Front Desk Shift Checklist

Print or pull from the PMS (Opera, Mews, Cloudbeds): today's arrivals manifest, in-house list, departure list, and the VIP / loyalty list. Flag groups, allergies, accessibility requests, and any walk-list candidates from the FOM.

Pre-block ADA mobility rooms, communication-accessible rooms, rollaways, cribs, connecting rooms, and any pet-friendly assignments. Pre-blocking before 1:00 PM avoids the housekeeping board scramble at 3:00 PM check-in.

If the property is oversold, the Front Office Manager designates the walk order (lowest-rate transient first, never groups, never loyalty members). Confirm the sister-property booking, the transport voucher, and the rate-difference comp before any guest arrives.

Assemble walk packets: pre-paid sister-property confirmation, taxi voucher or rideshare code, signed walk script, and the comped future-stay certificate. Brief the evening agent before they take the desk.

Standard greeting within ten seconds of approach. Pull the reservation in the PMS by last name or confirmation number; verify arrival date, length of stay, rate code, and room type.

Verify a government-issued photo ID matches the reservation name. Run the credit-card authorization for room, tax, and incidentals through the PMS — never write a card number on paper or a sticky note. EMV chip insertion required; if mag-stripe fallback, document the reason.

Ask whether the guest has accessibility, dietary, or quiet-room needs not already on the reservation. Mobility, communication, or service-animal accommodations trigger the ADA assignment path; allergies route to F&B for any in-room dining or banquet contact.

Reassign to a pre-blocked accessible room if mobility or communication accommodation is needed. Coordinate with housekeeping for rollaway, crib, or hypoallergenic linens; coordinate with engineering for shower-bench, visual-alarm, or TTY equipment.

Use the front-desk upsell script for available higher categories: suite, view, club floor, or package. Capture the upsell in the PMS so the revenue is attributed correctly and not coded as comp.

Pull only from rooms in Vacant Clean status released by the housekeeping inspector. Avoid rooms still in OOO or OOS for engineering work orders. Honor pre-blocks before assigning anything else.

Encode keys for the assigned room and load the folio with the room number — never write the room number on the key envelope where it could be overheard or lost. Issue the number of keys requested (typically two for double occupancy).

Cover the Wi-Fi network and password, breakfast hours and location, parking validation or self-park rate, pool and fitness hours, and the property's quiet-hours policy. Hand the property map and area attractions sheet.

Radio the bell stand or valet for luggage assistance, vehicle parking, or wheelchair escort. Confirm the bellperson has the room number and any accessibility notes before approaching the guest.

Confirm all charges have posted: F&B, mini-bar, parking, pay-per-view, spa, and any incidental holds. Late-posting charges are the most common night-audit exception — better to catch them at the desk than have them reverse the next day.

Walk the folio with the guest. Disputed mini-bar items, parking, or rate discrepancies get logged and routed to the FOM rather than comped at the desk — front-desk comp authority is typically capped at $25-50.

Document the disputed line items, the guest's stated reason, and any supporting evidence (housekeeping mini-bar count, parking log). The Front Office Manager reviews and either authorizes the adjustment or holds the charge pending department research.

Process final payment to the credit card on file or alternative tender. Release the incidentals authorization hold so the guest's bank does not show the temporary amount for days after departure — a common source of post-stay complaints.

Collect physical keys or deactivate keycards in the PMS. Email the final folio to the address on file; offer the post-stay survey link. Thank the guest by name and invite them back.

Count the bank to the starting float, prepare the deposit slip, and execute a blind drop with a second agent witnessing. Variance over the property's threshold (typically $5) requires an incident note for the controller.

Confirm every charge from F&B, parking, spa, and the gift shop has hit the right folio before the night auditor runs the day-end close. Postings that miss the roll show up tomorrow as adjustments and distort RevPAR.

Note VIP arrivals expected, walk-list status, OOO room changes, guest complaints in flight, engineering work orders open, and any group cutoff or attrition deadlines hitting tomorrow. Hand the log to the night auditor or the incoming PM agent.