Arrivals

Prepare for Guest Arrivals/ Departures Planning Planning is very important for the efficient running of the Portering service. Supervisors should work with the Front Office Manager to ensure that planning is effective. The Porters Desk should be kept tidy and well stocked with information brochures and relevant stationery. Teamwork Being responsible for all guest arrivals and departures from the hotel is a team effort and cannot be performed well by one person alone. All members of the Concierge team must offer assistance in busy times and learn to accept help graciously. The concierge team is quite extensive. It is important to respect each other and get along as a team, and make sure that working relationships are happy and effective. Guest Requirements Obtain guest reservation information from the front office prior to the guest’s arrival. This will enable seeing to guests’ special requirements. For example: • number of arrivals • group arrivals • early or late arrivals • VIP arrivals • special assistance for disabled guests • pick up from airport or other locations • request for extra or special services • room upgrade for special guest 1.2

Daily Schedule

No. 1. Each evening after most arrivals have checked in, obtain the arrivals and departures list for the following day. 2. Identify the number of group and individual departures. Check the departure times and luggage collection times requested by the groups. 3. Identify the number of group and individual arrivals, and check their expected arrival times. 4. Check that the Food & Beverage Department is aware of expected arrival times if welcome drinks are required. 5. Check what arrangements have been made for early arrivals: • Will their rooms be ready? • Does their luggage require storing? • Where will guests wait if their rooms are not yet ready? 6. Refer to the staff schedule and check that there are enough staff on duty in the morning and afternoon: • If additional staff may be required, contact staff members who have been scheduled as "Day Off" (by telephone if necessary) and ask them to come in. Reassure them that they will get an alternative day off, thank them for being willing to assist and apologise for the inconvenience.

• If assistance will only be required for an hour or so, it may be better to make arrangements for staff from another department (such as Maintenance, Housekeeping or Food and Beverage) to assist for that time period. Make sure assistance is requested in advance so that the relevant Head of Department can also plan accordingly. 2. Greet Guests 2.1 Effective Communication Importance Communication reflects what the company is about, what it stands for and what makes it unique. Effective communication often means the difference between success and failure. Whenever speaking to guests or staff, strive to deliver crisp, clear messages. Be precise and consistent. When explaining things such as giving directions, instructions etc: • Speak clearly and concisely. • Get the attention of the listener. • Give the big picture first. • Build-up on what they already know. • Group information • Speak slowly and clearly • Check understanding 2.2

Body Language

Kinesthesia (Body Language)Kinesthesia or body language refers to the posture and movements: • Facial expressions • Eye Contact • Head movements • Gestures • Posture and Movement • Appearance Facial Expression The face is the most expressive part of the body and one of the most important focus points of non-verbal signs. People are usually quite unaware of how much they rely on faces to gain and give information. Some expressions that cannot be easily controlled, include: • the widening of the pupils during emotional stimulation • sweating in times of fear • short expression of hidden emotions. Facial expressions play an important role in verbal communication and usually gives an indication of the mood in which a person is. For example, one can often tell a genuine smile by looking at the eyes: • Expanded pupils could mean positive or happy • Contracted pupils convey a negative or angry attitude • Closed eyes convey disinterest. Eye Contact It is very important to take trouble with eye contact. Eye contact stresses any of the following:

• to indicate that it is his turn to speak • to stress a point • to elicit emotions • to “read” the non-verbal feedback Good eye contact shows the guest that the member of staff regards him/her as being important, that he is interested and that he wants to make contact or want to establish rapport. Stressful and uncertain situations may cause a more frequent breakdown in eye contact. Too little eye-contact may be interpreted as: • uncertainty • impersonal • avoiding • dismay • disapproval • embarrassment or guilt • untrustworthiness • unconcerned With more eye-contact a person has a better chance of being perceived as: • sincere • friendly • prepared • confident On the other hand a constant stare may irritate the guest. Head Movement This is a quick form of non-verbal communication. It is often used as a reinforcement, for example: • if A says something and B nods his head, A will carry on • a slow nod from B gives A the indication that A can go on • a quick nod from B indicates that B also wants to say something. The head may also be an indication of the audience’s attitude: • Leaning to one side – interest • Down – disapproval or disinterest • Up - superiority Gestures Gestures are an effective aid to complement use of language. Consider the following: • A nod can stress a point • Stretching the body can indicate purposefulness • Lifting the chin can emphasise a question • Lifting the shoulders can indicate indifference Control gestures and use them purposefully to create a positive message. It is important to avoid uncontrolled gestures because they communicate nervousness. Gestures made by hands are the most common The head, feet and other parts of the body are also used and often give a better indication of a person’s real intentions because they are not that easily controlled. Gestures usually accompany words and serve to emphasise or explain these words. The position of ones hands can tell a lot about ones mood: • Open palms convey honesty and trust

