Coat check for hotels and events: prices, shifts and the bell desk
Coat check for hotels and events needs prices the guest sees before they commit, a shift that closes with a cash count, and a record of where luggage is. A hotel bell desk and an event cloakroom use the same ticket with different settings. vFound records the money but takes no payment.
The essentials
- A hotel bell desk and an event cloakroom share one ticket, with different settings for each.
- In vFound, a site records the fee, deposit and tip it takes at its own desk or till; vFound takes no payment.
- With shifts turned on, staff close a shift with a blind cash count.
- vFound never disposes of anything left behind; an owner or manager records a disposal only from the day the guest was told.
The same ticket, a different desk
A hotel bell desk and an event cloakroom look alike from the front. A guest hands something over and gets a ticket. Behind the counter they differ. A hotel keeps luggage for days, moves it to rooms and may handle a car. An event keeps coats for one night, in a rush at the start and a rush at the end.
Set the desk up for the busiest hour it will have.
Prices: set them before the first guest
Decide what the desk charges and for what: a flat fee per item, a different fee for luggage, a deposit on something easy to lose, a tip if you allow one. A guest who sees the price first has less to dispute at the counter.
A site can set up kinds of item, such as umbrellas, helmets, skis or prams, each with its own optional price, deposit and storage place. Self check-in shows the guest the price before they commit, and it is paid at the desk.
A site can record the fee and deposit it takes at its own desk or till and, if it turns tips on, a tip. A deposit can be given back, and an owner or manager can void a recorded row with a reason. Charge nothing, record cash, or take payment through your own external POS or card terminal and record it at the desk. vFound does not process or hold guest payments.
Shifts and the blind cash count
If money changes hands at the desk, each shift should end with a count. A blind count means the person counting writes down what is in the till before seeing what it should be, which keeps the count honest.
With shifts turned on, staff close a shift with a blind cash count.
The hotel bell desk and luggage
Luggage needs two things a coat does not: a known place, and a trail when it moves. Each ticket records its hook number and storage location, and a site can scan a shelf label to record where things are kept. When a site hands back by scanning the item’s tag, vFound checks the tag against the ticket and refuses a wrong item.
A hotel can turn on a bell desk, where a request to take a guest’s things to a room is given to a team member, picked up and finished only by the hand-back in that room. A site can also keep a car or bike as a vehicle ticket with its plate and where the key is kept.
Events: tickets, phone numbers and event settings
A queue of hundreds is the test of a cloakroom. Reusable QR hanger tags and a ticket on the guest’s phone are two ways to keep it moving.
A site can make reusable QR hanger tags. When a site turns phone tickets on, staff type the guest’s number beside their country, and the ticket keeps only the last four digits and a keyed fingerprint of the number. A guest who prefers not to give a number gets a four-digit PIN, which is forgotten when the ticket is finished.
An owner or manager can also give an event its own title, colour and note on its guests’ ticket pages.
Things left behind
Every desk ends a night with something nobody collected. Decide before the night what happens to it and tell guests the rule.
A site can set follow-up emails and a disposal date for things left at closing. vFound never disposes of anything: an owner or manager records a disposal only from the day the guest was told.
What vFound does not do
vFound does not process or hold guest payments, and it takes no payment for the checkroom: the site collects at its own desk, till or card terminal and records it. It never disposes of anything left behind. The To store list and the movement log are off until a site turns them on.
A bell desk, phone tickets and shifts are things a site turns on.
A short checklist
- Write the prices, deposits and tip rule before the first guest arrives.
- Decide who counts the till at the end of each shift, and count blind.
- Give every storage place a name and label it.
- For a hotel, decide who takes things to a room and who finishes the hand-back there.
- For an event, give it its own title and note so guests know which desk they are at.
- Agree the date after which anything left is dealt with, and tell guests.
To try these settings, request your free trial. It is a 14-day free trial we set up with you, then yearly by invoice. The full list is on the coat check software page.
Frequently asked questions
Can a hotel use vFound Checkroom as a bell desk?
A hotel can turn on a bell desk, where a request to take a guest’s things to a room is given to a team member, picked up and finished only by the hand-back in that room.
Does vFound take payment for the coat check?
No. A site can record the fee and deposit it takes at its own desk or till and, if it turns tips on, a tip. vFound does not process or hold guest payments.
How does a shift close?
With shifts turned on, staff close a shift with a blind cash count.
Run coat check, bag check and luggage storage with private phone tickets, an exit queue and no per-ticket vFound fees.