Checklist template

Front desk operations for hotels

A ready-to-use checklist with 108 items in 6 sections, covering Arrival, Check-in, Check-out, Cash and payments, Shift handover, Desk appearance. Use it as-is in InspectLoop, or adapt it to your own standards in minutes.

  • 6 Sections
  • 108 Items
  • 94 Yes / No checks
  • 5 Scored ratings
  • 119 Points

Use this template How audits work

1. Arrival 18 items

  1. Today's arrivals report is open or printed at the desk at the start of the shift Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Rooms for arrivals with special requests (crib, accessible room, connecting rooms) were blocked before the first arrival Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Top-tier loyalty members arriving today are flagged on the arrivals report Yes / No 1 pt
  4. A guest entering the lobby is acknowledged within the time set by brand standard, even when the agent is serving someone else Yes / No 1 pt
  5. The agent makes eye contact with the guest before looking at the screen Yes / No 1 pt
  6. A second agent or a manager comes to the desk when more guests are waiting than the brand standard allows Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Guests arriving with several bags are offered a luggage cart or help with their bags Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Luggage carts not in use are parked at their designated spot, not left in the lobby Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The luggage storage room is locked when no employee is inside Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Each stored bag carries a numbered tag, and the guest holds the matching stub Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Guests arriving before their room is ready are offered luggage storage Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Early arrivals are given an expected time at which the room will be ready Yes / No 1 pt
  13. A mobile number is recorded on the reservation of each early arrival waiting for a room Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The status of 5 rooms sampled in the property management system matches the housekeeping status Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Arrivals with a group or negotiated rate show the correct rate code on the reservation Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Guests waiting in line at the time of the observation Number
  17. Longest wait observed before a guest was served (minutes) Number
  18. Welcome given to arriving guests observed Rating
    • Prompt, warm and by name where known 5 pts
    • Polite but slow or impersonal 3 pts
    • Guests ignored or left waiting 1 pt

2. Check-in 20 items

  1. The agent asks for the guest's name and confirms the reservation without saying the name of another guest aloud Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Government-issued photo identification is checked against the name on the reservation Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The departure date is confirmed aloud with the guest Yes / No 1 pt
  4. The room type and bed type are confirmed with the guest before a room is assigned Yes / No 1 pt
  5. The nightly rate is shown or pointed to on the registration card or screen, not announced aloud Yes / No 1 pt
  6. The guest signs or initials the registration card or the signature pad Yes / No 1 pt
  7. An email address is confirmed for the folio Yes / No 1 pt
  8. The room number is written on the key packet and not spoken aloud Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The agent asks how many keys the guest needs Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Keys are encoded for the full length of the stay, so the guest does not have to return to the desk Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Loyalty members are thanked for their membership and told their benefits for this stay Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Non-members are invited to join the loyalty program Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Breakfast hours and location are stated at check-in Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The Wi-Fi name and how to connect are given at check-in Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Directions to the elevators and the room are given, with a gesture or by walking the guest out from behind the desk Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Parking fees, resort fees or pet fees that apply are explained before the card is authorized Yes / No 1 pt
  17. An upgrade or upsell offer is made where the brand program calls for one Yes / No 1 pt
  18. Guests who checked in on the mobile app can collect or activate a key without repeating the full check-in Yes / No 1 pt
  19. Time taken for one check-in observed, from greeting to keys handed over (minutes) Number
  20. Accuracy of the check-ins observed Rating
    • Every step completed 5 pts
    • One or two steps missed 3 pts
    • Several steps missed 1 pt

3. Check-out 17 items

  1. The departures report was reviewed this morning for late check-out requests Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Late check-out requests granted are entered in the property management system so housekeeping can see them Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The agent asks how the stay was before closing the folio Yes / No 1 pt
  4. A problem mentioned at check-out is logged in the guest incident log before the guest leaves the desk Yes / No 1 pt
  5. The folio is offered for review before the card is charged Yes / No 1 pt
  6. The agent asks about minibar or market purchases not yet posted Yes / No 1 pt
  7. The folio is emailed or printed according to the guest's choice Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Keys are collected or the guest is told they can be dropped in the key box Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The room is checked out in the system at the time the guest leaves, not in a batch later Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Guests checking out are offered help with luggage or a taxi or shuttle Yes / No 1 pt
  11. The agent thanks the guest by name and invites a return visit Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Rooms due out and still occupied after the grace period set by company policy have been called or visited Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Express check-out folios slipped under doors or emailed this morning match the system balance for 3 rooms sampled Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Items reported left behind by a departing guest are logged in the lost and found record with the room number Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Rooms due out and not yet checked out at the time of the visit Number
  16. Disputed charges on departures so far today Number
  17. Handling of departures observed Rating
    • Folio reviewed and stay feedback asked each time 5 pts
    • One of the two skipped 3 pts
    • Keys taken with no review or thanks 1 pt

