Day one
The arrival sequence
- ImmigrationLand, clear immigration — the visa on arrival is issued here — and collect baggage.
- Gate 7A representative is waiting with a personalised placard bearing the guest’s name.
- TransportThe representative walks the guest to their vehicle, shared or private, per the booking.
- Straight to the hotelIt is a transfer, not a tour. There are no stops built in.
For both private and shared transfers. A flight landing at 08:30 has a driver on stand until 10:00. If the guest is stuck at immigration or has a baggage issue, they must message the operations group — the driver can then be told to hold. Silence means the driver leaves.
Each flight gets its own vehicle and its own representative. Passengers are not pooled across flight timings, so a family split across two arrivals will meet at the hotel, not at the airport.
The check-in gap — the day-one problem
Almost every flight from India lands at 06:30 or 08:30. Standard hotel check-in is 14:00. That leaves a five-to-eight hour gap on the guest’s first morning.
Book early check-in
Available at a supplement, and it must be reserved before arrival — it cannot be arranged at the desk. The cleanest solution, and easily justified in the costing.
Hope for a free room
Hotels will release a room early if one is genuinely ready. This happens often, but it is never a guarantee and should never be sold as one.
Plan the morning
The guest waits in the hotel’s public areas. Set the expectation in advance: breakfast, pool, beach, luggage storage. “Your holiday starts at 8 a.m., your room opens at 2 p.m.”
A guest who is told about the gap and offered early check-in will accept it. A guest who is not told will treat the wait as a service failure. This is one of the highest-value sentences you can say during a Mauritius sale.
Day-one list to give the guest
- Complete the travel digital form before boarding
- Change currency at the airport counter
- Carry swimwear and a change of clothes in cabin baggage — the beach is available long before the room is
- On arrival, go straight to the boathouse and book the complimentary watersports for the stay
- Confirm any pre-booked excursion pickup times with the hotel desk