97 Things That Hotel Guests Should Never Do, According To Industry Professionals
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Anyone who’s ever worked in the hospitality and service industries knows that customers come in all types: from the super polite to the mega annoying and entitled. And you’ve got to have a wide smile on your face at all times to make everyone feel welcome and cared for, even if you feel like you’re at your limit, emotionally. Thankfully, the internet is here to help us figure out how we can be better people as customers.
Case in point, one redditor asked hotel workers to share all the annoying and irritating things that guests do that tick them off. And, wow, they really didn’t hold anything back. From turning their rooms into pigsties and breaking things on purpose to treating the staff very rudely, these nightmare guests might just make you reconsider your career path.
Have a read through some of the best hotel worker stories below, upvote the ones that made you embarrassed the most, and if you’ve ever worked in the hospitality industry before, dear Pandas, we would absolutely love to hear your experiences. How did you deal with nightmare guests? Let us know in the comments.
#1
What got to me most was the number of times I was used as an example by parents when their kids were misbehaving. For example, if I was cleaning the windows and a child was being noisy nearby a parent might say 'if you aren't good and don't listen you'll end up cleaning windows for your whole life like this man'. Completely dehumanising, demoralising, and just a bit of a s**tbag thing to do anyway. Happened so many times I lost count.
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#2
This conversation:"Hi, do you have any rooms?"
"No, sorry we're sold out."
"You don't have anything?"
"Nope. We're all booked up."
"I just need one bed."
"I'm sorry I don't have any rooms. I can call another hotel for you if you want."
"So.. not even the honeymoon suite or anything?"
"No, sorry. But like I said I can call another hotel if you want and see what's available."
"No that's fine."
ARE YOU SERIOUS.
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#3
Guests complaining about the size of the rooms and how everything is so basic.You literally booked the cheapest hotelroom in the whole city. That's what you get.
Image credits: effinzebras
Rude guests will pop up everywhere—it’s impossible to have only pleasant customers. How the staff deal with the rudeness and what the hotel’s service culture is can directly affect their finances later on. Being firm but polite with rude guests is a possible way to defuse entitlement.
Meanwhile, small witty signs in hotel rooms reminding guests to keep their rooms in an acceptable state could convince at least some of them to at least flush the toilet. Though, on the other hand, if they fail to do even that, a sign won’t change years and years of poor education.
#4
Worked a summer in spain (Gran Canaria) as a part of a 'new' kids entertainment program.The s**t I saw was unbelievable, from parents dropping their kids of at 9AM and forgetting them to pick up at 6PM (or showing up drunk; which kind of forced me to ask the kid if he/she wanted to play some more untill their parents were sober). To kids just throwing stuff and hitting other kids because they lost a game.
In general the most annoying thing is parents just incompletely neglecting their kids, causing the kids to tear up because I have to tell them mommy and daddy aren't coming yet because they were stuck in traffic (whilst they were most likely on the beach drinking tequila). The thing that will always stick with me is a little girl who was on vacation with her parents and another couple (maybe uncle/aunt?). This girl got dropped off at 8AM, even though we weren't open untill 9, by a parent with a hangover and they didn't pick her up untill after the 'kids-show', which was from 830-930PM. Because of this the girl never ate with her family, causing her to miss meals a lot. This family stayed for two weeks and in the last week the mom (drunk of course) showed up at 10PM to pick this girl up, because I was getting kind of sick of the parents behavior I kindly requested her to drop the kid of on time, pick her up on time and for god sakes... eat dinner with her kid.
This woman just lost her s**t, screaming at me that I can't tell her what to do, that I should do my job and take care of her kid and that I should stop trying to steal her kid with gifts (I bought the girl a swimsuit from my own money because she didn't have one and we had 'swimming-games').
Next morning the kid shows up at my room, on her own, with a blue eye and her lip teared open (at like 7AM). I immediately take her to the head of the hotel, who called someone from the med-bay and the police. I tell the boss all that happened and that the parents were neglecting and beating their kid.
15 minutes later two drunk parents show up, screaming I should be fired for kidnapping their kid and that they are demanding a huge sum of money from the hotel.
I'm not sure what really happened to the girl (all though there were rumours the parents got sued for child neglect and she moved to her grandmother). After this happened the hotel gave me a paid stay at their hotel for the upcoming 3 weeks I was supposed to work there.
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#5
Any conversation that starts with a belligerent "I'm paying for the room"Yes, we know. The concept of the hotel is familiar to us.
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#6
Was a hotel room cleaner: when guests put used untied condoms in the toilet, under pillows, under the bed, on the tea and coffee tray.. basically anywhere.And not flushing the toilet. Its disgusting.
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However, there is another side of the equation. Hotels must provide the best possible experience to have guests return and to keep their businesses afloat. Despite the difficulties they might encounter. That means grinning and bearing the weight of the world in some hotels, however much you might want to tell someone off.
Earlier, I’d spoken about the hotel industry and hoteliers with Dr. Gabor Forgacs from Ryerson University. According to the industry expert, the best hoteliers are unassuming, discreet, and highly knowledgeable.
“The philosophy of old school hoteliers, and I am one, still rules: we see everything, we know anything about our guests but never disclose anything, never reveal what we know and keep all that to ourselves,” he told Bored Panda.
#7
We had guests open the mini-bar fridge, drink the beer, piss in the emptybottle, screwed/put the cap back on and went on their merry ways.Next client (old gentleman with his daughter) took a swill of piss that day.
Thing is, we had no idea which previous clients did this, which sucked.
