Adventures in hospitality

[Moirae]

Ok, so this gem happened to me this morning

SC: "Yeah, I talked to you earlier about such and such special event dates" (actually, no he didn't but whatever).
Me: "I'm sorry, I haven't talked to anyone about those dates today. One moment please while I check availability"
SC: "Yeah.. umm.. ok"
Me: He took so long to say that that I was done before he got the words out "I'm sorry we're sold out for those dates"
SC: "But I talked to someone just a half ago that said there was a three night minimum"
Me: "I'm sorry, we sold out not even ten minutes ago. I have rooms available for Friday and for Sunday and Monday but nothing available for Saturday in any hotel that we own"
SC: "...."
Me: ".... hello?"
SC: "But I need a room for four nights over the dates"
Me: "We are sold out for Saturday at all hotels"
SC: "Oh, ok." "....." "You're sold out for just Saturday?"
Me: "Yes sir, we are sold out"
SC: "But I called just a half ago and you had room then"
Me: "Yes, we sold out about ten minutes ago"
SC: "Ok. Bye" hangs up.

10 minutes later....

same SC

SC: "Yeah, I think I talked to you just a bit ago about rooms for such and such dates"
Me: "Yes, you did"
SC: "Are you just sold out of rooms with two double beds in them in this hotel".
Me: "No, we're sold out of all rooms in all hotels that we own for Saturday"
SC: "I just need a room for those four days"
Me: omg, am I speaking an alien language here? By this time I'm about to reach through the phone and wring his neck for making me say it an unknown amount of times "As I said, we are sold out in all hotels for Saturday. I can give you a room for the other nights but we have nothing left for that date".
SC: "Oh, ok" "...."
Me: "Hello?"
SC: "I'm here"
Me: " Would you like a room for the other days?"
SC: "Oh no thanks." "...." "Bye". Now hangs up

So far he hasn't called back again. I think next time I'll just hang up.

[42_42_42]

Hey, I knew a James Kirk in highschool...

He was WAY too young for it to be a mistake.

Funny names are good.

Was his middle name Tiberius?

[Moirae]

Ok, apparently some glitch happened on our website to say that it was a $5 rate over one of the biggest events of the year.

Now what moron in their right mind would think thats a valid rate or one we'd honor? Housekeeping alone is a $29 breakrate for wages and cleaning supplies each day.

Of course, he ended up with a phone call telling him that we won't honor that rate. Idiot Reservations Manager tells him that we're willing to give him a discount (wth? No one else gets one, why should he?).

Anyway... the guests response was "This hotel has some bad reviews on tripadvisor, I guess the reviews were right then."

.... *crickets*

SC: "I want to talk to the hotels General Manager"
CW: "I'm sorry, the General Manager can't override those rates, they are determined by head office, not by the hotel"
SC: "Give me the manager above the Reservations Manager"
CW: gives him the managers direct number and SC hangs up.

Yes, people really are retarded enough to think they can get a $5 rate during a time when rates are $199 a night.

[Moirae]

SC: "Yes, I have a few questions about my reservations and was wondering if you could pull them up"

Guest then supplies the name and I pull it up on my computer.

SC: "Yes, I was wondering what the total was."

I supply it.

SC: "We were quoted a lower rate for that day"

Me: "I'm sorry ma'am, I'm the one that made this reservation. The rate is as I quoted you"

SC: *click*

I love it when they try to lie to get out of paying. lol I've been in this industry for 9 years. You are NOT going to pull that on me and if you try, you are in for a fight.

[Moirae]

Ok, so it went a little something like this...

I was talking to a guest on the phone making a reservation. Everything that I said, she'd say something along the lines of "Huh?" "Whats that?" "What you say?". So I thought the guest couldn't hear me, and raised my voice. Suddenly the phone disconnected so I thought I lost the call.

A few minutes later, the guest called back and this is the exchange.

Me: "Hello ma'am, we must have lost our connection because you were just gone".

SC: "If I ever see you, I'm going to beat you up. I will punch you in the face."

Me: "... whaaatt?"

SC: "Don't you ever talk to me that way again" *click*

I was speechless and shocked. In all my years in the hotel industry, I've never been talked to that way. Even my manager was shocked because he keeps getting emails and phone calls about how great I am.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

Me: "Hello ma'am, we must have lost our connection because you were just gone".

SC: "If I ever see you, I'm going to beat you up. I will punch you in the face."

Me: "... whaaatt?"

SC: "Don't you ever talk to me that way again" *click*

I was speechless and shocked. In all my years in the hotel industry, I've never been talked to that way. Even my manager was shocked because he keeps getting emails and phone calls about how great I am.

Teh crazy, it is everywhere...

[Kristev]

"You'd be very surprised at how people treat hotel rooms. It never ceases to amaze me the damage people can do because they just don't care, then they're actually surprised when they get dinged for it."

At first you would. But working as a janitor for the "Little shop of horrors" makes you realize the horror is other human beings.

I can believe what you've been through, though I can say I'm so glad none of that has actually happened to me. I don't think I could take it.

[Moirae]

This ones just funny.

A guest requested on their internet reservation "quiet room on the first floor near courtyard". During Mardi Gras.

rofl. Yeah, like thats going to happen. What a giggle. Quiet doesn't happen during Mardi Gras, especially on a first floor courtyard room.

[Syriilord]

Yeah, but he'll probably still complain that he got one of the noisyfirst floor courtyard rooms, even if you guys went to the trouble and expense of soundproofing the damned thing at no extra cost just for Mr. Pweshus there.

[Moirae]

I wouldn't be surprised. The building he will be staying in is at least 125 years old. Soundproofing is only as good as the boards the place was built with. This won't go well lol.

[taxguykarl]

Hey, I knew a James Kirk in highschool...

In my university days, I shared a physics class with a Peter Parker, econ with a Bruce Wayne (interestingly ironic, eh!) and political science with a Richard Kimball. Needless to say, the right ages for that to be deliberate.

[Moirae]

When you call asking for rates and I ask "Which hotel?", the appropriate answer is NOT "But I thought I was calling such-and-such hotel". The correct answer is the name of the hotel you think you are calling because even a brain dead moron would know that my question means you called a general phone number or I'd already have the name of the hotel.

[Seshat]

You, the customer, knowing my name, even my first name, is idiotic. Its personal. I don't like having to give it to you and no business should EVER force that.

I like having a reference for the person I talked to; so that if I have to deal with whatever issue again, I can tell whomever I'm talking to this time who it was I dealt with last time.

I don't care if it's your real name or a fake name or a reference number. I just want something that is consistently used to mean 'you' in your call centre/front desk/whatever.

I tend to write key details down and confirm them before hanging up. So for a hotel booking, I'd write down 'Okay. So that's a queen room, non-smoking, no stairs, for dates X to Y, and we may be a late arrival. Reserved on visa card <blah>, for <foobar> dollars per night, and breakfast available for an extra <quux>. Am I correct? Excellent. And in case we need to make any changes, your name was..? Thank you!'

I just find that doing such a confirmation and keeping some sort of employee-reference helps.

[Moirae]

Having a reference is fine. The problem I've always had is that people then start talking to me as though I'm their buddy. I've had people use my name several times during a call like they're a relative. It just makes me incredibly uncomfortable.

[Moirae]

Ok, so this is one of the hottest areas in the country with a normal 100% humidity at all times, and you actually have to ask if we have air conditioning?

The hotels in this area wouldn't stay in business if it didn't have air conditioning. Its an incredibly dumb question.