It has one extremely rough night, and I remembered this being written and just want it shared for all to see.
I am a weather man. I am to know the weather: how much it’s going to rain/sleet/snow, etc. I am to know the temperature at any given moment, and I am to know if it’s going to warm up or cool down. I am also to know the average percipitation for this area during all seasons. If I don’t, I’m not helpful enough. If I do, you’ll tell me I’m wrong and that you heard it differently on the news.
I am an atlas. I am supposed to know the exact mileage from here to Knoxville, TN and exactly how long it will take to get there. I should also know every single hotel between here and Indianapolis, how much they charge, and if they have an indoor pool.
I am to know the phone number and location to every Days Inn in the entire world. Nevermind the fact that we have an 800 # specifically for that purpose. I should also be able to make a reservation at any one of those hotels through our computer, even though our computers aren’t linked in any way. Yes, I can make your reservation with out knowing your name, address or credit card information.
I have control over ever fiber of this hotel. From the air conditioners to the telephones. If it breaks, not only is it my fault, I did it on purpose. I have absolutely no problem giving you a discount because someone coughed at 2 am and woke you up. How dare I put you in a room close to other people.
The check out time of 11:00 am is really only for show. You can check out whenever you want. The maids don’t have to clean that room and get it ready for someone who might be checking in at 3:00. We’ll lose revenue for that room too, but it’s okay. You are special and you can do whatever you want. Yes, you can have 10 pillows. Yes, you can eat breakfast at 10 even though it ends at 9:00. And yes, we’ll move furniture/appliances from other rooms to your room at midnight because you want to microwave a burrito.
I will be at your beck and call 24 hours a day. I am your personal secretary, as well. I will take messages, send and recieve faxes, and make you 900 copies all at no charge. And no, I don’t mind watching your kid while you make a phone call. Because that’s what I get paid for, right?
The bottom line? Most travelers are rude, inconsiderate idiots. I’ve lost track of how many people have mistaken our hotel for the Ramada, even though we have a HUGE sign in front of the building stating otherwise. I can’t tell you how many times someone has asked me what state they are in or what interestate they should take to get to Michigan. Didn’t you bring a map? It worries me that the roads are filled with drivers who have no clue of where they’re at. There are signs that tell you these things, you know.
Nod and sympathize
The front desk is where everyone comes to complain. Sometimes, there's good reason: The pool is closed; someone threw up in the elevator; your room key card has deactivated; your room hasn't been cleaned; or you've been checked in to a room that already has guests in it. And then there are instances when guests are less reasonable, like the man who cursed at me for telling him he had to pay his entire bill--including the in-room movies his children had "accidentally" ordered. No matter what the situation, my approach always remains the same. I apologize sympathetically and calmly explain things from the hotel's perspective, even when what I really want to do is drop-kick the guest out to the curb.
Better than TV
The employees enjoy watching--and discussing--everything that goes on in the hotel. It's like an addictive soap opera that we love to chat about. Chances are we know why you're staying with us, whether it's for a vacation, wedding, or funeral. One weekend a guest is here with his wife; the next week he's back with his mistress. Then there are the guests who come in after too many cocktails and test out pick-up lines on whoever is behind the front desk. (And no, I'm not interested in your extra room key when my shift ends.)
Third-party reservations
Hotel managers can't stand it when guests reserve rooms through Expedia, Priceline, or any other booking engine, because after the Internet site takes its cut, the hotel barely makes a profit on the booking. As a result, guests who reserve directly with the hotel receive far better service. When things go wrong--we've run out of rooms with king-size beds, or the hotel is overbooked because some guests extended their stay--the manager's first question is, "Do we have any Internet reservations?" The folks who reserve through discount sites are at the bottom of the food chain. What you want to do is contact us directly and request the best price. I'm shocked when guests agree to the rack rate without a peep. The hotel is usually willing to give the discounted AAA or AARP membership price, even for guests who aren't members--so long as they book through the hotel, that is.
The logbook
Front-desk clerks keep a log to record all the noteworthy events that happen during their shifts. If a guest gets out of line, it goes in the book. Staffers stick together--wrong one of us, wrong all of us--so you can't expect to insult one employee and receive good treatment from another. One day our pool was closed, and a guest checking in decided to rip into one of the front-desk clerks. Later, the same guest called the front desk and reported that the Internet wasn't working in his room and that there was no refrigerator. "How weird," I replied, without looking into the situation further. "I'm terribly sorry. We don't have any other rooms." The truth is I want nothing more than to make my guests' stay pleasant--as long as they're willing to make my shift pleasant. We even have the ability to discount your room rate if things really go awry. So remember to smile as you walk by the front desk. It could be helpful if you need extra pillows at 2 A.M. If you're patient and have good manners, the hotel might even be able to find the room type you reserved through a booking engine.