Image credits: MistahZig
#8
I work at a hotel in a small, beachside Florida town. Our town has very little parking, and we advise our guests of this, especially during peak times that we (as well as the entire city and all other surrounding properties) will have to restrict parking to only one vehicle per guest.I do understand that it's not always the best, but, people who've been coming here forever know that in high season there is no place to park, so they begrudgingly will find a way to carpool.
But, not everyone does. Often times, many locals will rent a room, and then invite everyone to come on over (which, in itself is a violation of our rules if you go over 6 registered guests), and of course, everyone has to bring their own car. Not happening, because if you bring more than one vehicle, you are taking someone else's spot.
So, of course it's the stupid sense of entitlement that somehow gets me that people from out of state (up to 1500 miles in some cases) can drive here in one vehicle, and yet you can't carpool from 50 miles away?
Our security officer got one lady one time. Of course, because she's a special snowflake who the rules do not apply to, she brought three cars on a sold-out day. We don't have room for that, you are on your own to try to find (if it even exists) off-property parking for your other two cars. Good luck.
Well, she's not having it. Of course, she throwing a fit about not being able to have two extra cars. Our security officer stood firm. Finally, the lady says "you're full of shit." The best response our security officer ever had to anyone: "No I'm not, I took care of that this morning. But thank you for your concern for my good health and regularity."
I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. He put her in her place, and she had no choice but to move her cars off property.
But, it's the sense of the rules don't apply to me, and so what if I inconvenience someone else, as long as it's not me.
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#9
I hate when guests treat every minor inconvenience like it's the ONE thing that ruined their vacation.I read the feedback we get every single day and people give us horrible reviews because of things like "I had to wait a few minutes for the elevator" and "the noise level in the lobby was a bit high"? I don't get how people are so sensitive to the tiniest things! Like if you are that way at home, I feel bad for your spouse or whoever you live with because it's horrible to be around such unnecessary negativity.
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Dr. Forgacs explained that the main reason why a guest returns to a hotel is if they had good memories of staying there. “Not necessarily a gold plated doorknob or the extra skirt hangers in the closet; best memories are created through interaction with people. If service excellence exceeds expectations, guests always remember that,” he said that going the extra mile is always noticed and appreciated.
#10
I worked in hotels years ago and the amount of people who order room service and answer the door scantily clad is astonishing. It's your room guy, if you want to lie around with your balls out that's totally fine just pls we give you a robe, throw it on before opening the door
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#11
Regular guests that would interrupt you when dealing with other customers like they are more important.
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#12
When they try and do sneaky things.Example 1: poking holes in the bottom of the cans in the minibar. We caught a few of these but only after other guests noticed so we had no idea which guest did it.
Example 2: taking a s**t in one of the drawers and leaving it there.
Image credits: armored-dinnerjacket
Meanwhile, hotels that aren’t doing well financially ought to reevaluate their approach to hospitality, Dr. Forgacs said. “Languishing hotels need to take an honest look at themselves to understand the reasons why they can't create special memories.”
He continued: “Service culture is not built overnight; the way you hire, you train, and conduct yourself is crucial. Mistakes are made all the time; how you recover and show genuine care would make a difference.”
#13
Alot of guests just assume we know who they are.How am I supposed to know by face/name all 300rooms when I'm a bartender and seeing you for the first time.
Also the amount of people on checkout that try deny all room charges despite us having their signature on each one.
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#14
Valet here.When guest flat out EXPLODE on me at the front drive when I politely tell them they have to go one level down to get their vehicle as oppose to picking up out front. They are told this when they arrive.
I didn't build the hotel, I didn't place the office down stairs, I didn't place the key safe there, you know this!
CHILL OUT!!!
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#15
I start going through the spiel about amenities, breakfast, etc. and they either just say "Thanks" and walk away before I'm done, or say "yeah I know I've been here before" so I stop.10 minutes later, they call, "hey, what time is breakfast? And when does the pool close?" Well s**thead, if you had listened the first time...
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Meanwhile, if it’s the hotel staff, not the guests, who are at fault, there are ways to make up for those mistakes. “Following up is a secret weapon. Comping, offering a discount or an upgrade for a mishap is what a typical hotel would do. The better ones will always follow up with the guest and on top of a remedy, tell their plan how the mistake will be prevented from happening again.” At the end of the day, it’s up to guests and hotel staff to both be better to provide a better level of service, and a better working environment.
#16
Sex. The amount of times a guest will have requested something, needed something fixed in their room or asked for room service, only to decide to f**k straight after they put the phone down; leaving me stuck outside the door with that extra set of towels or walking into a room to fix something and seeing more than I ever needed too.Also bins are provided in bedrooms for a reason, stop leaving used condoms, lube packets, discarded toys just all over the bed and tables.
I get it, and dirty weekends away are awesome, just have a lil thought for the person who has to clean up the room after.
Image credits: OliverJamesIX
#17
Wedding parties and bridal parties. 9/10 the women are extremely high maintenance, trash the rooms , and never tip under any circumstance yet expect to be treated like royalty because "they're paying for their room " .Goes the same way with Bachelor parties too, loud drunk obnoxious men who tend to start fights in the lobby. On the plus side the men seem to tip slightly more often.
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#18
I work as a valet manager at a luxury hotel. Wedding parties that are obviously extremely wealthy who ask you to bend over backwards for them, park all of their cars, take sh*t loads of gifts and luggage to many different rooms, bring them wine and all sorts of food, order town cars and taxis for them, set up dinner reservations, put up with a bunch of their complaining and doing your best to accommodate them, and in the end no tip and no thank you.
