Non-guest wants to use computer to complete online booking

[Mr Hero]

What do you say to a situation like this? I told the SC that our computers and wifi are guest use only. I offered to make the reservation directly here if he wanted. He said no and that he'll book somewhere else because I'm an asshole.

[Sliceanddice]

I would probably do what you did

[sirwired]

I smell attempted fraud of some sort... It's silly to do an online booking when you are already standing in the hotel lobby. Maybe he was going to try and use his "friend's" credit card? Maybe he was going to do a pre-paid 3rd-party booking?

[Sidhera]

Or maybe he really intended to surf Facebook, or porn, or whatever. When an employee is polite & helpful, that makes me think he was a lying liar about his true intentions.

[bhskittykatt]

I once had a guest insist I was lying when I said we were sold-out because "I just looked online and you had rooms available!" (I had sold my last room about five minutes before he walked in.) So he stood in my lobby and got on his phone and tried to book online there. When it didn't work he accused me of blocking the website somehow. It took me way to long to convince him to leave my lobby.

[Mr Hero]

Maybe he was going to do a pre-paid 3rd-party booking?

That seems the most likely if he was telling the truth. Problem is I don't know if he's telling the truth.

[An Haddock]

I once had a guest insist I was lying when I said we were sold-out because "I just looked online and you had rooms available!" (I had sold my last room about five minutes before he walked in.) So he stood in my lobby and got on his phone and tried to book online there. When it didn't work he accused me of blocking the website somehow. It took me way to long to convince him to leave my lobby.

That's when you call the cops to "convince" them to leave your lobby.