If you’re only looking to hotel front desk staff to help with check-in and check-out, you’re missing out.
Front desk staffers are prepped and ready to help hotel guests. While not all hotels offer the exact same amenities (or level of care), there are some nearly across-the-board requests they can assist with — and you’re probably unaware of some of these offerings.
Below, hotel front desk staff from across the country share how they can help you have a relaxing or luxurious stay:
1. They can give restaurant recommendations.
Online dining guides and social media make it easy to just use your phone to find a good place for dinner, but front desk workers carry a wealth of real-life knowledge in this realm.
Jessica Kaup, the guest services supervisor for the Union Station Hotel Nashville Yards, said she’s always happy to recommend local restaurants to guests and can even give tailored advice to folks, whether they’re looking for the best eateries within walking distance, the best places to eat with kids or restaurants that are good for those with dietary restrictions.
“All of us have our spots that we recommend for all of those things,” said Kaup, who added that sometimes front desk staff can even help you get a reservation at a hard-to-get-into restaurant.
The fun part about asking for restaurant recommendations is “no matter which person you ask, you’re going to get a different answer, and you’re going to get a total different vibe,” said Ericka Nelson, the director of operations at Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants and general manager of the Kimpton EPIC in Miami.
2. They can help decorate rooms for special occasions.
“I don’t remember five years ago this request being quite as popular as it is now, and I see it all the time where a guest is coming in for some sort of a celebration, and they would like the front desk to decorate the room for their anniversary, their birthday, their graduation, whatever that is,” Nelson said.
Front desks will often have basic supplies to make a room look special, whether that’s balloons or rose petals or something of the like. If you want something more, it may cost extra, Nelson noted.
Some hotel front desk staff are also willing to use the decor you provide to bedeck a room for you.
“I really like setting up for events,” said Elena Fermin-Rivers, the rooms comptroller at Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport. For example, “We had this group that came in and she dropped her little carry-on suitcase with decorations for a bachelorette, and we went upstairs, took her decorations [and] put them up so when the party arrived … everything was already set up in the room.”
3. They can make transportation arrangements.
If you need help securing transportation during your trip, the front desk staff should be able to assist you. This can be especially helpful when you need to be somewhere at a specific time, like the airport, cruise terminal or a tour meeting spot.
“We have a couple transportation companies when we know that somebody really needs that reliability,” Nelson said.
In this same realm, you can ask the front desk staff for directions if you’d rather get somewhere via your own transportation, according to Fermin-Rivers.
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4. They will provide advice on local attractions.
“I particularly enjoy helping guests plan their itineraries and discover unique local experiences, as it’s always rewarding to see them explore and appreciate what Colorado Springs has to offer,” said Bryce Baron, the guest service manager at The Mining Exchange Hotel in Colorado.
Just as with asking hotel workers for restaurant recommendations, they’ll be able to give you local insight into popular attractions in the area and offer tips on when best to visit and how to secure tickets ahead of time.
5. They’ll help you secure rooms next to each other.
Front desk staff can also help folks book hotel rooms that are next to each other or that are adjoining.
Fermin-Rivers said this is a common request for folks traveling with family, and especially for people with kids. Also in this realm? Crib requests, she noted.
6. They can provide necessities for your pet.
If you’re staying at a pet-friendly hotel, it’s likely they have items you may need for your pet. “We have … pet water bowls and little stuff [like] pet treats that we can put in the room,” explained Fermin-Rivers.
While you may not always inform the hotel that you’re bringing your pet, it’s a good idea to do so. This way, you can find out the amenities they offer for your furry friend and arrange all of that ahead of time.
7. They can give you small things you forgot to pack.
It’s not a great feeling when you get to your hotel after a day of traveling just to realize you forgot something small that you really need, like toothpaste or a safety pin. Or maybe you realize the cafe is closed but you really need a cup of coffee.
Kaup said it’s common for front desk staff to be able to assist with these things, and it’s one of her favorite kinds of tasks to help with.
“It feels like so much to that person who you’re helping because they feel like you’re doing something special for them, or they feel like you’re doing something that is … not necessarily with the grain,” Kaup said. “But it’s so small, like it’s so small to find you a safety pin, and it’s so easy to go grab you a cup of coffee when the cafe is closed.”
Nelson noted that it’s common for properties to have seemingly random things in stock just for this reason — to help someone feel at home and taken care of when they forget the small things like a steamer or hair ties.
Bonus tip: Sign up for hotel loyalty programs for an even more personalized stay.
You probably don’t think much about hotel loyalty programs. Maybe you’ve used one to sign up for free Wi-Fi or a members-only rate (which are, of course, perks), but have you dug into the preferences and settings in your loyalty account?
Booking hotels and signing up for loyalty programs is largely done online, but in the days when these things were done in-person, guests had the option to check off preferences for their stay ― everything from pillow types to requests for certain rooms.
Kate Casey, the guest ambassador manager at the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport, said that because things are now done almost entirely online, folks don’t think to fill out their preferences, but this can be done via many hotel loyalty programs.
For the property Casey works at, “they can request Swedish pillows, they can request buckwheat pillows, noise machines, [rooms with certain views] and when they’re just enrolling quickly online, they don’t often see that.”
Fermin-Rivers encourages “people to look at every hotel and what they offer and their loyalty membership. That way, the specials are recorded and can be saved, and that way, it’s just easier when they come into the hotel, we can provide it.”
Hotel staff want to make your stay as enjoyable as possible, and having these preferences saved is just one way to do that.
“Hospitality is lovely and we’re here for you, and you can come to the front desk with literally anything,” Kaup said. “There’s sort of a philosophy that we all live by, which is the combination of ‘you’re welcome’ and ‘you are welcome,’ and just making people feel that I’m here to help with anything that you might need, but this is also your place, just as much as it’s mine.”