Checking Out

Excuse Me!

2012-08-26T16:24:00.001-07:00

There has been a woman staying here for the past few weeks that only wears a dirty, fuzzy and pink bathrobe all the time. Going out for ice? Bathrobe. Coming in to steal the toilet paper from the public bathroom? Bathrobe. Coming to sit in the lobby for an extended period of time while burping really loudly? Bathrobe.

I do not really understand why she comes to sit in our lobby. It's a free-standing building and it does not have a TV. It's ALWAYS cold in here. Maybe she likes to watch us work. Maybe her burps come out better when sitting in here. She also never looks you in the eye, which just gives me the heebie jeebs.

Hey WALL. Why you looking at me like that??

2012-08-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

Not quite sure why they got so mad at the wall. I also found weed in the room, but that is supposed to make you happy. I would hate to see what happened if they WEREN'T high!

Sweet like honey

2012-06-10T14:02:00.003-07:00

There is a drunk guy in the lobby (it's 2PM on Sunday) and is discussing honey with my front desk worker.

California Dreamin

2012-06-10T01:39:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone.

Long time no chat.

My last post talked about my promotion. To give you the quick recap, I was promoted to a GM of a property that my company bought. After working there for a little more than 4 months, I was called in to a meeting, told I was a great manager and was fired.

It took me a bit to come to terms with the fact that the company I had given so much time to was suddenly kicking me to the curb.

After 2 months of unemployment, I was offered a job as an Operations Manager (aka Assistant General Manger). The job was in California. By myself, I drove for 5 days from Michigan to California and here I am.
I neglected this blog for a long time because I was focusing all my time on being a great GM.

Haha.

Changes!

2011-12-13T20:57:00.000-08:00

Well, some big changes have happened. I have graciously accepted a position as general manager at a property that my franchise company has just purchased. It will be a lot of work, but I am ready to take on the challenges. I have emailed my groups and recieved so many emails of congratulations and even some saying that they only booked because of me. I have never felt so happy and excited.

My posts may be lighter for the next few weeks.

PS: Worst guest ever (SO GLAD I AM RID OF HIM NOW) asked for his money back this morning. He said he hated his mattress. (sigh)

The Bad Guest Cometh

2011-12-09T20:27:00.000-08:00

I had HOPED that after the last incident, I would have the pleasure of never again dealing with The Worst Guest Ever. I was sadly mistaken...

He has a reservation this weekend. To be more exact, checking in on Saturday and not leaving again for four days. FOUR. 4.

So, reading back to last time, he cancelled his reservation because he could not get an upgrade. Refresher course, he is the highest level of membership in our hotel program (FYI, you can PAY to get yourself to the highest level). So he calls to make a reservation yesterday. When I arrive at the hotel, my slightly over-exaggerating desk employee explains to me that he called to make a reservation, insisted on paying pennies on the dollar and wanted a suite. He apparently hung up before finding out we had no suites available (and let's face it. we never will for him).

I quickly chugged two cups of coffee and declared Saturday "DB ALERT DAY." (DB is the loving name I have given him...)

Later in the day he calls and I speak to him. He is upset that his weekend and weekday rates are different. I begrudgingly give him the lower rate for all four (4!) days. Then, in a soft trembling voice I say, "so that is the rate for your....standard...two queen sized bed room."

Silence.

WHAT?!?!?

I knew it. "You have to give me a suite."

I'm sorry sir. That's only if we have it. We have been sold out of suites for weeks. (What's that smell? Oh my pants are aflame).

"NONONONONO! See here*"

*Had we lived many years ago, that may have been the polite way of saying what expletives really came spewing out

All in all, I pushed into the conversation that he had a standard room, before he hung up on me.

We shall see tomorrow.

We shall see.

No Vacancy

2011-12-06T20:53:00.000-08:00

I think it's funny when potential guests get mad that we are sold out. Sure, sucks for them. But maybe they should have thought ahead? I asked my front desk manager if he gets annoyed when he gets this question when someone is told we are sold out:

"WHAT???? WHY??? What's going ONNNN?"

