Check-out should be fast, accurate and warm. You review the guest folio (the guest's bill), take payment, collect the key cards and update the room in the PMS. Some guests ask for a late check-out, which means leaving after the standard time.
Why it matters
Billing mistakes cost the hotel money and spoil the guest's last memory. A warm goodbye can turn a good stay into a return booking.
Key ideas
The guest folio
The list of every charge: room nights, taxes, restaurant, bar and minibar. Guests should review it before paying.
Late check-out
Keeping the room past the normal time, sometimes for a fee. Check upcoming arrivals and ask housekeeping before you agree.
Express check-out
The guest drops off the key cards and receives the bill by email, paid from the card on file.
Step by step
- 1
Greet the guest and confirm their name and room number.
- 2
Ask about minibar use or any charges this morning.
- 3
Show the folio and let the guest check it.
- 4
Take payment or settle the bill against the pre-authorisation.
- 5
Collect the key cards, give an invoice and offer luggage storage.
Do
- Ask 'How was your stay?' and listen to the answer.
- Offer to email the invoice.
- Record an approved late check-out in the PMS straight away.
Common mistakes
- Don't argue about a disputed charge.
- Don't promise a late check-out before you have checked.
- Don't forget to settle or release the pre-authorisation.
The situation
A guest says they took nothing from the minibar, but the folio shows two soft drinks.
What a professional does
You apologise and check when the charge was posted and by whom. If it cannot be confirmed, you remove it within your authority or ask a supervisor, and you ask housekeeping to check the minibar record.
Useful phrases
“Good morning. How was your stay with us?”
“Here is your bill. Please take a moment to check it.”
Pro tip
Print the folios for early departures the night before so the morning queue moves quickly.
Quick check
A guest wants to keep the room until 3 pm on departure day. What do you check?
Think about it, then show the answer
Whether the room is needed for an early arrival, whether housekeeping can clean it later, and any fee.