• Palms up conveys submissiveness • Palms down convey authority • Finger pointing suggests authority and aggression • Clenched fists suggest anger • Hands clasped together suggest negativity. Posture and movement Cultivate a straight but comfortable posture. A bowed posture conveys to the guest a lack of self-confidence dejection or cringing. Movement is sometimes good to ease tension, but a senseless walking to and from must be avoided. Use movements purposefully. The position of the arms also conveys a message. If the arms and legs are folded the message is a negative or critical one, if the arms are folded it is a defensive message. Appearance In a situation where first impressions are formed or where you attempt to convey confidence and credibility to relatively unknown people, clothing and appearance are important. Clothing as well as hair and skin care, can be controlled at will, therefore utilise appearance to make a good impression on the audience. Only two rules are important here: • Appearance should fit the occasion. • Be neat and clean, regardless of taste and fashion. Welcoming GuestGuidelines Below are guidelines for welcoming guests correctly: No. 1. If a self-drive guest is arriving alone, be ready to open the driver's door, whereas if a couple or family is arriving be ready to open the front passenger door. 2. When the car pulls up, proceed as follows: • Smile • Open the appropriate car door • Greet the guest: "Good afternoon, Sir/ Ma'am. I am _____ (give your name). Welcome to _____ Hotel." 3. If the guest has arrived by taxi, or is carrying his/ her luggage, offer to take it from him/ her: "May I take your luggage Sir/ Ma'am?" 4. Invite the guest to follow you, by saying: "Please follow me to Reception." 5. Ensure that the door is held open for the guests, and lead them to the Reception desk. 6. On arrival it is important that the guest is acknowledged as soon as possible. The maximum time a guest should have to wait is 3 minutes. This may not seem like a long time, but for a guest who is waiting for service, any longer could cause them to become anxious. 7. A front office staff member is one of the first people the guest meets when arriving at the hotel, and is responsible for creating the first impression of the hotel and its services. 8. If one recognises a regular guest entering the hotel, make an effort to come from behind the desk, shake hands and extend a special welcome.

9. If the guest’s name is not known, use the following scenario to assist: “Welcome to our hotel. Are you checking in, sir/madam?” Introduce yourself. “My name is John. I am the concierge. May I possibly have your name sir/madam”. 10. Greet all guests in a manner that creates the ‘I am important’ thought in their mind. Individual Arrivals The Doorman usually meets and greets guests on arrival, and Porters will assist with luggage. When there is no Porter available, the Doorman may assist to bring the luggage into the hotel lobby. While one Porter is escorting guests to their rooms, another Porter should be on the door ready to greet and assist the next arrival. It is important that there is always someone available to meet, greet and assist arriving guests as follows: • Smile • Open car doors, greet and welcome guests • Direct guests to reception • Offer to have the guest's car parked, or direct the guest to the car park • Remove luggage from the car and take it into the hotel • Await the completion of registration formalities and escort guests to their room with the luggage Group Arrivals Ensure that sufficient portering staff is available from about 30 minutes before the expected arrival of each group. When the coach arrives, the group must be assisted as follows: • The Doorman or a Senior Porter should open the coach door, greet guests as they alight, and welcome them to the hotel • While this is happening, the Porters should remove the luggage from the coach and place it on trolleys to be taken into the hotel lobby • Await the completion of registration formalities and escort guests to their rooms 2.4 Departure Procedures Guidelines Below are guidelines for greeting and assisting guests on departure: No. 1. Check the list of departures the day before to familiarise yourself with which guests will be departing and to prepare for any special requests that they may have had, e.g. early departures, collection of stored items, VIP guests etc. 2. On departure it is important that the guest is greeted by name and assisted with luggage, as soon as possible. 3. Offer to bring the car to the drop-off/pick-up zone, open the car door and assist with any other requests. 4. If one recognises a regular guest leaving the hotel, make an effort to come from behind the desk, shake hands and extend a special thank you and farewell. 5. Greet all guests in a manner that creates the ‘I am important’ thought in their mind.