I don't know? Maybe we are good at our jobs? In my particular hotel, we are business traveler oriented. So during the week, we sell out frequently. I get that a guest might not understand it. But being in Michigan, let's be happy that we are bringing in this much business!

Also, now that it is cold, we have started serving chili to our guests when they check in. I never realized how messy chili is until now...

Lost & Found

2011-12-03T10:31:00.001-08:00

We keep our lost and found items for 3 months before giving them away or throwing them away. Usually you can tell which items are going to be claimed (diamond rings) and which items aren't (old shampoo). My housekeeper just brought down this bag:

Inside are the following items:

-Vibrator

-ID

-Credit Card

-Cell Phone

So, she's probably coming back for it and it is going to be super embarrassing for both her and the guy working the desk tonight.

Salary

2011-12-03T09:14:00.000-08:00

I have spoken about my maintenance guy before. He gets really confused really easily.
Today he was signing for a paycheck.
Him: "Why is your name on here?"
Me: "I get paychecks too..."
Him: "But you're salary."
Me: "Yeah?"
He thinks really hard for a moment.
Him: "You get paid once a year, right? That's what salary is."
I explain to him what salary means.
Him: "Yeah right. You always lie to me."

Just Be Nice!

2011-12-02T15:44:00.001-08:00

I was just reading an article online that talked about how you can get a free upgrade to first class on an airplane. The article had many interviews with people who just couldn't figure it out.

Now, I have never worked for an airline, but I have worked at many hotels. My guess is that they are somewhat simliar.

First, we upgrade our frequent guests or guests that are high up in our hotel loyalty program. But, that usually still leaves some nice rooms available. Ask any hotel worker who has been screamed at by enough rude people and I'm sure they will tell you the same thing. Be nice! We have a guest that comes in every few months and she is the nicest guest I have ever encountered. She has written our corporate office and our owner to tell us of her great experiences. Why wouldn't I want to show her my gratitude?

Too many times in any customer service related job, people only open their mouths when it's to complain. So out of 100 customers, many 5 were upset about something but the other 95 had a great experience. We never hear from those 95! So when we do, it is VERY refreshing.

So if you are looking to get great service somewhere, follow the golden rule. Treat others as you want to be treated!

Spelling Bee Champ

2011-11-29T07:05:00.000-08:00

ANNOYING:
When taking a reservation, you spell out EVERY word for me, even the really simple ones:
Street
Road
Smith
Elm

EVEN MORE ANNOYING:
You have the longest and weirdest last name I have ever heard and you DON'T spell it out for me.

Also, I just want to clarify for the world. Email addresses are NOT case sensitive!

Yummy

2011-11-26T08:29:00.000-08:00

We recently recieved a survey from someone who said that they did not like our breakfast because it reminded him of jail food.

WOW!

I have never been to jail (knock on wood), so I can not expertly give my opinion on this. But I have to say, if this is the type of food that is served in jails, then I think prisoners are being treated pretty well!

Aww!

2011-11-24T14:09:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for my ADORABLE guests! Like the 2 year old boy who came into the lobby with his family and keeps calling everyone "hotstuff."

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T13:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

If you are out and about today, be sure to thank the people who are working today! :o)

Good Riddance

2011-11-23T11:25:00.000-08:00

Our worst guest had a reservation to check-in here tonight for the whole weekend. This guest has the highest level on our brand's reward program, which makes him think he is entitled to everything. He stays about every three months and everytime he comes in, he complains about everything. He demands his money back everytime he stays here, which begs the question, why come back? Obviously it is just to get a free stay everytime. We tried to bring it up with our corporate office, but they kindly told us to suck it.
Being the highest level of membership, one perk is that you get a complimentary upgrade when available. WHEN AVAILABLE. He made his reservation for Thanksgiving weekend which is one of our busiest weekends. We had no upgrades available. Which made us giggle a bit, because there is nothing more amusing than a grown man having a temper tantrum.
So this morning he called to verify that he had a suite. When we told him no, he flipped out. He yelled at the front desk worker who nicely explained that we were sold out. He hung up.
He later called back and CANCELLED HIS RESERVATION. I cannot explain how excited we all are. Does this mean he is FINALLY going to another hotel? Is he now the problem of our competition? Only time will tell, but my weekend just got a hell of a lot better!

