What the Front Desk Wishes Every Guest Knew

Timing, Holds and the Magic Words

Check-in is 14:00 because housekeeping needs the morning — but if you arrive at noon and ask nicely, we can almost always find you a ready room or store your bags while you take lunch. The magic words aren't 'do you know who I am' — they're 'I know you're probably slammed, but if anything's ready...'

Credit-card holds confuse everyone: the desk pre-authorises an amount for incidentals that your bank may show as a charge. It isn't — it drops off after checkout. If the pending amount worries you, ask us the hold figure at check-in and we'll explain exactly what it covers.

Upgrades: the Honest Arithmetic

Upgrades happen when three things align: a better room is empty tonight, you booked a flexible or direct rate, and the interaction was pleasant. In that order. Anniversaries and honeymoons get real consideration — tell us at booking, not at the desk, so we can actually prepare something.

One-night stays rarely upgrade (the room turns over anyway) and neither do third-party discount bookings — the margin left nothing to upgrade with. Book direct, stay two-plus nights, be kind to the person holding the keys. That's the entire algorithm.

The Desk's Wishes

1. Book direct — it's where upgrades, holds and flexibility all live.
2. Tell us the occasion at booking, not at arrival — preparation beats surprise.
3. Ask early for late checkout; asking at 11:55 is asking the person with the least power to grant it.
4. Mention preferences once and kindly — we record them, promise.
5. If something's wrong, tell us tonight, not at checkout — we can't fix a night that's already happened.

The Part Guests Never See

Every night at 23:00, the desk runs the 'regret list' — things guests mentioned too late to fix. The single most common entry: 'wish they'd told us earlier.' A wobbly table at 20:00 gets fixed at 20:15; at checkout it becomes a review and a regret.

So: tell us tonight, ask us anything, book direct and stay two nights. Do those four and you're already our favourite kind of guest — the kind the whole hotel quietly competes to impress.