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I have always been struggling with when it is appropriate to use "await". Could I use it in this sentence? And how does it differ from the sentence with "waits for"?

Jerry comes down to the lobby where his assistant awaits him.

Jerry comes down to the lobby where his assistant waits for him.

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    The verb "to await" is commonly used when you are waiting for something expected but not in the immediate sense: The couple awaits the birth of their first child.”
    – Victor B.
    Commented Sep 10, 2020 at 16:03
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    "await" sounds either very formal or old-fashioned
    – gotube ♦
    Commented Jul 22, 2021 at 22:02

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Awaits=waits for. Await is transitive verb that is it needs direct object, while wait is intransitive verb and needs preposition for. So both statements are correct

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Actually the most natural sounding is:

"Jerry comes down to the lobby where his assistant is waiting for him."

I find that awaits tends to be for pensive, or poetic emphasis. Juliet might await the arrival of Romeo, but Bobby the assistant is just waiting for his boss. Unless his boss is going to maybe fire him, then Bobby awaits judgement. Victor B's comment is a really great example of that.

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