What is the walked guest record form template?
When a hotel is oversold, front office may have to "walk" a guest with a confirmed booking to another hotel. It's a stressful moment for the guest, and how it's handled decides whether they come back. Afterwards, revenue, reservations and guest relations all need to know exactly what happened and what was promised.
This template records the guest and booking, including the channel, loyalty status and whether the booking was guaranteed, then the relocation itself: the reason, the alternative hotel and confirmation number, whether it's of the same standard, the cost, transport provided and whether the guest is coming back. The final page covers compensation offered, the guest's response, follow-up actions and the duty manager's sign-off.
Each record is saved as a PDF in your FileIt vault, so the morning team can honour every promise made overnight and revenue managers can review how often the hotel walks guests.
- Best for
- Hotels, resorts and serviced apartment operators
- Filled in by
- Front office staff and the duty manager
- Time to complete
- About 5 minutes
- Includes
- Booking details, alternative hotel, transport, compensation checklist, guest response, follow-up and signature
Who uses a walked guest record form?
- A city hotel walking a guest on a sold-out conference night
- A night manager handing over a relocation to the morning front office team
- A revenue manager reviewing overbooking outcomes each month
- A hotel group keeping walk records consistent across properties
- Guest relations following up with a relocated loyalty member
- A resort relocating a family because of rooms taken out of order
Questions on this walked guest record form
35 questions over 3 pages · includes signature, conditional questions, multiple pages.
1 Guest and booking
- Hotel*
- Date of arrival*
- Guest name*
- Confirmation number*
- Booked through* Direct: phone or email · Hotel website · Online travel agency · Travel agent · Group or corporate rate · Loyalty redemption
- Loyalty programme member?
- Membership number and tier asked only when it applies
- Room type booked*
- Nights booked*
- Nights relocated*
- Room rate booked (per night)
- Was the booking guaranteed or prepaid?*
- Guest email
- Guest phone
- Time the guest arrived*
2 Relocation
- Why couldn't the guest be accommodated?*
- Alternative hotel*
- Alternative hotel phone
- Alternative hotel confirmation number
- Room type provided
- Is the alternative hotel of the same standard or better?*
- How is it different, and what was offered because of it?* asked only when it applies
- Cost of the alternative room paid by us
- Transport provided* Taxi to the alternative hotel · Hotel car · Return transport to our hotel · Daily transport during the stay · None needed: within walking distance
- Is the guest returning to our hotel?* Yes, the next day · Yes, later in the stay · No, staying at the alternative hotel for the whole stay
- Return date* asked only when it applies
3 Compensation and sign-off
- Compensation offered* First night's room paid at the alternative hotel · Phone call home or Wi-Fi paid · Meal or drinks voucher · Room upgrade on return · Loyalty points · Rate reduction or refund · Welcome amenity on return · Future stay voucher
- Details and values of compensation
- Guest's response* Accepted without complaint · Accepted but unhappy · Refused relocation · Made a formal complaint
- What the guest said
- Follow-up needed?*
- Follow-up actions and who will do them* asked only when it applies
- Handled by*
- Duty manager*
- Duty manager signature*
The walked guest record form, page by page
1 Guest and booking
Record the hotel, arrival date, guest name, confirmation number and booking channel. Loyalty members are asked for their membership number and tier. The page also captures the room type booked, nights booked and nights relocated, the rate, whether the booking was guaranteed or prepaid, the guest's contact details and arrival time.
2 Relocation
Explain why the guest couldn't be accommodated, then record the alternative hotel, its phone and confirmation number, the room type provided, whether it's of the same standard or better (if not, how it differs and what was offered because of it) and what it cost. Tick the transport provided and say whether the guest is returning the next day, later in the stay or staying away for the whole stay; returning guests get a return date.
3 Compensation and sign-off
Tick the compensation offered, such as the first night paid, a phone call or Wi-Fi, vouchers, an upgrade on return, loyalty points or a refund, and add details and values. Record the guest's response and what they said. If follow-up is needed, list the actions and who will do them. The record ends with who handled it, the duty manager and their signature.
Make the template yours
- Edit the compensation checklist to match your brand's walk policy
- Add your partner hotels as a dropdown for the alternative hotel
- Notify the front office manager, revenue manager and guest relations by email
- Change the currency on the rate and cost fields
- Make the loyalty fields required if your brand has specific rules for members
- File records into a vault folder per property
Tips for a better walked guest record form
- Decide in advance which guests should never be walked, such as loyalty members or long stays, and add it to your policy
- Call the alternative hotel and confirm the room before telling the guest
- Give the guest the alternative hotel's name, address and confirmation number in writing
- Brief the morning team so the guest is welcomed back properly
- Review walk records with your revenue team to fine-tune overbooking levels
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
Each walk is saved as a signed PDF in your FileIt vault, and managers can be emailed straight away so follow-up isn't missed.
The Responses table gives a history of every walk, which you can filter by date or response and export to CSV for revenue and guest relations reviews.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Walked guest record form: frequently asked questions
Is this walked guest record free?
Yes. It's included in the FileIt Forms app on every account, including the free plan.
What does it mean to walk a guest?
It's the hotel term for relocating a guest with a confirmed booking to another hotel when there's no room available, usually because of overbooking.
Does the form set compensation?
No. It records what was offered. Your own walk policy decides what to offer.
When is a return date asked for?
When the guest is returning to your hotel, either the next day or later in the stay.
Can the duty manager sign on a tablet?
Yes. The signature box works with a finger or stylus on any touchscreen.
Can I report on how often we walk guests?
Yes. Export the responses to CSV to count walks by date, channel or reason.