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#19
Working front desk right now, I have no luggage carts because people bring them in their rooms and keep them overnight. Some people keep them for their whole stay over multiple days.
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#20
Hotel pianist here, I hate being photographed or filmed but I keep a cool head by telling my self that at least I know they like my playing.Some Japanese tourists however... The whole group came to my piano mid performance and positioned themselves one by one behind me while a designated photographer took pictures of them. I mean come on, at least ask if it's ok, give a tip. I'm not a rare attraction that need be documented, that s**t is distracting.
Image credits: SLOBaron
#21
I am a housekeeper at a nice, smaller sized, family oriented hotel in Atlantic Canada. It is a franchised property but is apart of a huge chain.Bastard jackal children running up and down the halls. Some even like to knock on other guest's doors at 10pm and shout 'housekeeping!' They honestly think it's hilarious.
People just coming up to my cart and taking what they want. Towels, shampoo, etc. Just ask???
People staring at myself and my fellow housekeepers as if we are actual aliens. It baffles me how many people don't understand that we essentially keep a hotel running and they barely know we exist.
Don't ask me how much I make. don't ask me if my work is seasonal (???). don't ask me anything that is not related to your stay and general comfort.
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#22
Former housekeeper here. People would spit their chew into soda cans and leave them in the room. I would grab them and think they were full of old soda, dump it in the sink, and promptly would gag at the horrendous smell. I have a long standing hatred of people who chew now. Ya'll nasty.
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#23
T*ts instead of TipsYou'd be shocked at the number of female guests who think a flash is as good as cash. Sorry ladies but a glimpse of your knockers isn't going to help this bellhop knock out the rent next month.
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#24
Worked hotel maintenance. If you accidentally break something in the room, be honest and let the front desk know. 99% chance you won't be charged for damage. It also gives maintenance a heads up to fix it at our earliest opportunity and not have to rush to fix it when the next guest finds the damage because the housekeeper didn't report it either.Where I worked, if a guest reported the damage, they wouldn't be charged for it. If they just leave and don't tell anyone, they'd be charged a damage fee, usually about $100. Yes we can do that, it's on the paperwork you sign when you check in.
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#25
Remove their makeup with our facecloths. It's a b**ch to remove the stain and we provide makeup remover too.
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#26
Honestly, the insane expectations. It's not the worst thing but it's by far the most common. Like, buddy, you paid $120 and tax for a two star hotel room in midtown Manhattan on a Saturday night. No it doesn't come with a waterfront view, no there is not any room service (install Seamless like the rest of us, Christ.)Also, if you want two beds, book two beds. Don't book the extra cheap tiny room and then put in a "request" for a two bed room at the same price because that's not how that works.
Image credits: SketchyConcierge
#27
Probably the thing that drives me bananas is obvious lying."I've NEVER been to a hotel where they authorized extra on my credit card!"
"The last time I was here they gave me the presidential for free!"
"No one's EVER needed my photo ID to check in!"
"The girl who checked me in yesterday said that I could have an upgrade to a suite today for free!" (Pretty sure when I checked you in yesterday I said no such thing, idiot)
"I've NEVER seen a hotel charge for parking, what kind of scam is this?!" (Actually not sure if this was lying or just ignorance. Maybe they've never stayed at anything that wasn't a roadside motel? But sweet zombie jesus, it happens a lot and our parking isn't even that expensive.)
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#28
I worked in maintenance at a Red Roof Inn, it was a sh*tty motel and we had 2 fulltime residents there. Both of them were... odd to say the least. One was especially bad in that he figured out that he had a captive audience in whoever was working the front desk, so he would go down and talk at them for hours. I don't mean have a conversation, I mean he would just talk at them. People working the front desk eventually just got sick of his sh*t and started flat out ignoring him, like they'd watch a show on Netflix with earphones in and he still would sit there and talk at them for hours on end.#29
I was a night auditor for a couple years. By far the most annoying thing is when people just assume they will get something without even asking. Ex: a couple made a reservation and assumed they would get a room with a single bed. Both parties had different last names (and were both female) and they did not request any room type. Then when they arrived they freaked out that it was a 2 bed room claiming we were the ass holes for assuming they wanted separate beds. When I tried to explain that they did not request any specific type of room and that we had just given them the cheapest available they refused to listen and claimed we were bigots. Never once did they tell us they were a couple or which type of room they wanted, but f**k me right?#30
One time i found pizza floating in the pool, we have to close the pool and have it cleaned by the pool guy if there is any contaminates. It really upsets guests when we do, but im not the one who brought food into the pool area clearly marked "NO FOOD, NO GLASSWEAR"#31
Me: and are you traveling with any pets today Guest: just my wife/husband Alternate response "do my kids count?"Every. Single. Time
#32
I work at a smoke free hotel. You aren't even allowed to smoke on the balconies. Clearly stated at booking and check in you will be charged a $250 cleaning fee if you do. People still smoke and get belligerent when confronted. I'm talking cigarette butts still smoldering in the room - how the fuck are you going to pretend you don't even smoke?? It's very very obvious.#33
Hotel chef here. When people phone down for food from their rooms 1 minute before close because they were waiting until the last minute to get food.If you're one of those people, it's your fault I hate everyone.
#34
When I hold my hand out to ask for your ID and CC at the desk, PLACE THEM IN MY HAND.Dont throw them on the desk, UNDERNEATH my open palm. F**k you.
