We arrived at the hotel for check-in at 3:00 PM, which is the standard check-in time. The customer service manager informed us that our room was not ready due to a shortage of cleaning staff, and we were asked to wait. We waited for over an hour, during which time we saw other guests being checked into different room types without issue.
It was reasonable to assume that the manager had already instructed the cleaning staff to prioritize our room, given we were waiting in the lobby. However, when we followed up after an hour, the front desk staff told us that no such communication had been made to the cleaners. Only after we specifically requested to speak with the manager again did they finally contact housekeeping to prioritize our room.
This delay and lack of communication were entirely avoidable. Given they were aware of the short staffing issue, it should have been basic protocol for the manager to immediately coordinate with the cleaning team to prepare our room as a priority. Instead, we were left waiting unnecessarily due to poor internal coordination.