We take a lot of crap from alot of people, I've found if ANYTHING goes wrong its OUR fault (I mean, someone called in the other day complaining that their GPS wasn't working- like, I'm sorry about that, but how exactly am I responsable? Please tell because I have no frigging clue).
To add another point to the list- it's fricking irritating when guests are complaining about paying taxes. Like, geez people, the only thing we're all guarenteed in life is death and taxes. That's a fricking given. If you don't like it, take it up with the fricking goverment. I have no control over taxes, so don't yell at us because you have to pay them. I do too, for goodness sake.
The article hotel guy posted- the one with the customers responding- really made me sick. I mean, treat others the way you want to be treated. I would never treat ANYONE the way some customers have treated me as a clerk. I've got something called a conscious (ever heard of it?), and like to give people the respect they deserve. That a$$hole was complaining that we should treat guests like royalty no matter what- but there's nothing wrong with that guest treating us nicely in return. Having manners won't kill you. Many of those replies were very narrow-minded.
Bottom line, I'll always have a smile on my face when I'm serving you, but if you treat me like crap for the sake of it- you can bet your ass I'll be giving you the bird as you walk away.
Eh, I guess I just had a bad day, heh.
Tonight a firealarm in the hotel went off, there was no fire, just a cable broke or something. Did i pull the fire alarm? Did I personally set off the alarms? NO! so why are you yelling at me?! One lady was standing up at the front desk complaining for about 10 minutes straight.. and then another guest walked through the door to checkin. the first thing that lady says is you don't wanna stay here, there have been so many problems. I could feel my face getting red with anger at this woman!! a perfectly fine guests stay is ruined by your selfishness.
Originally posted by KJCavalierLet me guess. You work for a hotel.🙂 I gather you have internet at night? Are you on night duty? I used to be a road warrior and saw many a hotel all over the US and the world. Israel has nice hotels, great buffets. Sweden has nice breakfasts but small portions. Thailand has great party hotels. Like 24/7. I liked the small ones away from London. Had a great bed and breakfast place in Ireland, Liekslip, close to Dublin.
Tonight a firealarm in the hotel went off, there was no fire, just a cable broke or something. Did i pull the fire alarm? Did I personally set off the alarms? NO! so why are you yelling at me?! One lady was standing up at the front desk complaining for about 10 minutes straight.. and then another guest walked through the door to checkin. the first thing t ting red with anger at this woman!! a perfectly fine guests stay is ruined by your selfishness.
I didn't get to go to many great hotels in the US, only a couple of times. Always got good service though. I can't remember a time when I got stiffed on anything. I never yelled at anyone. I guess that is part of the reason I got good service. We never booked by internet, always through an agency. Does that make it better for the hotel? I don't know.
Why do I have to pay £8 for a glass of below average wine plus an extra £4 to have it brought to my room?
Why do I have to pay £15 for a chicken Caesar salad which is drowned in something resembling gooey white vinegar and is completely inedible?
Why does a 4 star hotel charging £120 a night have completely ineffective air-conditioning which gurgles all night and bedroom windows which are nailed shut?
Why do reception always say “I’ll call for an engineer” when you complain about the inferno that is your south-west facing room with no air-con; when they know damn well all he is going to do is tinker meaninglessly with the thermostat for a few minutes and offer you a smegged-up fan?
Why does the Hilton at Manchester airport charge £20 for breakfast, (on top of the £120 room and crap air-con) when all I want is some cereal and some fruit?
Why does parking cost another £16 per night?
Why does a movie that costs £3.75 from Sky multi-play cost £12 to playback in my room?
Why is the £12 movie charged for viewing noon-to-noon, when I order it at 10PM and would maybe like to continue watching it on my second evening?
Why does the bedroom TV take 15seconds to come off standby and 4 seconds to change channel when mine at home does so instantly I press the button?
Why when I ring reception do I get an incoherent eastern-European who speaks so fast that I have be transferred to their colleague for interpretation?
Why does my shower switch from moderate to scalding to freezing for no apparent reason other than the person in the next room flushed their toilet?
