How many rooms can you release by 15:00?
Check the inspection queue before promising rooms for arrivals.
The question
You lead room release at a Spanish resort. At 13:00 the front desk needs 20 same-category rooms for 15:00 check-in. The rooms in this packet can serve any of those bookings.
| Rooms | |
|---|---|
| Inspected and ready now | 8 |
| Clean and awaiting inspection | 5 |
| Expected clean by 14:15 | 10 |
All clean rooms can enter the inspection queue at 14:15.
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Window in minutes | 45 |
| Rooms per 15 minutes | 4 |
The inspector works from 14:15 to 15:00. A room can be released when it passes.
“Give the front desk a current count, a forecast and the condition that changes it.”
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A strong answer, step by step
Open each step in turn. This is one strong answer, not the only one.
Step 1: Separate ready and clean
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Use eight as ready and 15 as the possible inspection queue.
The strong move. The front desk assigns inspected rooms. The clean count shows the work available for inspection.
Tell the desk it can assign 13 now because five more are clean.
Tempting, but it misses something. The five clean rooms still await inspection.
See how a strong candidate says it
“I’d give the desk eight inspected rooms now. Five clean rooms and ten expected clean rooms can join the inspection queue by 14:15.”
Why it works: The front desk assigns inspected rooms. The clean count shows the work available for inspection.
Step 2: Calculate the first forecast
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Tell the desk eight ready now and up to 12 more by 15:00.
The strong move. Three 15-minute blocks give 12 checks. Eight rooms are already inspected.
Forecast 23 ready because there are 15 rooms in the queue.
Tempting, but it misses something. The inspector can release up to 12 of those 15 by 15:00.
See how a strong candidate says it
“The inspector can do 12 checks in 45 minutes. That gives us a forecast of 20 rooms by 15:00 if enough rooms are ready for inspection and pass.”
Why it works: Three 15-minute blocks give 12 checks. Eight rooms are already inspected.
Step 3: Cover the lost time
The assigned inspector must leave at 14:45. The duty manager can assign a qualified second inspector from 14:45 to 15:00 at the same rate. The room mix and queue are unchanged.
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Request the 14:45–15:00 inspection cover.
The strong move. The last 15 minutes can restore four checks and meet the forecast if the rooms pass.
Ask Housekeeping to clean four more rooms by 14:45.
Tempting, but it misses something. The queue already has enough rooms. The lost resource is inspection time.
See how a strong candidate says it
“The assigned inspector now has 30 minutes, so we can reach 16 rooms without cover. I’d ask the duty manager for the qualified second inspector to complete four more checks.”
Why it works: The last 15 minutes can restore four checks and meet the forecast if the rooms pass.
Step 4: Update the front desk
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Confirm rooms as they pass and give a time for the next count.
The strong move. The desk needs the actual release count to assign rooms and communicate waits.
Tell the desk all 20 are assignable as soon as cover is scheduled.
Tempting, but it misses something. The extra inspector still has to complete the four checks.
See how a strong candidate says it
“I’d confirm the inspection cover and give the desk the latest release count. Twenty is the forecast until the last four pass. Without cover, I’d flag four arrivals still waiting and agree the next update.”
Why it works: The desk needs the actual release count to assign rooms and communicate waits.
The answer, in short
- Decision
- Request four extra inspections and give the desk the count as rooms pass.
- Because
- The first inspector can release eight rooms in 30 minutes. A qualified second inspector can check four more.
- What would change it
- If cover or inspection outcomes change, revise the count and the guest update.
Common traps
- Counting clean rooms as ready.
- Adding cleaning capacity when the inspection window is short.
Check your answer
- I started with inspected rooms only.
- I calculated inspection capacity by time window.
- I identified the four-room gap and the right cover.
- I gave the desk a current count and forecast.
Last reviewed Nov 11, 2026