#35
Honestly smoking in non smoking rooms which is a no brainer, it's nearly impossible to get that smell out of there. Also shaving your pubes and leaving it for your house keeper to deal with without tipping is f*cked up there mr valtrex#36
Just being generally nasty/unsympathetic towards the staff is the thing that gets under my skin.I work at a decently posh hotel, and some of the people who stay with us have their are so far up their own arse I'm surprised they don't see everything in brown sepia.
They complain that we're being rude to them when we can't do something like lower the price of drink for them since they're 'regulars' and as such should be treated better than everyone else. Sometimes it gets to me, I work for minimum wage and barely have enough to scrape by some weeks and you're complaining about the price of a drink when your company is paying for your stay anyway?
F*ck you big time.
#37
I worked at two different hotels and the amount of guests who don't flush the toilet has always astonished and baffled me. Do people think that flushing is so arduous that if they're on vacation they're taking a break from it? How is flushing a toilet not a reflex?#38
"Where is check-in?""The line starts over there, sir/ma'am."
"Oh, but I don't want to wait in that long line..."
what do you expect me to do?
#39
Room service here. Please tip, especially if you ask me to come back and bring you something 3 times. It doesn't have to be 20%, but jesus just something please. I make server wage.#40
I used to be a manager at a hotel in a small town, I saw all kinds of sick things! I had an old couple who used all the towels, hand towels, and wash clothes to wipe their a**! I would occasionally help the maids and clean the rooms close to the front desk and I found the towels all waded up in the corner covered in crap. Thing was, I like talking to that old couple too! That job taught me that all people are gross or have gross habits.#41
When they don't tell you whats wrong with their stay until you find out on a TripAdvisor review and it's too late to resolve the problem.#42
Not finishing your food. You can not imagine the amount of food wasted each day from hotel kitchens. Beside food that's left from the plate, everything that's still on the buffet table WILL go to the trash. It hurts to see so much down the drain. No one should be even slightly hungry by the quality of food production we have nowadays.#43
Check in is at 3:00 PM. Don't show up at 9:30 AM expecting your room to be ready. Chances are that your room is still occupied. And parking yourself in the lobby and staring at the front desk staff won't get your room ready. Go find something to do.#44
That one type of guests that waits until the day before checking out, and starts complaining about everything under the sun just to try and get some money back from the hotel.#45
Guests will call and complain about noise like concerts or construction we have no control over.#46
When they lie about smoking in a non-smoking room.#47
When guests call asking for exact square footage of the room. You're here for one night — what are you planning to do in there?#48
stop yelling at me because you booked through a third party site and paid them. no, I can't cancel it. no, I don't have your money.I literally had someone throw a fit in front of me and kept saying 'but its for here. I don't understand. I just don't get why you aren't trying to help. doesn't priceline bring in a lot of money to you?'
no, they don't. we get $60 from them for the room you booked when its normally $109. and they only ever bring problem guests. (also, why are the ones who stay the cheapest rates/have someone else paying always demand more? I had to kick this crazy lady out of the stockroom after she snuck in and was throwing supplies in a trash bag)
be nice and treat me like a human, I'll go out of my way to help. yell at me, and I won't be as nice. its not rocket science!!!
#49
Not showing up for your reservation on a busy, sold out night and not letting us know you're not making it. I get a lot of walk-ins and phone calls asking if a room is available but normally can't sell them a room that's already booked/reserved. Some people are just looking for a place to sleep for the night.
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#50
Reception worker for an international chain of hotels here.Breaking an obvious rule they have been informed about ten times and then come to the reception to scream at my face. ''I will talk to your general manager in the headquarters (another country)!''. Sure! Fill in the complaint form, make that long and expensive call and let me know when they confirm what I have just said.
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#51
Honestly it's when the locals boast about knowing the owner. You already got a big discount. Stop asking for everything free you think you deserve.
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#52
I worked at a Hard Rock Hotel. The most annoying thing was probably the wannabe reality tv star 40 somethings that would stay at the hotel and try to relive their youth. And by relive their youth I mean act like obnoxious teenagers who act wealthier than they actually are. Had one guy nearly blow up at me because he thought I included a tip on a $200 check, when I informed him that was the tax he just sighed and threw it back at me.#53
I work overnight as a Front Desk Supervisor.Most of the time, the most irritating guests are the ones who have stayed at the hotel previously and get mad that policies change. When I started working front desk 3 years ago, I could copy paste a damn credit card off of a reservation- now I don't even see a number, and we have to swipe the card in person, no online payments are supported. This drives people insane, and they always jump straight to the " well it wasn't a problem when I stayed here last year" argument. It's incredibly frustrating having people who don't understand that policies change, that those changes are not in fact my decision, and that they're done for their own good.
Or the time we had someone fapping in the lobby bar.
#54
I worked as a hotel maid way back whenGuests not cleaning up after their 'fun times' (lube, condoms, other stuff)
guests not putting out their room service trays - leading to a tray crisis because no one could figure out where they were... also so much mouldy food.