Why do I need to consider the effect on the global environment when considering my replacing my towels which are soaked because I had to use two of them to soak up the deluge that has sprayed onto the floor past the ineffective shower panel?
Why does the hotel always take “pre-payment” on your credit card so you have no financial recourse when you mention the inedible food, over-priced beverages and sleepless sweaty night?
Originally posted by KJCavalierI have been working as a night auditor at a medium priced hotel for a year now and you are spot on with the arrogant and ignorant guests which you deal with. We offer a free (yes free) hot breakfast to the guests and get regular complaints and bad internet reviews because we cannot do special orders in our small kitchen. The worst are the tourists from Mexico. They eat like pigs, sneak extra people into their rooms and are the worlds' worst tippers (when they even bother to tip). They have little to no manners and just last week our cook heard two women calling him some profane names in Spanish. Word to the wise, do not use Spanish profanity to a cook named Ramon ( he is from Spain). Especially when he is cooking the food you will be eating, lol. I have many more stories but I must leave for work soon.
Tonight a firealarm in the hotel went off, there was no fire, just a cable broke or something. Did i pull the fire alarm? Did I personally set off the alarms? NO! so why are you yelling at me?! One lady was standing up at the front desk complaining for about 10 minutes straight.. and then another guest walked through the door to checkin. the first thing t ...[text shortened]... ting red with anger at this woman!! a perfectly fine guests stay is ruined by your selfishness.
Onward thru the fog !
All of this was shared as a very bad night at my hotel was coming to an end. We had 4 fire alarms go off. All because a moron decided to put popcorn in his microwave for 20 minutes. Then walk away. I have no clue what he was thinking. On top of that, a drunk couple fighting, The never ending complaints over this whole problem, The non support from management during the night. Amazing that they were all here for the dayshift though. Overall $15,000 in lost revenue.
It has been one of the roughest nights in recent memory.
Originally posted by KJCavalierMate, these are 4 star hotels and my post is a genuine list of what happens in most of them although admittedly not at the same time. I never make a massive fuss though as I do appreciate you guys dealing with the public which must be a nightmare. The problem is that I always book out of covenience instead of taking 20 minutes to look around for a smaller alternative.
Dive, I have ne idea why you stay in crappy places, but on that same note, who says it's the front desks fault? We don't set the rules, merely inform you of them.
Hilton are generally the worst imo - at least in the UK. The Manchester airport one is a hell-hole; the very pleasant lady at reception told me she could do nothing about the 27 degree temperature in my room as the manager had disabled the air-con to save money - he was not available to speak to me needless to say.
Dive, I don't know why you had problems at your hotel stay. especially at a Hilton property. I actually work for a Hilton property, and I do know that there is a course of action that is offered for dissatisfied guest. Understand though that legitimate complaints are not what I am referring to, but rather the method in which complaints are made. We become the abused for many who complain as if we set the trend/made the problem/changed the weather/broke the A/C.
This is the link for corporate customer service in the UK
https://secure.hilton.co.uk/HiWayWeb/appmanager/portals/customer?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_customer_cs_contact&_referringPage=pg_customer_cs_home
Feel free to let them know what your opinion/ experiences are. BTW to answer your question on why we send engineering, we really don't know what they are going to do to fix whatever issue you may have, after all, we work at the front desk, and as for everything costing you. The management looks at this as convience costs, much like a beer costing $15.00 at a major league sporting event and $5.00 at the local pub. Understand though, I don't set the policy and you may not realize this, most hourly staff members argue the fact internally that these charges shouldn't exsist, at least not to level you are paying.
Just to mention though, there are plenty of guests (regulars and first timers, even some of the times) that make us feel good, and we really do enjoy giving them little extras to make their stay all that more enjoyable. Respect is the big factor here. What I do see is that a McDonalds employee gets far better respect than hotel front desk staff members.
Added note about corporate customer service. This will get to the manager, and he will need to respond to you via email, or telephone within a reasonable time frame (Within 72 hours in most cases). He may just refund your money for your stay, or offer you a free night. If the manager does not respond in a timely manner, then the corporate office will take matters into their hands, to include giving you a free night stay in any hilton hotel world wide (This will include Hilton Grand vacations, Conrad Hotels, and The Waldorf Astoria Collection). Generally the management does not want this to come to that point, becuase if corporate has to take over, then the hotel that is at fault pays the tab for your free night.