Getting check-in under five minutes at a 40-room hotel in Lekki
A front desk team in Lekki cut evening check-in queues by preparing rooms, deposits and guest details before the guest arrives.
Most check-in delays at small hotels do not happen at the desk. They happen earlier, when a reservation comes in by phone or WhatsApp and nobody records the arrival time, the deposit, or which room is actually ready.
What the team changed
The front desk now confirms every reservation in the system on the day it is made, including the expected arrival time and whether a deposit has been paid. Housekeeping marks rooms as clean in the same system, so the desk can assign a room before the guest walks in.
The guest only signs and collects the key. Everything else is done before they arrive.
Front office supervisor
What it looks like on a busy Friday
Between 5pm and 9pm the desk handles most arrivals for the weekend. With rooms pre-assigned and deposits already recorded, each check-in takes a few minutes, and the night manager can see at a glance which guests are still expected.