3. Parking and Luggage 3.1 Parking Guidelines Below are guidelines for assisting guests with parking: No. 1. If a guest has arrived in a private vehicle, inform him/her that the luggage will be fetched from the boot while he/she is checking in. Offer to have the car parked for the guest: "Would you like me to have your car parked for you, Sir/ Ma'am?" 2. If you are instructed to do so, ask for the guest's car keys and hand them to a qualified driver. 3. Some guests prefer to park their own car - respect this. Direct the guest to the car park when check-in formalities have been completed. 4. When you reach the Reception desk, introduce the Receptionist to the guests: "This is ______ (give the name of the Receptionist) who will check you in. I will collect your luggage from your car." 5. Return to the vehicle, unpack the luggage onto a trolley and return to the Reception Desk to meet the guests and accompany them to their room. 3.3

Transporting Luggage

Procedure Procedure for escorting a guest with luggage to the room: Step Action 1. Porters usually assist with luggage. When there is no Porter available, the Doorman may assist to bring the luggage into the hotel lobby.

2. Await the completion of registration formalities and escort guests to their room with the luggage 3. When the Receptionist indicates that the guest is ready to go to the room, step forward as say: "My name is ______ (give your name). May I have your key please? I will show you to your room." 4. Place the luggage on a trolley, and ask the guest to follow you. 5. On arrival at a lift (where applicable), hold the door to allow the guest to enter first, then you may enter and select the required floor. 6. When the lift arrives at the required floor, allow the guest to exit first, and tell him/her to proceed to the left/right, then lead the way. 7. Place luggage on one side of the room door, unlock and open the door, stand back to allow the guest to enter the room. 8. If the room is in darkness, say to the guest before he/she enters the room: "One moment, please, while I switch on the lights." 9. Enter the room with the luggage after the guest. Place the largest suitcase on the luggage rack and other luggage on the floor next to the luggage rack, ensuring that it does not block the guest's passage. Procedure When handling and transporting group luggage, proceed as follows: Step Action 1. Staff should be notified well in advance of group arrivals. Use the "Group Delegate Report" to prepare. Make sure that there are enough luggage labels, felt-tipped pens and trolleys. 2. When a group arrives by taxi or coach open the appropriate door and greet the guests. Assist the driver to offload the luggage. 3. Count the pieces of luggage and make a note on the Group Delegate Report. The luggage should be neatly and carefully placed on trolleys. 4. Once all luggage is in the hotel lobby, the Concierge or Head Porter must co-ordinate the marking of luggage with luggage labels. 5. With the assistance of the group leader, check that the names on the Group Delegate Reports and tags correspond with the appropriate room numbers. 6. Luggage going to the same floor must be loaded together on trolleys. If necessary, pack the trolleys again so that luggage for rooms next to each other are on the same trolley - this ensures that the journey to deliver the luggage flows logically from one room to another, and is a quick as possible. 7. The luggage must be delivered as quickly as possible to the rooms. The guests will have gone ahead. 8. The Porter must ask the Group Leader for wakeup times and luggage pick up times for the day of the group's departure and note these on the Group Delegate Report. 9. Ask the Group Leader if the delegates would kindly place their luggage outside the guestroom door at the pick up time. Note: Not all group leaders are comfortable with this, so politely accept it if the group leader declines.

Procedure When delivering luggage to a room when the guest has gone ahead, proceed as follows: Step Action 1. Place the luggage against the wall in the reception area. Place all luggage for the same area of the hotel on a trolley and deliver to the rooms, taking a master key with you. 2. On arrival at the room, knock loudly on the door. When the guest answers the door, introduce yourself and ask where the guest would like you to place the luggage, by saying: "Good evening, Mr. ______. I am _____ (give your name). Where would you like me to place your luggage?" 3. Carefully place the luggage in the required place. Say to the guest: "May I show you the facilities in the room." 4. Demonstrate to the guest how the air-conditioning and televisions sets work. Point out the location of the tea/coffee facilities and the safe to the guest. Before leaving ask the guest if there is anything else you can do, and respond appropriately. If the guest requires no further assistance, leave saying: "Thank you very much, Mr. ______. Enjoy your stay with us." 5. If the guest gives you a tip, thank him/her politely, but don't overdo it. 6. If the guest does not respond to your knock, insert the key and knock again. If there is still no reply, unlock the door and open it. Before entering the room, say: "Porter - luggage delivery." 7. If the guest responds to your call, say: "Good evening, Mr. ______. I am ______ (give your name). Where would you like me to place your luggage?" Continue as described before. 8. If there is still no response, enter the room and place the luggage neatly and carefully on the floor at the foot of the bed. Place any items on hangers neatly on the bed. Procedure Below are procedures for storing luggage for guests who have checked in before rooms are ready: Step Action 1. Label the luggage with the room numbers obtained from the Group Delegate Report or the Arrivals List. 2. Store the luggage in the Porters Lodge. 3. Deliver the luggage to the guestrooms when they are ready.