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Night of the Choosy Beggars

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  • Night of the Choosy Beggars

    As some of you may know, I now work for the Elongated Hexagon brand of chain hotels, which itself is part of chain of luxury hotels and their affiliated brands. We're the low man on that particular totem pole, but I have learned that though this may be the case, only certain types of people tend to stay at the hotels that are part of this big, happy family.

    These certain people are used to a certain standard of accomodation and amenities.

    This is a problem.

    Why is it a problem? It's a problem because I live in a city that is the metropolitan hub of a region which welcomes nine million tourists a year (according to the latest figures), of whom three million stay overnight. What this means is that from Memorial Day in May, to whenever the last leaf falls off the trees in November after leaf season, it is quite unwise to visit this area on a weekend without some prior planning. Yes, we may have upwards of ten thousand hotel rooms, but you still stand an excellent chance of finding that every single one is full.

    No, according to one assumption I got thrown at me, hotels do not keep "one or two" rooms free even after filling up. Why would you think that, and would logic not dictate that if the five people in front of you were not special enough to get those super-duper special rooms, you're not special enough either?

    Now, if President Obama were to come in demanding a room, as one person asked, would I give him a room? No. The president has enough sense to plan ahead and anyway, he doesn't stay at the Elongated Hexagon. He stays at the Grove Park Inn when he comes to town. Also, I'm pretty sure the president wouldn't want the negative publicity from throwing someone out of their hotel room so he could take it. Unlike you.

    There were no rooms to be found within a fifty mile radius of my hotel last night. I know this because I'm sure I called most every hotel within that radius. I found a grand total of two free rooms in the course of my calls, which undoubtedly vanished within minutes, but these rooms, at a Super 8 two counties away, and at an America's Best Value Inn in a reeking paper mill town one county over were refused. Then the people who refused them got on the phone with the central reservations office only to be told the exact same thing I had just told them.

    One woman was near tears. "You mean to tell me there is nothing anywhere in this whole area?! I live at the beach and we have rooms there!"

    Yes, I'm sure you do. In the summer, everyone from there comes here and everyone here goes there. It's a mutually benificial relationship, but bear in mind, we're also halfway between the Midwest and Florida, so we get all those people too, plus what feels like the entire populations of Florida, Atlanta, and every big city and largish town in both Carolinas.

    The woman said she would sleep in her car. She is quite welcome to do so, but not in our parking lot. We have security guards.

    People came and went looking for rooms until 6:30 in the morning. That last one at 6:30 said he would just take his butt home when told we had nothing. What am I supposed to do with that information? Am I supposed to care? No time. I'm cooking preprocessed eggs in a bag for more than two hundred people.

    Such is summer, and yet again tonight there will probably be no rooms to rent -- or at least nothing our caliber of guest would lower themselves to take -- anywhere within an hour's drive of us. Have fun driving to Tennessee, South Carolina, or Charlotte. I can't help you.
    Last edited by Antisocial_Worker; 07-26-2014, 09:23 PM.
    Drive it like it's a county car.

  • #2
    Quoth Antisocial_Worker View Post
    I'm pretty sure the president wouldn't want the negative publicity from throwing someone out of their hotel room so he could take it. Unlike you.
    This is really at the heart of all these "arguments". A person actually believes they are important enough that someone ELSE should be treated in a way we all know they themselves would never in a MILLION years consent to... and yet are totally blind to the double-standard they're arguing for.

    In a fantasy world, I'd be able to follow them around and every single time they checked into a hotel, as soon as they unpacked for the night, I'd rush in and tell them they had 3 minutes to vacate, as the room had been sold to someone more important than them.

    As soon as they argued, you'd just show them video of the time they DEMANDED you chuck someone ELSE out to make room for them...

    Sadly, even then, they wouldn't learn a thing.
    - They say nothing good happens at 2AM, they're right, I happen at 2AM.

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    • #3
      Quoth Antisocial_Worker View Post

      These certain people are used to a certain standard of accomodation and amenities.

      No, according to one assumption I got thrown at me, hotels do not keep "one or two" rooms free even after filling up.
      This type of person is probably not used to hearing "no" and doesn't realize that more money won't fix anything. These type of people often say that they are the company's "best customer," they'll tell you how many years they've stayed at your hotel, and how much money they have previously spent.

      Also, why do people think that hotels keep extra rooms tucked away? I think that's only on TV. I have heard the opposite(that hotels overbook sometimes), I believe on this forum.
      Replace anger management with stupidity management.

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      • #4
        I am so glad we overthrew the kings and nobles of old, we just know that these people would have a way in with the nobility and actually get their way.

        Now if this was North Korea, and they were actually important, it might happen. But this is 'Merica, silly gooses!!
        I might be crazy, but I'm not Insane.

        What? You don't play with flamethrowers on the weekends? You are strange.

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        • #5
          Quoth Antisocial_Worker View Post
          There were no rooms to be found within a fifty mile radius of my hotel last night. I know this because I'm sure I called most every hotel within that radius. I found a grand total of two free rooms in the course of my calls, which undoubtedly vanished within minutes, but these rooms, at a Super 8 two counties away, and at an America's Best Value Inn in a reeking paper mill town one county over were refused. Then the people who refused them got on the phone with the central reservations office only to be told the exact same thing I had just told them.
          I wonder if the fact that they just lost the only rooms in the immediate area due to their stubbornness ever sank in.

          Righttttt...

          My family's been in this position and it _isn't_ fun, don't argue with the desk clerk who's trying to help you, although not very hard... (long story there).

          Comment


          • #6
            Database

            Quoth notalwaysright View Post
            This type of person is probably not used to hearing "no" and doesn't realize that more money won't fix anything. These type of people often say that they are the company's "best customer," they'll tell you how many years they've stayed at your hotel, and how much money they have previously spent.
            And they are shocked, shocked I tell you that if you go onto the computer and check the database that the last time they booked with you was seven years ago and that was overnight in the cheapest room you had.

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