Hotels: who answers the phone at night, and what French regulations require

Night-time calls fall into three broad groups. Guests who have booked and are arriving late: a delayed train, a question about the key box, parking or the latest check-in time. Travellers without a booking looking for a room for the night or the following days. And finally guests already in the hotel, calling from their room or from outside about a key problem, heating, noise or a practical question.

Before choosing how to organise things, log the time and purpose of your night calls over a few weeks. It is the only way to know which ones need a person on site, which can wait until morning and which only need information.

The French fire safety regulations for establishments open to the public (ERP), approved by the order (arrêté) of 25 June 1980, include a book devoted to 5th-category establishments. Its Article PE 27, in the version in force since 1 May 2026, provides that at least one member of staff or one person in charge must be present at all times when the establishment is open to the public. The relaxations provided for by this text, including the one introduced in 2026, concern establishments without sleeping accommodation: a hotel is not covered.

For hotels, Article PO 3 adds that, going beyond Article PE 27, this permanent presence must be provided in a room equipped with either the alarm signalling panel or an alarm repeater. The same article allows the staff on duty to leave that room, while remaining in the establishment, if they have the alarm relayed to a standalone receiver. In a legal answer published in February 2012, the trade publication L’Hôtellerie Restauration concludes that this presence is required at night as well, and that without a night porter, the operator must live in the hotel.

Hotels in higher categories are subject to other provisions of the same regulations. In all cases, have your night-time arrangements validated by your fire prevention adviser or by the safety commission (commission de sécurité). No telephone solution replaces an obligation to be present.

The night porter combines presence on site, welcoming late arrivals, answering the phone and first response if an alarm goes off. It is the most complete arrangement, but also a post to fill seven nights a week, holidays included.

On-call cover means that a manager remains reachable and able to step in. In a small establishment where the operator lives on site, it can be combined with forwarding calls to their mobile, at the risk of being woken up for a question about breakfast times.

A voice agent can lighten these calls: it answers routine questions, takes messages and transfers to the on-call person only when the caller asks to speak to someone. It adds to the human presence; it does not replace it.

Stable information lends itself well to an automated answer: latest check-in time, late arrival procedure, address and access, parking, breakfast hours, whether pets are allowed, check-out time. The agent answers from the information you have provided: keep it up to date.

For a booking request, the agent can collect the name, phone number, requested dates and number of guests, then leave you to call the guest back in the morning to confirm availability and terms. Avoid giving it an access code or any information that physically opens the hotel: it cannot verify the caller’s identity.

A fire, someone taking ill or an injured person are matters for the emergency services. Service-public.fr lists the French numbers: 15 for the Samu (emergency medical service), 18 for the fire brigade, 17 for the police and 112 for any emergency. The voice agent’s message must give them plainly if a caller mentions a danger, and your internal instructions must specify who on site is alerted.

A fire alarm does not go through the switchboard: Article PO 3 requires the permanent presence to be where the alarm is signalled, on the panel or via an alarm repeater. This chain must work independently of how you handle calls.

Write a short night-time instruction: what reception answers, what it notes down, when it transfers, to which number, and which calls wait until morning. Every morning, go through the night’s messages and booking requests so you can call back first the guests waiting for confirmation. Alyas answers the phone 24/7 using the information you provide, announces that it is an AI and that the call is recorded, collects callers’ contact details, transfers to a single number if the caller asks, and places a transcript and a summary of each call in your customer area. The ten-day free trial, with no bank card required, shows you what your nights really involve.