Guests stealing toiletries from my caddy
Guests asking me if I spoke English, at a hotel in England. Now this one might sound fair enough, because I had one or two polish co-workers (who spoke better English than me to be honest), but it was mostly international guests who would just barge in to a room I was cleaning, not even say 'hello' or 'excuse me', just start the conversation with 'Do you speak English'.
which leads me on to
no pleases or thank yous - 'miss, I need another towel' oh ok I'll get that for you 'good, I'm going out leave it on the bed', yeah you're fucking welcome mate
and also
coming into a room I was cleaning. If I was in a room that was occuppied and I was just doing a general dust, I would always shut the door. For unoccupied ones, I'd prop it open so I could get to the caddy easier, which was apparently an invitation that I wanted a chat which was really...
complaining to me about things I have no control over. Like the bill. Look pal, I was paid £3.65 an hour for that shit, I don't care if you thought the hotel was overpriced. I'd have to work for 3 full weeks to afford one night at this place. Excuse me if I don't care. No I can't help the fact that the phone reception in here is bad, what do you want me to do, build a network tower? Eff off.
Of course, this was only a few guests. Most were usually nice older couples who came to my town for a lovely weekend away. And once there was a medieval themed wedding, and one guy dressed in the full assassins creed get up, it looked better than the costume from the latest film.
#55
Oh I worked at a Hilton years ago in high school. Was actually a fun job but I still remember stuff 20 years later.If I am helping someone else I cannot carry your suitcases on top of this other guest. You can see that stop being impatient.
One group was holding an event in one of our conference rooms. Maybe 30 people. They all had to be well hydrated because I probably brought them 30 1 gallon pitchers of water. Not counting what the wait staff brought them.
The woman that work here will not sleep with you. And that girl that works here is 16.
Guests that call up every 10 min asking for something odd or complaining about something we have no control over. Sorry I can't stop the snow.
No we cannot drive you 3 hrs to someone's house or some convention in the hotel van.
What I remember anyways.
#56
Used to work in a very nice hotel, downtown in a heavy tourist-traffic city.If you're staying in a nice hotel in the middle of one of the most traveled entertainment districts in the country, quit getting mad and acting surprised when EVERYTHING costs money. Yes, parking costs money, yes breakfast costs money.
#57
Dump ash next to the ashtray and don't clean it up. It's not that hard dammit.#58
As a housekeeper currently on her way to work, I think I needed this thread to vent a bit.Please answer the door. I know people don't want to deal with us and you want us to clean while you're not there, I prefer it too, but don't yell at me through the door. If you answer the door I just say hi do you want housekeeping now, if not what time are you leaving. The door between makes it much harder for me.
Don't refill those water bottles in the room with tap water. Honestly, we have a sign saying what it costs, if you don't want to pay for it just drink the fucking tap water you poured in the bottle. I check in every room if the seal is broken, and you get charged anyway.
3 Don't leave your DND on for the entire day if you want service. Housekeeping is only on 8-4:30, so don't take your sign off at 4pm and get mad when we can't clean your room. We put cards under each door that clearly states if you don't remove the sign by 3 pm, you can only get towels from front desk, not cleaning.
4. I could go on for days talking about this, but lastly please recognize I also want you to enjoy your stay. I love talking to nice guests and honestly if you are nice to me, I will go out of my way to help you out. Don't act like you are entitled to the universe because you're paying to stay at our mediocre hotel. Honestly, when people treat me in a friendly way, or tip me, I give them all the extra shit they could need. Specifically with turndown service, if you don't treat me like shit like half the people I talk to every night, I will give you like 6 of those little chocolates man.
May have to post more later, this is therapeutic to get out man.
#59
I work at a Great Wolf Lodge (kids resort/waterpark) and there are 2 things that piss me off the most. When parents fill their kids up with sugar, send them down these super fast slides, then take them to a buffet to eat more s**tty food. This leads to kids throwing up like 4-5 times a shift. I understand that kids are going to be sick but it pisses me off that they expect us to clean their kids vomit. We have to clean it with special sanitizer, but rarely do parents try to clean the initial spill. The other thing that gets under my skin is when we find diapers under tables.... like wtf... why are you changing your kid at the table in the first place??? It takes a pretty big scumbag to leave a s**tty diaper under a table when there are people all around you trying to eat. It's disgusting.#60
Former manager here:This is the same for any customer service field. If you have an issue, just come and ask us or tell us about it. There's no need to yell or scream, our job is to help you, and frankly, we want to help you and get you taken care of as soon as possible so we can go back to screwing around.
Screaming, at me, if anything, doesn't make me work faster. Doesn't make me want to do anything for you and there are incredibly few instances that I will actually "just comp a room." People fishing for a free room or free things is so god damn obvious to me. Working in hospitality made me such a petty person that I had to leave, but sometimes things are as simple as
"Hey, can I have a water?" "Sure, here have a bag, it has water and some pretzels and a candy bar."
as opposed to
"THAT PERSON GOT A LITTLE BAG WHEN THEY CHECKED IN! I DEMAND TO HAVE A BAG." "Well, those bags are actually for the members of our HHonors program. If you sign up online we can enter your number and you can start earning points. In fact, if you go over to our convienient business center, I'll start you off with the blue tier (just two waters) bag!" "THATS RIDICULOUS IVE NEVER BEEN TREATED LIKE THIS AND I STAY HERE ALL THE TIME!" "Ah well, that's what you've got to do to earn the bag. Also, when did you last stay here? I've worked 6 days a week for the last three years and I see nearly every guest that stays here, and I don't think I've seen you before." "Oh well... uhh, maybe it's not this one it's the one across the street." "Ah."
