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IO 1 – Standard Operating Procedures
SOP 08 – Walk-in Check-in
“SOP 08 – Walk-in Check-in”
Created by Štěpán Chalupa
Issued on 12. 5. 2022
Created for Front Office employees, Trainers and Trainees, Students
Updated by XX
Updated on XX
Introduction
One of the most profitable segments is walk-in clients who arrive at the hotel without prior
reservation with an accommodation request. These clients are offered RACK rates. In free
capacity, the FO should meet the clients' requests. The procedure is a combination of reservation
creation and walk-in.
Purpose
The main purpose of the walk-in check-in is to accommodate the clients while meeting the sales
rules and administrative requirements.
Suppose there is no available capacity in the hotels. In that case, FO employees must help the
client by checking the availability of partner hotels, giving them directions to other
accommodation facilities or creating reservations for them.
Procedure
The following procedure reflects the situation where the reservation was created before arrival,
and no issues are found in the registration process.
1. Welcome the quest with a smile (warm and sincere). “Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening,
Welcome to the Hotel International; my name is Štěpán Chalupa. How may I help you?
(What can I do for you?).”
2. The guest wants to stay in the hotel without a prior service reservation.
3. Request the name of the client. For example, “Sir, may I ask you for your name?” or “Sir,
how can I address you?”
4. Ask the client for the specification of the stay request. For example, “Mr Novak, for how
long do you plan to stay in our hotel?” and “Are you travelling alone or with a
companion?”
5. Ask the client for the preferences. For example, “Mr Novak, before I will check the system
for available rooms, do you have any specific requirements to be met?”.
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6. Check the PMS for available capacity based on the client’s request.
7. Provide the clients with accommodation options. Mention the available room types,
amenities, and room rates.
8. Let the client decide. In case of need, provide the client with further details about the
preferred room type.
9. Re-confirm the stay details (date of arrival and departure, number of rooms and guests,
structure of other ordered services/products).
10. Allocate the room.
11. Request the client's ID to start the registration process. For example, “Mr Novak, your
room is ready. May I ask you for your ID to prepare the registration form?”
12. Fill in the registration form and print it out. During the registration procedure, name and
surname, contact details and address, identity proof (verification towards the photo on
the ID), arrival and departure date, room rate and type, billing instructions payment
methods are registered.
13. Give the ID back to the client and ask for confirmation of the details in the registration
form (including signature). Please note that there might be different data collection
requirements for the foreign quest. In some cases, the Passport and Visa details are
obligatory.
14. Verify the payment methods.
15. Ask for advanced payment of the accommodation services and provide the guest with
the details about billing and check-out payment.
16. Issue the receipt for payment. At the same time, register the receipt in the PMS.
17. Provide the quest with the information about services included in the reservation. For
example, meal plan, the timing of the meals, need for reservation of the other services.
18. Prepare the room key for handover.
19. Provide the quest with the offer of other services provided by the hotel or partners.
20. Give the key/card to the client. Provide the client with basic instructions about the stay
and route to the hotel room. Let the client know you are willing to deal with any request
during the stay.
21. Chance the status of the reservation in the system to “checked-in”.
22. Give the client time for further questions. For example, “Sir/Madam, is there anything
else I can do for you?”
23. Wish the guest an enjoyable stay.
Please note that during the check-in procedure, as an FO employee, you must reduce the time
needed to prosecute the tasks not directly connected to communication with the client (filling in
the details, printing out the registration form etc.) The client should not wait too long, as the
satisfaction level might significantly decrease.
Critical points and unstandardized situations
The check-in process is crucial to the whole stay. From this point of view, the process
modifications must be listed as the solutions for such a situation. Therefore, the Walk-in check-in
(SOP 08) and Walk-out (SOP 09) are presented separately.
• The requested room is unavailable, and there are no other rooms to satisfy the
customers' needs. Help the clients' contact partner accommodation facilities or give them
other possibilities of accommodation in the area. Be prepared to order them the
transportation or give them precise directions.
• The client is not able to provide you with the requested personal details. In connection
to the administrative requirements of the registration process, you must avoid the
situation where the guest does not meet the administrative requirements accommodated.
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You can give the guest hints on how to deal with the situation and then walk him out (SOP
09).