Beds

2011-11-22T10:18:00.000-08:00

Bed types are such a touchy topic for some people. I understand if you normally sleep in a king and you get a room with a double bed, it's different. Luckily at our hotel, we have two choices. A king or a queen. Yes, queens are smaller but they aren't THAT much smaller. Our rooms with queens have two queens in them. If you think a queen is too small for sharing, you can each have your own queen. But when people complain about it and they are staying alone, that's when it gets annoying. I actually had a woman tell me once "I'm a DOCTOR. I do NOT sleep in queen beds. Only kings. Because I'm a DOCTOR."

Use your listening skills

2011-11-17T14:00:00.000-08:00

Me: "We could do a special rate of $80 plus tax!"
Woman: "Oh, $79?"
Me: "NO. $80."

Then she proceeded to tell me how she hated the pictures we had on our website. I started to explain to her that we are in the process of getting new photos taken because we have updated our rooms and she interuppted me serveral times to tell me what she didn't like. I finally stopped pretending to be nice and just said "LIKE I was about to tell you..."

Maybe it's because I just worked 10 days in a row, but people are getting on my nerves today!

Clifford The Big Red Drunk

2011-11-16T00:04:00.000-08:00

The last two nights I have had to work the overnight shift due to an employee calling off because her foot hurt. Luckily (knocks on wood) the nights have been very uneventful. In college, I worked at an extended stay hotel and I would frequently have to stay and work the night shift (after working all evening) because my auditor was too stupid to remember their schedule.
One month we had a group of people in that were touring with the Clifford the Big Red Dog play. The last night of their performance they did what any 20-something year old would do. They got wasted.
They came in fairly loud but went to their rooms and I thought nothing of it. A little while later, an alarm went off at the front desk indicating that a smoke detector was going off in a room. I called the room to see what the problem was and got no answer. As I was grabbing my keys to go to the room, a few of the nearby rooms called me to tell me to shut off the alarm because it was 3AM and they wanted to sleep! Even if they were on fire!
I ran down to the room and could instantly smell something burning. I banged on the door and got no response. At this point, I had specators. I opened the door to the room and it was full of smoke. There was a guy on the bed not moving.
I should mention, that in extended stay hotels, they have stove tops. This particular stove top had a pan that was on fire on it. I grabbed the pan and took it off the stove and shut the stove off and opened the window. At this point, I turned to the man on the bed. He was breathing but would not wake up. I called 911 and they sent an ambulance.
Oh, and a firetruck. Why? At this point, the entire building's fire alarms were going off. Time to evacuate the building!
In the end, the guy turned out to be ok. He was just really really drunk and wanted some food. Everyone that had to evacuate was very pissed and we gave a lot of people their money back.
Oh also, when I took the fire pan off the stove, I placed it on the counter which melted the whole thing.
Clifford paid for that one.

Ick

2011-11-13T15:50:00.000-08:00

We used to have a medical facility that used our hotel after patients did a medical detox from their drug addictions. They would come back and just be...gross. We had to put rubber sheets on the bed and a trash can next to it. Wednesdays became the "Day of the Dead." They came back as zombies and promptly shit the bed. They were not supposed to eat 24 hours before the procedure because it was in fact, surgery.

One day, a woman came back and her boyfriend steered her straight to our lobby bathroom. A few minutes later our Bulgarian house person (who thinks I'm ugly) ran up to me and started blabbering in a way that I couldn't understand. (What's wrong girl? Something in the bathroom???).

Once I figured out what she was trying to communicate, I opened the door to the bathroom and was just HIT with a wave of rancid awfulness. This woman had defecated EVERYWHERE. She was currently standing pantsless at the sink crying. Her boyfriend ran away saying "PANTS!" I shut the door and tried not to die. One of the paramedic/caregivers came in and I just pointed to the bathroom while gagging. Her boyfriend came back down with pants and they went upstairs. We cleaned the bathroom and opened all doors to the outside to help aerate the situation.