#61
I used to work at Imperial Palace in Vegas. During graveyard shift i would go out and clean the pool deck. Drunk f***ers would throw s**t at me. Literally once, a bag of s**t. Mostly coins and beer bottles though. Also when i'd caution tape the bathrooms off to work in they would tear it down & come on in anyway. Drunk tourists are hell. They treat it like their personal toilet.#62
Too many guests were incompetent to use the phone. It was the kind where you have to press "Talk" either before you dial or after. Guests that would come barging downstairs complaining that their phone didn't work because they didn't try simply shocked me.#63
Ex bellman/concierge/valet/airport shuttle driver here.You would not believe how many people incorrectly describe their own luggage. I worked mostly at a conference resort, meaning guests were usually there for business and therefore shared rooms with coworkers. Because of this, they would need to describe their luggage to me when giving me their room number so that I could get their bags and have them ready for the shuttle while they checked out or had breakfast. "Mine's the green hardshell" actually means it's a black softside. "Black garment bag" means it's a red duffel large enough for two adults to fornicate in. "Black rollie carry-on" means brown Samsonite from 1982.
#64
Stay the full week and at the very last day complain about bugs and ask for a refund.(I'm a pest exterminator with 99% hotel owning customers, I don't like residential.)
#65
At my hotel we only have valet driveway space for 2 (sometimes 3) cars at once. A guest will say "I'll be back in 5 minutes can I just leave this here?" And of course I say yes and they are gone for 2 hours and cars while pile up into the street.#66
I work the front desk at a smaller hotel there is three different elevators( very odd hotel) in our hotel. Two are in the main lobby right by the front desk that only reach the third floor. The third elevator is down a hallway to the right of the desk that reaches the fourth and fifth floors. While checking a guest in I explain to them how to get to there room (which elevator they should use) and right after giving my whole speech. Instead of going right around the corner down the hallway to back set of elevators (that reaches the fourth and fifth floor) they try going outside to find the elevator? Or go to the other two and come back to me asking how to get to their room! And trust me I try to make myself as perfectly clear as possible. Some just don't pay attention, others simply walk away in the middle of the conversation#67
If it's a full-service hotel, or a place that staffs bellmen, please don't steal their bell carts. They rely on tips for a living and if guests steal the carts to keep in their room, or take them and leave them on a floor, they have to take extra time out of their shift to retrieve it and will most likely lose out on some money.#68
I was a front office manager for a large hotel for years. Guests arguing with me over 3rd party issues were the worst. You can call expedia or travelocity 100 times for them but if they say no refund then there's literally nothing I can do. Doesn't stop them from being complete assholes to you though#69
I work at a 900 room airport hotel. The worst is when a flight is cancelled, we have a 200 person line, and the guy that walks up to me is yelling at me because we don't have any more rooms to sell and that we are the worst experience he has ever had. This has happened many many times.Also when people call tell me their full life story and at the end say they just need to be transferred somewhere else.
#70
Guests freaking out about some inconsequential thing that ruined their stay. "Bathroom floor tile had a crack in it! 0/10!!" "Painting on the wall was slightly crooked! Ruined my whole vacation!"Also, if something in your room doesn't work or if there's some problem, fine, call the front desk and we will be happy to fix it. What is total bullshit though is having an issue, and not saying anything about it and giving us a chance to remedy the situation. Instead just quietly stewing about it only to blast us on the internet later.
#71
I just can't f***ing stand the entitlement of some people. My hotel chain has a loyalty program and people will start the conversation with their loyalty level, so I know how big and important they are, and proceed to ask for the moon, and then throw an absolute fit when they can't get it because we're a business and we have to operate in a way that makes sense, not make special exemptions just because you think you're a god. People have literally screamed and cursed at me because they're put in the room type that they booked, because we had no upgrades available. My favorite thing to do is break down for them what they're actually asking for: so you would like me to ask someone else, who booked a larger room, and paid for a larger room, to move out of it and stay in the small room that you booked, because you're a such-and-such elite member? Usually they just shake their heads at me as I point out, politely, that they're acting like entitled douchenozzles. I've had the same situation with people trying to book rooms on sold out nights. "What do you mean there are no rooms available?! But I'm a Platinum and I'm guaranteed a room" okay sure, if you call your special hotline, they'll book it - but please understand when you do this, you're forcing someone else out of a room. Who already booked it. Or else "what do you mean I can't check in at 8 am?!" Well sir you're very special to us but I'm not going to call an occupied room and tell them they must vacate so you can check into your room 7 hours early... life is rough I guess.#72
Our family own a few hotels and motels. I have a ton of stories about guests. But the one thing that gets under my skin the most is when guests take complaints straight to social media before giving management or ownership a chance to rectify the problem. A lot of the big chains can get by with a scathing review here and there. But a family owned small motel/hotel can be damaged severely by one bad review. When someone invests their life and savings into their business and Joe Schmo who spends one night at their place and is not happy. That one bad review can cost thousands of dollars in revenue and un-repairable damage to their reputation.#73
Assistant Front Office Manager of a boutique hotel here. Third party booking sites are the bane of our existence.In order to make any changes to your reservation, you have to speak with their customer service team so they can reach out to us to fix whatever the situation is. It is a big waste of time on everyone's part. You're better off spending the $5/$10 in savings on booking directly through the hotel and cutting out the middleman. You honestly don't save that much money in the long run.
We'll get guests who book third party and "don't get the hotel room they booked". Here's the thing about third party OTA's... You're not guaranteed the room type you think you're booking; you're only guaranteed a room somewhere in the vicinity of the hotel you are booking at. So I'm sorry that I gave all the "good" rooms to the guests that are paying more and put you in the room with the blinking street light just outside the window - or the room that has the loud HVAC unit.
