I've talked alot on here about my managers but have neglected the customers I've dealt with. And trust me, there have been some doozy's. I thought I'd start a thread on some of the things I've seen over the years.
I'm also going to add some advice for people looking to stay in a hotel, or that have had a problem with staying in one.
I've been working hotels since 2002 (gah, can't believe its been that long). In that time, I've seen alot things that have made me wonder about peoples mental capacity. I've worked front desk (6 years), and at the same time small stints housekeeping, and banquets, and currently reservations (3 years).
The quest is where to start. With so many years under my belt its hard to know where to begin.
The first place I started was only a block from my house, so I was able to walk to and from it easily. It was a Travelodge. Now, as we all know, Travelodges are about the equivalent of a Motel 6, so the quality of the guests are about equal to that.
My hotel had a swimming pool, hot tub, bar, restaurant, and convention space. So you'd think it would be high quality right? Lets just say... nope. We didn't accept hourly rates due to the type of people that brings in, but at rates like $49 a night, it wasn't much better.
I started at the front desk there. I have to say... I loved every second of it, and actually miss it quite bad (though its no longer a Travelodge and has been bought and completely redone from top to bottom with brand new staff and is now a 4-5 star hotel and simply gorgeous). Even with the insanity that went on at times, it was worth it. Working with the staff, they became almost like family, even the ones that were aggravating at times. I was with them for 3 years so I'll start with this hotel.
We had a little island type of thing in the middle of the desk area and a chair there that we could sit on and read when it was quiet. So, one night it was fairly quiet, and I was sitting there reading.
All of a sudden, I had someone run down the hallway yelling "there's a fire in the men's washroom". I ran up to the front of the desk and peaked around the corner to look at the men's bathroom and my jaw hit the floor.
Sure enough, big black billowing smoke coming out of the men's bathroom.
I had to evacuate the whole hotel, call the police and the fire department, and the managers.
I was amazed, I stood quiet and calm through all this and handled it like a pro when I'd only been there 6 months.
Ended up that someone had taken newspaper, balled it up, and thrown it into the furthest mens stall and then lit it on fire.
The hotel wasn't damaged other than for smoke. The men's washroom had to be shut down for a week while it was aired, cleaned, and completely repainted (the washroom walls were made of brick so the only thing damaged was paint).
The managers loved me after that.
I'm also going to add some advice for people looking to stay in a hotel, or that have had a problem with staying in one.
I've been working hotels since 2002 (gah, can't believe its been that long). In that time, I've seen alot things that have made me wonder about peoples mental capacity. I've worked front desk (6 years), and at the same time small stints housekeeping, and banquets, and currently reservations (3 years).
The quest is where to start. With so many years under my belt its hard to know where to begin.
The first place I started was only a block from my house, so I was able to walk to and from it easily. It was a Travelodge. Now, as we all know, Travelodges are about the equivalent of a Motel 6, so the quality of the guests are about equal to that.
My hotel had a swimming pool, hot tub, bar, restaurant, and convention space. So you'd think it would be high quality right? Lets just say... nope. We didn't accept hourly rates due to the type of people that brings in, but at rates like $49 a night, it wasn't much better.
I started at the front desk there. I have to say... I loved every second of it, and actually miss it quite bad (though its no longer a Travelodge and has been bought and completely redone from top to bottom with brand new staff and is now a 4-5 star hotel and simply gorgeous). Even with the insanity that went on at times, it was worth it. Working with the staff, they became almost like family, even the ones that were aggravating at times. I was with them for 3 years so I'll start with this hotel.
We had a little island type of thing in the middle of the desk area and a chair there that we could sit on and read when it was quiet. So, one night it was fairly quiet, and I was sitting there reading.
All of a sudden, I had someone run down the hallway yelling "there's a fire in the men's washroom". I ran up to the front of the desk and peaked around the corner to look at the men's bathroom and my jaw hit the floor.
Sure enough, big black billowing smoke coming out of the men's bathroom.
I had to evacuate the whole hotel, call the police and the fire department, and the managers.
I was amazed, I stood quiet and calm through all this and handled it like a pro when I'd only been there 6 months.
Ended up that someone had taken newspaper, balled it up, and thrown it into the furthest mens stall and then lit it on fire.
The hotel wasn't damaged other than for smoke. The men's washroom had to be shut down for a week while it was aired, cleaned, and completely repainted (the washroom walls were made of brick so the only thing damaged was paint).
The managers loved me after that.

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