Hotel Front-Desk Essentials Course: Guest privacy, keys and card security

Untimed topic quiz: 17 questions on Guest privacy, keys and card security, with an explanation after each answer. Questions and answers are shuffled every time.

Course
Canada
100 questions
Checked October 13, 2026
Fact-checked October 13, 2026

Start with the lessonsHotel Front-Desk Essentials Course: Lessons: about 150 minutes of reading. Every test question is covered in the lessons.

Topic quiz 5: Guest privacy, keys and card security

Question 1 of 17
A delivery driver brings flowers and asks which room the guest is in. What should you do?
- Give the driver the room number so the flowers stay fresh
- Keep the flowers at the desk and tell the guest
- Tell the driver the guest has checked out, and send the flowers back to the shop
- Walk the driver to the guest's door
Show answer
Answer: B. Keep the flowers at the desk and tell the guest
Never give out a guest's room number. Holding the delivery and telling the guest protects their privacy and safety.
Question 2 of 17
A man says he is locked out and gives a room number, but he has no ID, and his name is not on that room's registration. What should you do?
- Do not make a key; contact the registered guest or security
- Make the key if he describes the room correctly
- Give him a key if he promises to bring ID later
- Make the key, because he knows the room number and seems honest
Show answer
Answer: A. Do not make a key; contact the registered guest or security
Knowing a room number does not prove someone belongs there. Keys are only given to verified, registered guests.
Question 3 of 17
A guest asks for a replacement key card. What must you check before making it?
- That they can describe the room's view
- That they remember their confirmation number and the room rate
- That they have paid for any minibar items and restaurant charges so far
- That their photo ID matches a registered guest
Show answer
Answer: D. That their photo ID matches a registered guest
Photo ID that matches the registration is the safest way to confirm the person is allowed in the room.
Question 4 of 17
A caller asks, "Is Jamie Lee staying at your hotel?" Your hotel does not confirm guests. What is a good reply?
- "Yes, she is here. Would you like me to give you her room number?"
- "No, she checked out yesterday morning, but she may come back next week."
- "I can't share guest information, but I can take a message."
- "Let me read you her booking details."
Show answer
Answer: C. "I can't share guest information, but I can take a message."
Confirming that someone is staying can put them at risk. Offer to take a message instead.
Question 5 of 17
According to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, what is personal information under PIPEDA?
- Only information that is written down on paper and kept in a locked filing cabinet
- Any factual or subjective information, recorded or not, about an identifiable individual
- Only a person's credit card number, bank account number and other payment details
- Only information that a person has chosen to post publicly online, such as on social media
Show answer
Answer: B. Any factual or subjective information, recorded or not, about an identifiable individual
The OPC describes personal information as any factual or subjective information, recorded or not, about an identifiable individual, such as a name or ID number.
Question 6 of 17
A hotel company has properties across Canada. In which provinces does the OPC say a general private-sector privacy law has been deemed substantially similar to PIPEDA?
- Ontario, Manitoba and Nova Scotia
- Saskatchewan, Alberta and Ontario
- Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec
- Quebec, New Brunswick and PEI
Show answer
Answer: C. Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec
The OPC lists Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec. (Some other provinces have substantially similar laws only for personal health information.)
Question 7 of 17
Under the PCI Security Standards Council's small merchant guide, what should you do with card data you do not need?
- Email it to the manager for safekeeping
- Not store it at all
- Keep it in a notebook at the desk
- Save it in a spreadsheet for next time
Show answer
Answer: B. Not store it at all
The guide says that if you don't need card data, don't store it. Not storing it is the best protection against a data breach.
Question 8 of 17
A guest emails their full card number to the front desk to pay a deposit. Based on PCI guidance, what should you do?
- Print the email and pin it to the board in the back office for later
- Process the payment if needed, then delete the email
- Keep the email in a folder in case the card is needed again
- Forward the email to the whole team
Show answer
Answer: B. Process the payment if needed, then delete the email
The PCI small merchant guide says that if you receive card details by email, you can still process the payment, but you should delete the email immediately.
Question 9 of 17
You must keep a paper form that shows a full card number. What does the PCI small merchant guide advise?
- Black out the card data with a thick marker and lock the paper away
- Write the card's security code next to it
- Leave it in the front desk drawer so the next shift can find it easily
- Tape it to the guest's folio in the open file so it is easy to find later
Show answer
Answer: A. Black out the card data with a thick marker and lock the paper away
If paper with card data must be kept, the guide says to black it out until unreadable and keep it in a locked drawer or safe with limited access.
Question 10 of 17
A card terminal has a broken seal over a screw cover. What should you do?
- Stop using it and call the vendor or merchant bank
- Fix the seal with tape and continue
- Move it to the back office and keep using it there for now
- Keep using it until it stops working
Show answer
Answer: A. Stop using it and call the vendor or merchant bank