It's been a year and the smell still lingers in my memory.

I'm not perfect either!

2011-11-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

We had a few rooms in this weekend for a funeral. The last one just checked out.
Guest: "Thanks for everything. Have a great day."
Me: "You too! We'll see you next time!"
Guest: "..."
Me: (Foot in mouth)

Pool

2011-11-13T08:24:00.000-08:00

A woman just told me she was going to call corporate because we shut down our pool due to a bunch of 8 year olds that peed in it. She said her child was very upset that it was closed. Do you really want your child to swim in pee? We feel bad it's closed too. But we want it to be safe for your child! Seriously parents... things in life are not always guaranteed.

UPDATE: The woman came back to complain more. She said that her 8 year old told her that he never wants to stay in a Hampton Inn ever again and that while she understood it was for safety reasons, that wouldn't console her child.
Seriously?!?
1. Your 8 year old dictates where you stay?
2. You can't explain to your child that unfortunatly things don't always work out the way you plan and that it is for his own safety?

It's that guy's fault

2011-11-13T06:39:00.000-08:00

As the children and their parents check out this morning, there has been a lack of luggage carts. Why? We have three. But parents load up all their crap on them and then leave them in the lobby while they all go eat breakfast. Then other parents yell at me because there are none available. Yell at your dumbass friends! They are that aren't smart enough to realize that EVERYONE in their group has the same needs. Where would I store 105 luggage carts so you can all have one?

Pranks

2011-11-12T08:41:00.001-08:00

I'm not going to lie, I play a LOT of pranks on my employees. Especially the new ones. My new maintenance guy is about 21 and it is really easy to fool him. Examples:

Replace a lightbulb in room 417. We don't have a room 417. It's funny for us the first time but it's even funnier when he forgets and I send him up a few times a week.

Whispering his name over the radio and then acting like I have no idea what he is talking about.

Telling him certain rooms are haunted and making up stories about things that have happened in there.

So it's understandable that when I actually ask him to do something, he is a bit skeptical. One day I had asked him something over the radio and myself, the front desk manager and a guest all thought he dropped the F-bomb. When we asked him about it later, he said he didn't but wouldn't believe that we all thought so. Or yesterday, he wondered why there were so many remotes in the maintenance mailbox. I explained to him that those were all broken and he thought we were just playing a joke (c'mon really? what a lame prank). But today really took the cake for me. A guest called and had left an important folder in his room and wanted someone to get it so he could swing by really quickly to grab it. I asked him to go to the room and get the manilla folder on the bed. "Vanilla folder? Haha very funny," he said. (Again, really? I'm smarter when it comes to pranks). "MANILLA!" I said. "TAN!" I later asked if he had really never heard of manilla before. He said no but assured me that he HAD heard of folders before.

Good.

Morals

2011-11-12T06:18:00.000-08:00

I just had a guest call and yell at me because we had people hanging out in our lobby last night drinking. I explained to him that we keep them in the lobby so that they aren't making noise in a room where it can disturb anyone. He said we should just not rent to people like that and we should kick the group out. The 50 room group. Yes sir, let me get on that for you.

Youth Sports Teams

2011-11-11T18:24:00.000-08:00

This weekend my hotel is overrun by a youth flag football team. I knew it was going to be bad, but when the dad's were chugging beers while bringing their luggage to their room... I knew I was going to need lots of wine when I got home. Two funny things happened to me tonight.

1. One of the teams was booked directly through the corporate office of the chain I work for. I had nothing to do with it. We have a welcome board that I wrote the name of that team plus the ones I worked with directly. Once they all started checking in, this happened.

Mystery Team: "Our name is spelled wrong!!!! Way wrong!"

Me: "I'm sorry, that's how it came through from corporate."

Team COACH: "My fault. I don't know how to spell it."

2. While buying my wine...

Cashier: "Lots of young people buying alcohol tonight."
Me: "I can't speak for them, but my hotel is overrun by little kids."
Cashier: "Can't be as bad as when my sons were in school. I was relaxing in my room when the management called to tell me I was kicked out. The kids stole all the chairs and tables and took them on the roof and had a party."