How Hotel Concierges Brief a Chauffeur for VIP Arrivals

A good briefing for a VIP arrival in eastern Sicily comes down to six pieces of information sent the day before: the flight number, the names in the party, the number of passengers and bags, the exact hotel entrance, any child seat or accessibility need, and a person who can be reached while the guest is in the air.

At a glance

• Time from Catania Airport: approximately one hour to Taormina or Syracuse in normal traffic, longer while roadworks continue on the A18.
• Where the car stops: the chauffeur meets the guest inside the Terminal A arrivals hall, at a point agreed in writing, and brings the car round.
• What to send in advance: flight number, passenger names, bag count, hotel entrance, special requests and a contact on the ground.
• Key rule: in Taormina and Ortigia the car cannot reach every door, so the drop-off point and any plate registration must be settled before the guest lands.
• When to add margin: non-Schengen arrivals in high season, late-evening landings, and any day on which INGV reports ash from Etna.

Why the flight number matters more than the arrival time

"Arrives around 3 pm" is an estimate. The airline and flight number are a live feed: the chauffeur tracks the flight and works from the actual landing time, so a delay, an early arrival or a diversion is handled without anyone calling the guest.

This matters more at Catania than at most airports. In September 2026 ash from Etna closed Fontanarossa on several days: the airport shut on 14 September, closed again for several days at the end of the month, and was suspended once more on the morning of 29 September. On 24 September arrivals were capped at ten landings an hour rather than stopped outright. A scheduled time is a weak signal in eastern Sicily. The flight number is the strong one.

For connecting itineraries, send the last leg and its origin: a non-Schengen arrival takes longer to reach the hall. Our programme for hotels is built around this kind of exchange, and our Catania Airport page covers the airport itself.

Terminal A: where the meeting actually happens

Arrivals at Catania Fontanarossa are on the ground floor of Terminal A, with baggage reclaim and, for flights from outside the Schengen area, passport control. Terminal C, a short covered walk away, serves some Schengen departures and is not where an arriving guest appears. Travel press reports from the 2025 season described passport queues of up to about 40 minutes at peak times, so a guest landing from London in July can take noticeably longer to reach the hall than one from Rome.

The detail most briefings miss is the kerb. In practice the lane outside arrivals is not a place where a private vehicle can wait, so the meeting happens inside the hall and the chauffeur brings the car round once the party is ready. Two consequences:

• Agree the meeting point in writing with the chauffeur service and pass it on to the guest in the same words.
• Decide how the chauffeur will be recognised. Many high-profile guests prefer not to see their name on a board: a discreet sign with the hotel's name or the guest's initials works better.

Taormina and Ortigia: the door is not where the car stops

Taormina is where a briefing most often goes wrong, because the hotel address and the point where the car stops are two different things. Corso Umberto, between Porta Messina and Porta Catania, is pedestrian, and, as we set out in our Taormina guide, the streets that feed it, Via Timeo and Via Damiano Rosso, have barriers that open only to registered vehicles. The Taormina hotel association states that access is assured for hotel guests and advises checking with the hotel about permits before arriving.

Three points to settle before the guest lands. First, the stopping point: for hotels inside the old town this is typically on the edge of the centre, near Porta Catania or Porta Messina, while hotels on roads open to traffic can be reached at the entrance. Second, the plate: where the hotel registers vehicles for access, ask the chauffeur service for it in the confirmation. Third, the luggage: agree who carries the bags over the last hundred metres, the hotel's porters or the chauffeur, so that the guest does not have to decide on the pavement. Gates, barriers and stopping points are in our guide to arriving at a Taormina hotel by car.

The road deserves a line too. Roadworks on the A18 impose reduced limits in the work zones, and on 9 October a ministry inspector proposed a 60 km/h limit on long stretches of the A18 and A20, which the operator says is not in force yet. See our note on the A18 and A20 speed limit, and allow a little more than the usual hour.

The same logic applies in Syracuse, where Ortigia is reached across two bridges and protected by a limited traffic zone whose hours change with the season. Confirm whether the hotel entrance lies inside the gates and where the car will stop, and verify the current hours shortly before arrival. Our guide to arriving in Ortigia by car covers the bridges, the gates and the hotel drop-off.

A briefing template that works

Hotel procedures for guest transfers converge on the same fields, and eastern Sicily adds a few local ones. A complete briefing contains:

• Airline, flight number and origin of the final leg.
• Names in the party, number of passengers, and how the chauffeur should identify the guest (name, initials or hotel sign).
• Number and type of bags, including anything oversized such as golf bags or a wedding dress, so that the right vehicle is assigned.
• The exact hotel entrance, and whether the vehicle's plate must be sent to the hotel for registration.
• Special requests: child seats, provided on request and subject to availability, a stop on the way, or a preferred language. English is standard on our services and other languages can be arranged on request.
• Who is to be contacted on the ground, on a number answered at the time of landing.
• Who settles the account, the hotel or the guest, so that nothing is discussed in the car.

Send it the day before, and send corrections as corrections rather than as a new booking.

When Etna or the weather changes the plan

When Fontanarossa stops accepting arrivals, flights are diverted to other Sicilian airports, some a long drive from Taormina or Syracuse. A chauffeur service holding the flight number sees the diversion as it happens and can propose a new plan, usually meeting the guest at the alternative airport, while the concierge looks after the room. INGV publishes aviation colour codes for Etna and the airport operator SAC announces suspensions and reopenings: those are the two sources to check on an ash day. Our contingency guide to Etna ash and Catania Airport closures explains how a closure is decided.

Frequently asked questions

How far in advance should a hotel book a chauffeur for a guest's arrival?

As soon as the flight is known. Several days ahead is comfortable for most of the year, earlier in high season and around major events. Shorter notice can often be accommodated, subject to availability.

Does the chauffeur wait if the flight is delayed?

Yes, within the terms of the booking. Because the flight is tracked, the chauffeur works from the actual landing time, and a long delay is communicated to the concierge rather than left for the guest to manage.

Can the car drive to a hotel on Corso Umberto in Taormina?

No. Corso Umberto is pedestrian and the streets feeding it are closed by barriers that open only to registered vehicles. The car stops at the edge of the old town or at the hotel's agreed drop-off point.

Travelling with GIORIZZ

GIORIZZ operates its own Mercedes-Benz fleet with its own chauffeurs in Sicily, with English on every service and other languages on request. Hotels in eastern Sicily can brief arrivals, departures and chauffeur-at-disposal days in the way described above, and read what guests say in our reviews. Request a quote or explore our programme for hotels and chauffeur by the hour.