Hotel Guest Room Change Procedure

Implementation of room changes should be done in accordance with accurate information obtained from guests, clear communication between related departments and procedures applicable all room change requests must be recorded on a GIF with reason (assuming dissatisfaction with the existing room) and as relevant, guest preferences updated immediately.

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OBJECTIVE: In order to:

  1. Pacify guests with instant solution to room dissatisfaction.
  2. Avoid guests’ inconvenience and/or complaints during the change process.
  3. Ensure that PMS is updated accordingly with the latest information, very important for other PMS users, e.g. Telephone, concierge, laundry, room service etc.
  4. Enable proper follow-up on other processes, e.g., message handling, wake up calls, etc.
  5. Ensure applicable procedures are fully adhered to by the staff concerned, especially GSAs/GREs, Bellmen, Laundry, Housekeeping and Room Service Staff and other related staff.
  6. Ensure that the guest belongings are placed in the new room according to the guest’s request or as in the original set up as per the previous room.
  7. Avoid missing items or lost luggage during the room change process.

Reasons behind Room Change:

There are 2 main reasons why a room change needs to be conducted:

  • A guest preference/request that is not established earlier, eg, wrong room assignment
  • A defect that cannot be repaired immediately.

Whoever receives the request or handles it from the first instance carries out the room change process until properly finished. The ownership, attention to detail and the time efficiency is the key in conducting a proper room change. After the room change is executed, sharing the information with other related departments is very crucial to ensure smooth communication processes and avoid future errors. Appropriate information is distributed giving clear instructions to staff concerned on their respective responsibilities such as luggage delivery, billing system, laundry delivery, etc. In the event that the guest dissatisfaction stems from dislike as opposed to defects, there exists an opportunity to up sell to a higher category of rooms/suites.

Room Change Types: 

There may be 2 types of move involved:

  • Live MoveThis applies to room move done in the presence of the guests.
  • Dead MoveThis applies to room moves done through guest requests and after proper verifications of the guest identities or through proper authorization from guests in his/her absence.

PROCEDURES – LIVES MOVES
Club Executive, GSAs/GREs, Guest Loyalty

  1. Listen carefully to the guest, ensuring you fully understand their requirements and reasons for requesting a room change
  2. Apologize for the inconvenience which may be caused as a result of the room defect or mishandling in the earlier room assignment or noting of the guest preferences
  3. As much as possible allocate a room close to or on the same floor to the existing room and describe it to the guest. However, this depends on the nature of the complaint and in some cases, it will be necessary to move the guest further away, e.g., away from elevator noise, etc.
  4. Offer to show the new room to the guest before making the change. Make sure that the new room should be inspected by Club Executive or Duty Manager before showing it to the guest
  5. If the reason for change is due to room dislike, e.g., sizes, smell, deco etc. – take the opportunity to discuss the variety of rooms available, better view, and more space, including the Executive Club floor or higher priced rooms.
  6. Depending on the severity of the problem and the room availability, a decision has to be made on whether to upgrade at no additional charge or to upsell the new room to the guest.
  7. Get the guest to participate in the decision making process on his/her intention to move. Once the guest has approved the change, offer to send the Housekeeping staff to assist with luggage packing and the Bellman to deliver the new key, making it unnecessary for the guest to come to the front desk
  8. GSA/GRE will then raise the “Room Change Form” indicating the guest name, old/new room numbers, date/time and reasons for the move before handling over the form to the Bellman with the new sets of room keys.
  9. Inform Housekeeping Department and Room Service to change/deliver amenities for VIP or as service recovery/compensation (if applicable).
  10. The HSKP staff/Bellman should ensure in the process of making the room move, they have to check all the possible areas – including bathroom, vanity table, shower room, soap dish, closets, writing desk & side tables drawers, TV Armour, mini-bar, underneath the bed/sofa, between the sheets, inside the room safe and behind the curtains/doors etc., in order to confirm that nothing is left behind. Check also to ensure that any written notes, other pieces of papers/receipts etc. that may be important to the guest and he/she may have forgotten to take along.
  11. GSA/GRE then has to complete the room move processes in the Fidelio system after receiving the “room change form” back from the returning Bellman to confirm that the guest has already being moved to the new room. Make sure that the Bellman’s name is clearly recorded on the room change form.
  12. GSA/GRE has to make sure that the previous old room is flagged to become a “VD” or Vacant Dirty status.
  13. GSA/GRE has to give the guest a courtesy call to the guest after the change to ensure that the guest is satisfied with the new room.
  14. GSA/GRE or staff involved has to raise a Guest Incident Form (GIF) for any room changes caused due to room defects or mishandling reasons and under the “Remarks” field in the Fidelio guest profile, the cause of dissatisfaction has to be updated by the Duty Manager/GL for future references.
  15. GSA/GRE will then distribute to the various Department/Sections:
    – White: Housekeeping
    – Blue: Operator
    – Yellow: For filing at Front Desk
    – Pink: attached to Reg. Card
  16. GSA/GRE has to inform the following Section/Department of the above room change:
    – Telephone
    – Room Service
    – Laundry
    – Housekeeping
  17. GSA/GRE has to transfer the registration card (attached with the room change form) and other supporting F&B checks/bills to the new room docket

HOUSEKEEPING

  1. The General Assistant upon receiving the notification from the Front desk has to record the room movement in the HSKP Log Book.
  2. The General Assistant has to check the room status after the guest has moved and make sure that the room should be in “VD” or Vacant Dirty status in the Fidelio system and inform the Floor Supervisor in charge of the room change.
  3. The General Assistant should then inform the Room Attendant to check the mini bar of the “old” room and to charge accordingly to the new room for any previous consumption.
  4. Room Attendant or Floor Supervisor should check all the possible area including bathroom, vanity table, shower room, soap dish, closets, writing desk & side tables drawers, TV Armoire, mini bar, underneath the bed/sofa, between the sheets, inside the room safe and behind the curtains/doors etc., in order to confirm that nothing is left behind. Check also to ensure that any written notes, other pieces of papers/receipts, etc., which may be important to the guest and he/she may have forgotten to take along.

LAUNDRY

  1. Record the information of the room changes into the Log Book by the Laundry/Valet Order Taker.
  2. Check the laundry order record for any items sent by the guests from the previous rooms and take note to deliver/charge the laundry to the new room (if any).

ROOM SERVICE

  1. Record the information into the logbook.
  2. Check the room service order for any orders placed by the guest from the previous and charge/send to the guest’s new room accordingly if any.

PROCEDURES – DEAD MOVES

DUTY MANAGER / SECURITY OFFICERS

  1. If the guest has a request to have his/her belongings moved while he/she is not in the hotel/room, the Duty Manager must ascertain the proper authorization and guest verification to ensure instructions given are accurate and proper.
  2. Duty Manager must be accompanied by a Security Officer in the moving so as to ensure proper inventory on the guest’s belongings and to act as witness to each other.
  3. The information about the room movement related to the above mentioned case should be recorded on the Duty Manager Log Book and the Security Occurrence Log.
  4. Duty Manager is to ensure that the room changes are updated accordingly in the Fidelio system and that communications are left for the team members at the Front Desk to hand over the new room keys to the guest upon his/her return to the hotel.

All other procedures are to be followed.

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