smallest. Check if everything looks right

• Smell - Your nose, knows. Any unpleasant smell must be taken care of.

• Hear - check if there are unnecessary sounds coming from appliances or equipment in the room or if there are noises from the surrounding area.

• Touch - feel counter tops if they are dusty or use your hands to check the overall cleanliness of the room.

The purpose of inspecting is to find out if there are things that have to be done to the room. Therefore, there would be instances when actions have to be done. Some of this corrective actions may include:

• Cleaning the room again

• Furniture, fixtures, items rearrangement

• Maintenance or repairs

• Room transfer