A broken seal can be a sign of tampering. PCI guidance says not to use a terminal you suspect and to call the vendor or bank right away.
Question 11 of 17
A co-worker asks to use your login because theirs is locked. What should you do?
- Write your password on a sticky note for them
- Share your login just for this shift
- Refuse and help them contact the manager or IT
- Log in for them and leave the screen open
Show answer
Answer: C. Refuse and help them contact the manager or IT
PCI guidance says each employee should have their own login and password and never share them. Every action in the system should be traceable.
Question 12 of 17
A caller says they are from the hotel's computer support company and asks for your password to fix a problem. What should you do?
- Give only half of the password
- Give the password, because support staff need it
- Refuse, end the call and report it to your manager
- Ask the caller to email you, then send the password
Show answer
Answer: C. Refuse, end the call and report it to your manager
Real support staff do not need your password. A call like this may be a scam to get into the hotel's systems and guest data.
Question 13 of 17
Your manager calls you to the back office while a guest's registration is open on the screen. What should you do before you leave the desk?
- Leave it open so a co-worker can keep checking guests in
- Turn the screen to face the lobby
- Leave a registration card on the keyboard to remind you what you were doing
- Lock the screen so guest information is hidden
Show answer
Answer: D. Lock the screen so guest information is hidden
Screens and registration cards show personal information. Locking the screen is a simple safeguard.
Question 14 of 17
Listen. What does the caller ask for?
Listen, then answer. The transcript is shown after you answer.
No sound? Read the text instead
Caller: Hi, my husband is staying at your hotel. His name is Peter Lindqvist. Can you give me his room number? I want to surprise him.
Ava: I'm sorry, to protect our guests' privacy I can't share any room information.
Ava: I'm happy to take a message and pass it on.
Caller: Oh. Okay, I'll leave a message then.
- A reservation for herself
- Her husband's room number
- The hotel's address
- A wake-up call for her husband
Show answer
Answer: B. Her husband's room number
The caller asks for Peter Lindqvist's room number because she wants to surprise him.
Transcript
Caller: Hi, my husband is staying at your hotel. His name is Peter Lindqvist. Can you give me his room number? I want to surprise him.
Ava: I'm sorry, to protect our guests' privacy I can't share any room information.
Ava: I'm happy to take a message and pass it on.
Caller: Oh. Okay, I'll leave a message then.
Question 15 of 17
Listen. What does the agent offer instead of the room information?
Listen, then answer. The transcript is shown after you answer.
No sound? Read the text instead
Caller: Hi, my husband is staying at your hotel. His name is Peter Lindqvist. Can you give me his room number? I want to surprise him.
Ava: I'm sorry, to protect our guests' privacy I can't share any room information.
Ava: I'm happy to take a message and pass it on.
Caller: Oh. Okay, I'll leave a message then.
- To take a message and pass it on
- To tell the guest the caller is coming
- To connect the caller to the hotel manager
- To give the room number if the caller arrives in person
Show answer
Answer: A. To take a message and pass it on
Ava cannot share room information, so she offers to take a message and pass it on.
Transcript
Caller: Hi, my husband is staying at your hotel. His name is Peter Lindqvist. Can you give me his room number? I want to surprise him.
Ava: I'm sorry, to protect our guests' privacy I can't share any room information.
Ava: I'm happy to take a message and pass it on.
Caller: Oh. Okay, I'll leave a message then.
Question 16 of 17
Listen. Why does the agent ask to see photo ID?
Listen, then answer. The transcript is shown after you answer.
No sound? Read the text instead
Farah: Hi, I've lost my key card. Can I get a new one?
Ben: Of course. May I see your photo ID, please?
Farah: Sure. Here's my driver's licence.
Ben: Thank you, Ms. Ahmed. Your name matches the registration. Here's your new key. Your old key will no longer work.
- To update the guest's home address in the hotel's records
- To check the guest's age
- To check that the guest is registered before making a key
- To charge a fee for the lost key
Show answer
Answer: C. To check that the guest is registered before making a key
Ben checks that the name on the ID matches the registration before he makes a new key.
Transcript
Farah: Hi, I've lost my key card. Can I get a new one?
Ben: Of course. May I see your photo ID, please?
Farah: Sure. Here's my driver's licence.
Ben: Thank you, Ms. Ahmed. Your name matches the registration. Here's your new key. Your old key will no longer work.
Question 17 of 17
Listen. What does the agent say about the lost key?
Listen, then answer. The transcript is shown after you answer.
No sound? Read the text instead
Farah: Hi, I've lost my key card. Can I get a new one?
Ben: Of course. May I see your photo ID, please?
Farah: Sure. Here's my driver's licence.
Ben: Thank you, Ms. Ahmed. Your name matches the registration. Here's your new key. Your old key will no longer work.
- It will no longer work
- It should be returned to the desk
- It will work until check-out
- It must be paid for
Show answer
Answer: A. It will no longer work
Ben says the old key will no longer work, so whoever finds it cannot use it to open the room.
Transcript
Farah: Hi, I've lost my key card. Can I get a new one?
Ben: Of course. May I see your photo ID, please?
Farah: Sure. Here's my driver's licence.
Ben: Thank you, Ms. Ahmed. Your name matches the registration. Here's your new key. Your old key will no longer work.

Topic quiz 5: Guest privacy, keys and card security

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