Billing also gets tricky for the guests. They often expect to have a receipt at check out and we have to explain that their receipt comes from the third party company - not the hotel. The guests don't often read the "additional fees" portion of the website either. then they get mad at my staff when they find out about our "hidden fees". I have a binder of printed screenshots of every booking site's page for our hotel where it specifically states the additional fees for our hotel - desktop site, mobile site, Android App and iOS App. Whenever a guest says it isn't there, I pull the binder and ask why they didn't read the sites booking page where it clearly states the fees. They will argue it 90% of the time and I just review the site with them. If they want to take it to the next level, they won't be doing it with me. I provide them with their specific booking sites customer service team, and wish them luck. Whenever the third party's customer service team calls me, I tell them that the fees are specifically written out on the site and we will not be budging on it.
#74
As a former bellboy/FD and maintenance guy, the carts were always a big one. Besides the fact that they were brass and needed polishing every few hours...Another bad one was finding a turd in our pool. How does someone not mention this? If it was a kid, there should have been an adult there to witness it. It was pretty hard to miss.
After the sensationalism about bed bugs several years ago every middle aged woman I served was convinced any speck of dust or lint was a bedbug and that they deserved to be upgraded to a suite and a free dinner. Pro tip: look behind the headboards and between the mattresses. You aren't going to walk in and find them just chilling there watching tv. Rooms are treated weekly. Relax.
The best/worst for me are people who can't use a key card. 9 out of 10 times you are just doing it wrong. Slow down and look at what you are doing. Most places mark the cards very clearly. Don't blow up at the person who comes to help you, or try to get a freebie out of it. To save face I would usually print up new cards and bring them to the room, open the door in front of them to prove they work and all was good. For problem guests I would take their 'faulty' card silently and unlock the door, look them in the eye and say have a nice day.
#75
I was a housekeeper in a small town hotel. We serviced a lot of construction workers who had their rooms paid for by the the companies they worked for. Those guys did NOT care about the state of their rooms. They would literally throw all their trash on the floor. Never the trash cans. I had to use a magic eraser on the bathtubs daily because there'd be a new layer of grime every time. Lastly, the smell. Holy cow, the smell. Some things never leave you. Basically I dreaded opening their hotel rooms on a daily basis.#76
When people dont have a card that authorizes for the full amount, then books through expedia thinking i wont need a card for incidentals. Same goes with people asking at the fd for prices then booking third party right in front of me.#77
I used to do security for a DoubleTree in my city, and everything was perfect, super cake job, until the winter weekends when Kids Hockey would start up and both the Americans and Canadians were absolutely terribleParents just getting absolutely plastered and not paying any attention to their kids, kids playing "knee hockey" in the hallways, kids using chairs to try and block doorways so I couldnt get thru and get to them, it was a 5 story building and every floor had an interior balcony that ran around the inside and moron kids would climb up on the railings and stand up, just the absolute worst and the parents were always 10 drinks in and would just scream and yell when you try to tell them to actually parent their kids
#78
Hotel building maintenance here. Honestly most people are okay, if a bit weird, but I can't stand the unnecessary damage of drinks and hyperactive children. We literally had a guy last week piss all over his bed before sleeping in it because drunk-him decided it was a hilarious idea. The next morning he demanded the bed be clean for him when he got back (he's staying for a few weeks with a few other guys in other rooms for a local construction project). His boss had a good "laugh" of it when we called to explain we're charging the company for the cleaning fee. Even if dude isn't personally held responsible, the boss we contract with is a funny guy and having the scoop on a bed-wetter probably have him some leverage.Also, people who break or tamper with things in their room to try to get a discount. Like seriously?! We in aspect the rooms after each cleaning and also our clean rooms get checked everyday. We know it was working before you were in there.
#79
When the guest "checks out" at the front desk but decide to go hangout in their room for a few more hours. Guest not flushing toliets. Leaving empty bottles everywhere. Looking at you, sports teams who rent out hotel rooms and trash them. Like I'm talking about 2 50gal trash bags full of gatorade bottles and food from (4) double queen rooms. When someone decides to throw a fucking party in their hotel room and has GLITTER AND DECORATES THE ROOM WITH IT!!!!! Do people not know how long it takes to get glitter completely out of a room?!?!?! When someone decides to not pay the extra 15$ for a smoking room and smokes in a non smoking room.#80
Customer: "I know the owner and Im gonna call him"Me: "Oh do you? Are you sure? Because he's literally sitting on the other side of his wife who is sitting right next to you at the bar"
#81
People who know they can get out of paying for something just by complaining. I used to see them all the time tell the front desk agents "I'm so annoyed the sun came up and made it difficult to sleep, this place is supposed to be relaxing but it's so bright out". They keep it up until they're offered something be removed from their bill.#82
Canadian Hockey Teams. We would have them every winter for tournaments, usually around elementary - middle school age. The parents would get belligerently drunk and let their kids play hockey in the hallway. Caught two parents (from different families) having sex up against the vending machines for all the kids to see if they walked down the hallway.#83
I was a hotel engineer at a big hotel company. Most people are ok, but some guests try to break things to earn points, amenities or an upgrade.Once a guest loosed the sink screws and said the sink has fallen in her feet just to get an upgrade to a suite. We knew he faked it, but could not confront him!
The most common problem is guests clogging the toilet with shampoo packing or pringles covers. Them they ask for a kenfix, which is unable to solve the problem, so they ask for an upgrade. After that we must take the toilet out, we take pictures but are not allowed to confront the guest.
We had a blacklist with guests we knew would cause problem.
