So, I'm down at the beach for our annual Associate Degree program conference. The conference is going really well, great speakers, everyone's really engaged. Got a really nice dinner Wednesday and Thursday from the vendors for listening to their pitch, which is really good for me considering that after I paid for my hotel room, I had a grand total of $25 in my checking account (thank God today is payday).
So I'm having a really good time, learning a lot, taking lots of notes for my colleagues who couldn't come. Thursday nite at 11pm I decide I'm tired, and hit the sack. I'm asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
Slowly, I feel myself roused from a deep sleep to the sound of incessant banging. At first, I think someone is knocking on MY door, so I drag myself out of bed and go to see what's going on . . . the banging has gotten VERY loud and insistent. I glance at the clock on my way to the door: 1:47 AM.
A little cautious, since no one is calling my name, I look through the peephole. No one there. Then I hear the banging again. It's not MY door, but the room next to me. I can hear a young man telling someone, "She's in there, she's passed out drunk, she paid for the room, I need to get in there." More banging, and a low voice I can't catch.
After a few minutes of this, I crack my door to get a better view of what's going on. There's a disheveled and obviously intoxicated young man (I can smell the alcohol) and a man dressed in a police uniform. He doesn't speak to me, but just holds up his hand as if to say, "Please don't come out." So I go back inside.
More banging, then the voice go away. I try to go back to bed, but it's hard for me to get back to sleep right away when I've been woken up like this. Just as I'm drifting off again, more banging and the same young man complaining again about how his girlfriend is passed out drunk and he needs to get into the room because it's paid for.
After listening to another 10 minutes of incessant banging, I go back to the door and open. The same cop motions me not to come into the hall. This time I say, "Look, I can see this guy is upset, but all this banging is just too much and has gone on too long. Can't someone get a manager to let him into the room?"
Cop: She just went downstairs to get a key (*a master key I presume*)
Me: Well, fine. But I don't see the need to keep on banging in the meantime. If she hasn't answered the door by now, she's not likely to.
Drunk Guy: She's a human being, man! I'm a human being.
Cop: I'm really sorry about this, we're working on it. Please go back inside.
So I go back in, and cop continues to bang on the door. Granted it's softer than it was, which begs the question: if his loud ass banging didn't wake her up, what makes him think softer banging will? And if soft banging won't work, why bang on it at all? I try to go back to bed, irritated, and listen to the drunk argue with the cop who can't do anything until the manager gets there.
Finally, I hear the drunk let into the room. Sure enough Drunk Girlfriend is in there, is ok, and was just really passed out drunk. Drunk Guy thanks cop, and cop leaves.
I glance at the clock. 2:47 AM.
A couple of minutes later, I hear arguing from the couple, but it calms down just as I'm so aggravated I'm about to call the cops back. When they don't start up again, I finally lay down and try to go back to sleep. It's about 3 AM.
Of course, I had to get up at 6:30 am.
It's Friday morning (today), and the last day of the conference, so I go to check out before going to breakfast. I ask the clerk at the desk who the local police agency is, and she asks why. I explain about the incident, that I'm not happy with the way the cop handled it and I want to call his agency and complain.
She admits the "cop" was their security guard.
Oh.
So I tell her, I'd like to speak to a manager. She's not in yet. No problem I say. I'll be here 'til noon, I'll catch her before I leave.
To make a long story short, when I speak to the manager, I explain what happened. She knew something had happened from the night auditor's log. I give her the whole spiel, and explain that it was unacceptable for it to have gone on as long as it did. Someone should have gotten a room key much, much sooner because 1) this girl was too drunk to answer the door and it was the only way to get him to shut up, and 2) if the girl wasn't answering the door, she could have been in distress and needed a welfare check to make sure she didn't vomit and aspirate it.
The manager was really nice about it and said she'd talk to the guard. She asked me what I wanted her to do for me.
Me: Nothing. All I want is for the guard to get some education on how to better handle this, so this doesn't happen to anyone else.
Manager: I'll make sure of that, but are you sure I can't do anything for you?
