Anyone who has worked a hotel reception in August knows most guests are polite, tired and a little lost. It is not their fault. They just cannot see what happens behind the desk.
We collected seven things that would make the day easier for both sides. Send it to your front-desk colleague. Or, better still, put them politely into your pre-arrival messages.
1. Check-in time is not stubbornness
At 11:00 the previous guest leaves. At 15:00 you arrive. In between, a housekeeper cleans your room and ten others. When you ask "can I get in at 8 in the morning?", the answer does not depend on reception's mood. It depends on whether someone is still asleep in your bed.
What helps: ask in advance and leave your luggage. If a room of your type is ready early, reception will see it and let you know.
2. Tell us when you will arrive
The ferry is late, the flight is late, the road from the airport is longer than the map suggested. That is fine. It is only a problem when we do not know. Reception may close at 22:00, and the owner may be in another village.
What helps: a message, even two words. On the property side, all messages land in one unified inbox, next to the reservation, whether you wrote on Booking.com, on Airbnb or by email. We see it.
3. The Wi-Fi password is already on your phone
Or at least it can be. Many properties now have a digital card: a QR code at reception or in the room that opens a page with the Wi-Fi, breakfast hours, parking and directions. The Wi-Fi question is the most common one at reception. The fiftieth time of the day is not as cheerful as the first.
What helps: scan the QR code. If your property does not have one, see how a digital card is set up.
4. A request is not a guarantee, but it helps a lot
"I asked for the ground floor." We read it. If there are three ground-floor rooms and five guests asked, we will do what we can, but the walls do not move. Baby cot, quiet room, connecting rooms for two families: the earlier we know, the easier it is.
What helps: write it in the booking message, not only at reception on arrival.
5. We did not invent the climate resilience fee
Greece's climate crisis resilience fee is a state fee per night. The property collects it and pays it to the state. It is often not included in the price you saw on the booking platform, which is why it is asked for at the property. Reception did not make it up; it just collects it. For owners, the details are in our article on the climate resilience fee.
6. Tell us about the problem on day one, not in the review
The air conditioner does not cool. The tap drips. The neighbour plays music. If we hear it on day one, we fix it or move you. If we hear it in the review, there is nothing left to do except apologise in public.
What helps: a message or a stop at reception. We will not think you are difficult. You are doing us a favour.
7. Check-out has a time because someone else is coming
Number 1, the other way round. If you stay until 14:00 without saying so, the next guest waits in the lobby, and tomorrow they will write about the wait too.
What helps: if you want a late check-out, ask the evening before. If the room has no arrival, it often works.
And on the property side
Most guests would do all of the above if they knew. The property's job is to tell them early and politely:
- check-in and check-out times, with "what if you arrive early", in the pre-arrival email,
- Wi-Fi, breakfast and directions on the digital card,
- a message after arrival: "if you need anything, reply here".
If you liked this list, you will like the other side of it: Things hotel owners say.
Want every guest message in one place? Start the free 14-day demo with your own rooms at bookmatrix.com/demo, no card needed. Or leave your details at bookmatrix.com/form and we will call you on the next working day. You can also call us at +30 2351 151525.