4. Cash and payments 16 items

  1. Each agent on shift works from their own cash bank Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The cash drawer is closed between transactions Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The agent on duty counted the bank at the start of the shift and signed the count sheet Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Cash received is counted in front of the guest before it goes into the drawer Yes / No 1 pt
  5. A receipt is given for every cash payment and every paid-out Yes / No 1 pt
  6. A declined card is handled quietly: the agent asks for another form of payment without announcing the decline Yes / No 1 pt
  7. The authorization amount taken at check-in follows the brand rule (room, tax and incidentals for the stay) Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Guests paying with a debit card are told that the authorization holds funds on their account Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Prepaid and third-party reservations are not charged again for room and tax at the desk Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Tax-exempt guests' certificates are collected at check-in and attached to the reservation Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Folio routing (company pays room and tax, guest pays incidentals) is set up at check-in as the reservation states Yes / No 1 pt
  12. The agent asked can split a folio between two guests or two cards without calling a manager Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Direct-bill folios are routed only for companies on the approved direct-bill list Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Guest safe deposit boxes are opened only with the guest present and a signed access record Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Folios in house with no method of payment on file at the time of the visit Number
  16. Gift cards or loyalty points offered as payment are accepted as the brand program states Yes / No 1 pt

5. Shift handover 16 items

  1. The outgoing and incoming agents overlap for the handover time set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The shift log has an entry for each of the last 3 shifts Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Each log entry is signed or carries the user name of the person who wrote it Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Open guest requests are passed on with the room number, the request and the time promised Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Group arrivals due on the coming shift are pointed out, with the rooming list and the key packets prepared Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Rooms out of order or out of service are listed in the log with the reason Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Expected late arrivals and their guaranteed status are pointed out at handover Yes / No 1 pt
  8. The house count (arrivals, departures, rooms available to sell) is given to the incoming shift Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Tonight's selling strategy (rate restrictions, oversell position, walk plan) is known to the incoming agent Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Master keys and the emergency key are counted and signed over Yes / No 1 pt
  11. The radio or duty phone is handed over charged and working Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Packages held for guests are listed in the package log with the date received and the room or name Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Pending room moves and rooms held for a named guest are listed in the log Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The manager on duty's name and contact number for the coming shift are written in the log Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Name of the agent who received the handover Short text
  16. Quality of the shift log entries reviewed Rating
    • Complete and actionable 5 pts
    • Present but short on detail 3 pts
    • Missing or unreadable 1 pt

6. Desk appearance 21 items

  1. The desk top is clear of personal items, food and drinks Yes / No 1 pt
  2. No guest registration card, folio or report with guest names is visible from the guest side Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Screens are angled or filtered so guests cannot read them Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Agents wear the complete uniform in clean, pressed condition Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Each agent wears a name tag Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Pens, key packets and local maps are stocked at each workstation Yes / No 1 pt
  7. The key encoder at each workstation encodes a key on the first try Yes / No 1 pt
  8. The card terminal at each workstation completes a test transaction or shows it is online Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The folio printer at each workstation prints a legible page Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Collateral on the desk is current, brand-approved and free of handwritten signs Yes / No 1 pt
  11. The desk front, the counter and the floor behind the desk are clean and free of scuffs Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Cables and equipment under the desk are tidy and out of guest view Yes / No 1 pt
  13. The back office door is closed or what is visible through it is tidy Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The lobby music and lighting are set to the brand standard for the time of day Yes / No 1 pt
  15. The telephone is answered within 3 rings, or the number the brand sets, with the brand greeting Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Callers are asked before being placed on hold Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Agents stand while serving guests unless the desk is designed for seated service Yes / No 1 pt
  18. An agent asked could state today's occupancy and the number of arrivals still due Yes / No 1 pt
  19. Name of the front office manager or supervisor on duty Short text
  20. Overall standard of front desk operations Rating
    • Meets brand standard throughout 5 pts
    • Meets standard with a few gaps 3 pts
    • Falls short in several areas 1 pt
  21. Corrective actions required Comments

About this template

This checklist is part of the InspectLoop template library. Yes / No checks score 1 point when met; ratings score the points shown for each option. The overall score is the percentage of points earned, with N/A answers excluded. In InspectLoop you can add photos, assign corrective actions, require sign-off and compare results across sites.

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