Me: No. I'm good.
The happy couple checked out right after I did. I didn't see them leave, but I hope they both had the hangovers from hell.
So I'm having a really good time, learning a lot, taking lots of notes for my colleagues who couldn't come. Thursday nite at 11pm I decide I'm tired, and hit the sack. I'm asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
Slowly, I feel myself roused from a deep sleep to the sound of incessant banging. At first, I think someone is knocking on MY door, so I drag myself out of bed and go to see what's going on . . . the banging has gotten VERY loud and insistent. I glance at the clock on my way to the door: 1:47 AM.
A little cautious, since no one is calling my name, I look through the peephole. No one there. Then I hear the banging again. It's not MY door, but the room next to me. I can hear a young man telling someone, "She's in there, she's passed out drunk, she paid for the room, I need to get in there." More banging, and a low voice I can't catch.
After a few minutes of this, I crack my door to get a better view of what's going on. There's a disheveled and obviously intoxicated young man (I can smell the alcohol) and a man dressed in a police uniform. He doesn't speak to me, but just holds up his hand as if to say, "Please don't come out." So I go back inside.
More banging, then the voice go away. I try to go back to bed, but it's hard for me to get back to sleep right away when I've been woken up like this. Just as I'm drifting off again, more banging and the same young man complaining again about how his girlfriend is passed out drunk and he needs to get into the room because it's paid for.
After listening to another 10 minutes of incessant banging, I go back to the door and open. The same cop motions me not to come into the hall. This time I say, "Look, I can see this guy is upset, but all this banging is just too much and has gone on too long. Can't someone get a manager to let him into the room?"
Cop: She just went downstairs to get a key (*a master key I presume*)
Me: Well, fine. But I don't see the need to keep on banging in the meantime. If she hasn't answered the door by now, she's not likely to.
Drunk Guy: She's a human being, man! I'm a human being.
Cop: I'm really sorry about this, we're working on it. Please go back inside.
So I go back in, and cop continues to bang on the door. Granted it's softer than it was, which begs the question: if his loud ass banging didn't wake her up, what makes him think softer banging will? And if soft banging won't work, why bang on it at all? I try to go back to bed, irritated, and listen to the drunk argue with the cop who can't do anything until the manager gets there.
Finally, I hear the drunk let into the room. Sure enough Drunk Girlfriend is in there, is ok, and was just really passed out drunk. Drunk Guy thanks cop, and cop leaves.
I glance at the clock. 2:47 AM.
A couple of minutes later, I hear arguing from the couple, but it calms down just as I'm so aggravated I'm about to call the cops back. When they don't start up again, I finally lay down and try to go back to sleep. It's about 3 AM.
Of course, I had to get up at 6:30 am.
It's Friday morning (today), and the last day of the conference, so I go to check out before going to breakfast. I ask the clerk at the desk who the local police agency is, and she asks why. I explain about the incident, that I'm not happy with the way the cop handled it and I want to call his agency and complain.
She admits the "cop" was their security guard.
Oh.
So I tell her, I'd like to speak to a manager. She's not in yet. No problem I say. I'll be here 'til noon, I'll catch her before I leave.
To make a long story short, when I speak to the manager, I explain what happened. She knew something had happened from the night auditor's log. I give her the whole spiel, and explain that it was unacceptable for it to have gone on as long as it did. Someone should have gotten a room key much, much sooner because 1) this girl was too drunk to answer the door and it was the only way to get him to shut up, and 2) if the girl wasn't answering the door, she could have been in distress and needed a welfare check to make sure she didn't vomit and aspirate it.
The manager was really nice about it and said she'd talk to the guard. She asked me what I wanted her to do for me.
Me: Nothing. All I want is for the guard to get some education on how to better handle this, so this doesn't happen to anyone else.
Manager: I'll make sure of that, but are you sure I can't do anything for you?
Me: No. I'm good.
The happy couple checked out right after I did. I didn't see them leave, but I hope they both had the hangovers from hell.
Comment