Final answer:
The most appropriate response is to contact the guest, inform security, and call for emergency medical services. This ensures immediate assistance while professional help is dispatched to the hotel to provide necessary medical care.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most appropriate course of action if a guest at a hotel calls the front desk with a medical emergency is to make contact with the guest, notify security, and call local law enforcement for further instructions. This protocol ensures that the guest receives immediate assistance while the proper authorities are alerted to provide professional medical support.
Hotels should have a clear emergency response plan that includes a step-by-step process on how to handle medical emergencies. First, the front desk should immediately contact the guest to assess the situation and provide reassurance. In parallel, they should inform hotel security so they can swiftly respond to the location of the emergency. The front desk must also contact emergency medical services (EMS) as they are the trained professionals able to provide the necessary medical attention. The front desk agent should then provide accurate information about the hotel's location and the nature of the emergency to the EMS, and relay any specific instructions given by EMS back to the guest or the responding security personnel.
If the emergency requires it, local law enforcement may be contacted for additional support, especially if the medical emergency also involves a security issue. The hotel manager should be informed promptly of the incident. Comprehensive, timely, and focused actions are critical in a medical emergency to ensure the well-being of the guest.