What happens when an employee arrives at their apartment after a long journey, only to find it hasn’t been cleaned or the heating doesn’t work?
Travel managers, mobility teams and relocation consultants know the answer well. An urgent call, a rushed re-booking, and a stressful start to a stay that was meant to go smoothly.
Too often, the person who discovers the problem is the one least able to fix it: the guest, standing at the door with their luggage.
With AltoVita’s pre-arrival inspection process, problems are found by us, not by your employees. Every serviced apartment booked through AltoVita is inspected on-site, with photos, before check-in. Each inspection is reviewed and signed off by our Guest Experience team and recorded against the booking, so if something isn’t right, it’s flagged while there’s still time to resolve it.
For travel and mobility teams, duty of care means being responsible for the safety and standard of every property that employees stay in. Yet when they’re asked to show that a property was checked, the answer across the industry has often relied on emails and goodwill. Checks happen, but they’re not always recorded.
AltoVita’s pre-arrival inspection process closes that gap by ensuring that every inspected booking carries a time-stamped record. It shows that someone physically walked the property, what they found, and that it was reviewed before the employee checked in.
The record is also built to be credible, since it doesn’t rely solely on partners’ self-assessment. Our Guest Experience team reviews the full report, and anything short of a straightforward approval requires a written comment explaining why.
For guests, most of this process takes place behind the scenes. They arrive at an apartment that is ready for them, with any issues flagged and addressed ahead of time. For someone starting a new assignment or a long-term project, the first evening sets the tone for the stay, and it should be spent settling in rather than dealing with problems.
An inspection process is only effective if it’s straightforward to complete. That’s why AltoVita’s pre-arrival inspection process was designed with our Guest Experience teams across regions and validated with our accommodation partners.
Each inspection is scheduled automatically once a booking is confirmed and adjusts if the check-in date changes. Partners receive automatic reminders until the inspection is submitted, and can easily complete it on a phone or tablet at the property. The same checklist applies to every serviced apartment in every market, so expectations are clear and consistent.
Pre-arrival inspection is one part of AltoVita’s wider quality control process, designed to support duty of care and give peace of mind to clients and guests.