Plan the guest journey as one hotel transaction
Every touchpoint needs a trigger, expected outcome and owner for exceptions.Map the journey as hotel decisions rather than a marketing campaign. Confirmation, pre-arrival data, room readiness, stay service, payment and invoice each need a reliable operating outcome.
Hotel Nordlicht defines seven required moments and one exception for each. An arrival message succeeds when it belongs to the correct stay and gives a clear next step; an undeliverable email creates front-desk follow-up.
| Guest moment | Visible hotel outcome | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Booking | Reservation, guest, rate and policies are connected. | Front desk / direct sales |
| Confirmation | Guest receives price, dates and next steps. | Front desk |
| Pre-arrival details | Missing registration data is visible before arrival. | Guest + front desk |
| Arrival | Room is ready, balance and key process are clear. | Front desk + housekeeping |
| Stay | Message, extra and room state remain booking-linked. | Guest service |
| Departure | Charges, payment, invoice and room transition agree. | Front desk + finance |
| Follow-up | Allowed communication, privacy and history remain clean. | Management |
Connect booking and guest profile correctly
One person can have several stays and one stay can include several people. Check for an existing guest profile using verified identity clues, while keeping each trip’s dates, channel, price, policies and state separate.
Anna Berger books direct for herself and a companion. Her verified profile links to a new stay, the companion is added in context and the private invoice recipient is chosen anew rather than inherited from an earlier company trip.
Before saving a guest profile
- Existing profiles were checked using reliable identifiers.
- Profile and specific trip are not confused.
- Companions are assigned to the correct stay.
- Invoice recipient and consent are deliberately reviewed per transaction.
Send only relevant and correct pre-arrival information
A message is good when the guest knows what to do next.Plan pre-arrival communication by purpose. Confirmation summarises the transaction; arrival information covers address, time, contact and next check-in step; missing registration data receives a clear action. Do not repeat one long message three times.
Manual messages belong to a booking conversation. Direct and manual bookings use email; partner bookings keep their booking or OTA channel. The team does not arbitrarily change channel. Test templates and placeholders with a real test booking.
| Timing | Purpose | Required content |
|---|---|---|
| Immediately after booking | Confirm completion | Dates, guests, category, rate, price, policies |
| Several days before arrival | Prepare arrival | Address, time window, contact, check-in step |
| When data is missing | Close a specific gap | What is missing, why it is needed, safe path |
| On arrival day | Final orientation | Current access, late-arrival contact, no conflicting repetition |
Use online check-in as preparation, not a second reservation
Online check-in complements an existing stay. The guest completes required details and acknowledgements. Only information genuinely needed for operations and registration should be mandatory.
Test complete, missing and invalid data. Errors must be clear and cannot look successful. Front desk then verifies new details, booking assignment and remaining work. The guest does not create another reservation or loose profile.
Approve online check-in with three cases
- 01Complete standard case
Complete all required fields and verify visible completion.
- 02Required field missing
Attempt completion and verify clear field guidance.
- 03Invalid data
Verify error state with no success confirmation or contradictory save.
- 04PMS reconciliation
Open the existing stay and verify new details and open work.
Prepare arrival with a ready room and clear balance
Check-in begins before the guest reaches front desk-with a verified stay.The morning shift checks today’s arrivals: guest, people, dates, category, room, online check-in, rate, policies, extras, payments and balance. Early-arrival rooms receive visible housekeeping priority. “Probably ready” is not a release.
Ready means empty, cleaned, reviewed and released for the next arrival. Completed stayover service is different. Hotel Nordlicht releases Anna’s room at 13:40 and front desk confirms her 14:00 arrival without a call chain.
Review an arrival in 90 seconds
- Guest, companions and dates agree.
- Room is explicitly ready.
- Rate, policies and extras are clear.
- Payments and balance are visible together.
- Online check-in and open details are reviewed.
- Access, key and special arrival information are clear.
Keep messages, extras and room state connected during the stay
A stay question belongs to the booking conversation, not a loose message centre. Reply in the booking’s channel and record the result where the next shift will find it. A request may become information, a charge or a task, each with a clear outcome.
Charges attach to the correct stay; housekeeping remains in room controls. A defect reported in a guest message becomes an operational task and, if needed, a true room block. Communication is not the sole source for operational state.
Complete departure, invoice and follow-up cleanly
The guest journey ends with a properly completed stay, not merely a printed invoice.Before departure, review accommodation, extras, recipient, tax, payments and balance. Correct the source transaction rather than only the PDF. After payment, document, payment status and list agree, and the room enters departure housekeeping rather than becoming automatically ready.
After the stay, send only communication with a clear purpose and permission. Separate service and legal retention from voluntary marketing, and handle privacy requests through the proper process. Good follow-up protects both relationship and data.
Complete departure in five steps
- 01Review charges
Compare accommodation and extras with the stay and guest agreement.
- 02Set recipient
Choose private or company deliberately and verify master data.
- 03Approve preview
Read dates, amounts, tax, payments and balance.
- 04Complete payment and document
Compare final PDF and finance list.
- 05Handover room and privacy work
Trigger departure cleaning and route open privacy work.