#84
I don't know if this happens at other hotels, but we had a huge problem 'Garlic Death.' You could smell it from the hallways and when you opened the door to clean it the reek of garlic would almost knock you over. I guess every now and then a room full of people would eat super garlic-loaded foods and then sweat all night and make the room stink? I dunno, but I'll never be able to erase that smell.Also, once we had a family that apparently gave haircuts in to everyone in the party in their hotel room? That was awful to clean :(
#85
Me: "Shall I email that receipt to you or would you like a printed copy?" Guest: "Yes."About 70% of the time, every time.
#86
Night auditor/grave yard front desk. I would say the threats of physical violence.#87
Ask for their name they'll give a room number. Ask for a room number they'll give a name.Also I work graveyard. No I'm not tired, no you didn't wake me up, no I'm not going to sleep when you leave.
#88
As a former Valet in the Midwest, some people are unaware of the concept of valet and think 'ok I guess I'll use it!' Which is great, but when your car smells like moldy weed and stale beer and you don't tip for the week you're there...that gets really old.Flip side of that, you get some crazy tips from people that don't have immediate cash on them. I got a year pass to a strip club from the owner one time, and invite to Bushpilots MC from the chapter president, a book of 20 dollar gift cards to outback from a corporate dude, a very nice set of poker chips and custom case, tons of free t shirts, pens, hats, sweats, with corpo logos on them etc.
#89
I used to work the front desk at a hotel. People would order porn, watch it for 7 minutes, then call me to say they "accidentally" ordered a movie and request that it be taken off their bill.We didn't have an official policy, but we gave people the benefit of the doubt if the system showed they played the movie for less than 10-15 minutes or so. We could also see the titles guests ordered, so it was weird when they checked out and you knew what sort of thing they were into.
#90
How about when you take a detailed room service order...Me: "no condiments for your burger and unsalted fries-are you sure that's all?...ok, I should have your order to you in about 35 minutes." You deliver their perfect order, on time, up 16 floors, making stops on 4 floors for other staff to cram on the elevator with carts of dirty laundry etc, after having to argue with the chef over adding swiss cheese and needing fresh fries with NO SALT, because he missed your special instructions in the ticket : / Guest suddenly needs ketchup, salt and an extra plate...Me: "no problem, be right back." (UGH). Down 16 floors, making stops on 3 floors, speed-walking to the supply room for needed items, nearly knocking over coworkers, knowing you have another 4 orders on the line near ready. Back up 16 floors, lucking out with no extra stops on floors yippee, almost in the clear and on to the next! (Hiding your panting and perspiration and ketchup stain on your shirt you acquired somewhere between the 8th & 10th floors). Guest: "Oh, thank you! You have change for $100, right? I know I said I was charging to my room, but I changed my mind." Me: "I'll have to go to the lobby for that, be right back." SUNNABITCH KILL ME NOW!!!#91
Front office worker, reporting in. Been at it for almost 3 years now at a 5-star luxury hotel. Our average rate for a standard room can be around $350 to $400 a night, but you'll find people who somehow squeeze in through agencies like Hotwire or Priceline at much lower rates. It's these people coming in through OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) who don't confirm their reservation or come very unprepared that bother me the most. They scrimp on the rate, expect everything else to be complimentary, don't tip our workers in the other outlets, make a reservation for 1 adult in a King room only to show up with 2 adults and 3 kids and proceed to blame us for being sold out on a Saturday and unable to give them a double room at the last minute instead.That last case came to me one day and I jumped through many hoops to get them that double room all the while doing my best to give them the Five Star treatment. Their comment came back the following week with a rating of 5/10 and they couldn't even remember my name.
These third party sites don't always share the notes you give them, so the lesson for the sake of everyone's sanity is to always call the hotel you will be staying at to confirm whatever specific arrangements you must have if it's that important to you.
#92
Checking out, then going to the restaurant and trying to bill the meal to their room.We have to go to the front desk and make them reopen the room so we can close our tickets.
#93
The worst I experienced in my years as a housekeeper/housekeeping supervisor was a woman and her kid got into a room that I had just cleaned earlier in the day. She claimed that I didn't change the bedding, and that there was literal s**t on the comforter. Myself and two other managers go with her to the room to see what it was and there was a turd on the edge of the bed, partially smeared. She demanded a free room and threatened us was all kinds of things. The hotel manager gave her a free one even thought there's no way I could've even put the bed together without touching the poo.The other thing that bugged me was when I'd get blamed for stealing the s**t they lost in their room. No, I don't want you husbands watch, and i'd appreciate if you just looked before blaming my housekeepers and I. (They would almost always find whatever they had said we stole under the bedskirt)
#94
Valet here. If you call down for your car to be brought around, don't wait an hour. Some days we are busy and need the space for check ins/outs and your vehicle parked in the driveway is in the way. Only call for your car if you know you're leaving within 5-10 minutes. If you all of a sudden need to use the bathroom or something, that's fine we understand, but don't leave us hanging, we have a job to do (and please tip, yes it's a tipped service, no we don't get minimum wage, we survive off that s**t).#95
worked 4 years at a hotel, seen every single department there, from housekeeping, restaurant to front office.Wake up calls that don't answer the phone when I had nightshift. Because then I would have to
People asking dumb questions. "Where is the bar"? Maybe 3 feet next to you? It has a big shield with BAR and its blasting music ..
Layover guests.
People complaining why they need to give us their credit card info and trying to speak to the manager
The room is really small! No s**t sherlock..you booked it
People who called in and trying to haggle down the price over the phone telling me they say it for 20$!!! Then book your imaginary price