Hoarding Hotel Rooms

[ajr1971]

Why do people continuously think hotels hoard vacant rooms? My hotel has been booked solid for three weeks now, and when people call, we obviously have to tell them we don't have any vacant rooms left. It always amazes me how people think that we are holding on to rooms JUST IN CASE THEY CALL! I don't get it. Last time I checked, we were in the business of selling rooms, Why would we NOT sell rooms just on the off chance someone may call at the last minute and need one. Boggles my mind.

Case in point

Me: Blah Blah Crappy Chain Front Desk
Doofus: Yeah, I need a room for Wednesday night.
Me: I'm sorry sir, but we are completely sold out for the remainder of this week.
Doofus: Sold Out?? How the hell can you be sold out?
Me: Because all of the rooms in the hotel have been taken for this week.
Doofus (not getting it): So you have no rooms anywhere to rent, is that what you're saying"
Me (seeing where this is going): That is correct.
Doofus: So, you don't have ONE ROOM???
Me (at this point, my mouth is getting away from me) Actually we have 160 rooms, but every single solitary one HAS BEEN BOOKED!!

Doofus repeats his question about 10 more times, and I give the same answer 10 more times. He finally breaks the monotony with:

Doofus: But I work for Blah Blah and I am working at the Blah Blah building down the street.
Me (being very bad now): Oh, the Blah Blah building. well, let me pull out one of the Blah Blah rooms we keep on hold.
Doofus: I KNEW IT!!
Me: I'm sorry sir, that was sarcasm. I have repeated to you umpteen times that I HAVE NO ROOMS!! We're in the business of selling rooms, why would you think we would NOT sell rooms on the off chance that you MIGHT call and need one? I apologize for the rude sarcasm, but it seems to be the only way I can get you to understand "I AM BOOKED"!! Trying to browbeat me into admitting I have a room on hold when I don't isn't going to make a room magically appear. Trust me, I am smart enough to know that it would be easier to give you a room then to spend 5 minutes on the phone arguing with you about it.
Doofus: Where the HELL is your manager??
Me: Standing right behind me, listening to every word I am saying. Would you like to speak to him?
Doofus: Just forget it!
~click~

I did not handle it well, and my manager was standing behind me...snickering at me in fact. But, this was safer than me hanging up on him. Big trouble for doing that.

[Kyree]

Please tell me that call was recorded. Find said recording and post it!

[iviles]

Maybe he thought if he asked enough times you would offer him a room at your place. How dumb is that!

[ajr1971]

Maybe he thought if he asked enough times you would offer him a room at your place. How dumb is that!

No, it's the old "bitch and bitch until he gives me what I want" syndrome that a lot of customers have. It's a game that I always win, and they always lose.

[South Texan]

This is the same thinking mode that causes SC's to stop every employee in a store to ask if the store has any more of an item in the store's back room - despite being told "no" by every employee and having it explained to them each time that it is sold out nationwide.

SC's have a real problem with accepting reality and think that if they ask the question enough times, the answer just might change to what they want to hear.

[RayvenQ]

Doofus: But I work for Blah Blah and I am working at the Blah Blah building down the street.

My response would have been "Well why don't you ask them if they have a room to spare."

[marasbaras]

If you like, sir, we can rent you one of our cots to setup in your office. We'll require a deposit. Can I put that on your diamond-encrusted Sucky Express card?

[Peppergirl]

As a travel agent, I can feel your pain - although to a lesser degree. The SC's TRULY don't think there's any such thing as a sold out hotel. It's the same way with car rentals and flights. They always think I'm lying to them, and that asking me 22 more times is going to miraculously make a seat open up.

[Forensic Waitress]

Its understandable that you found the right way to tell this guy what you had told him a million times before, sometimes you just need to take that avenue to keep you sane and to get you off the merry go round.

I personally think you handled it very well.

[Peppergirl]

I forgot to add something:

Occasionally when I'm dealing with a persistent (but not yet sucky) customer who is insisting something's not really sold out, I'll say "Yep. I know it's frustrating, but it's sold out, I promise!"

I say it lightheartedly and nicely.

It sounds crazy, but believe it or not it does usually lighten them up a bit and they allow me to find them something that's NOT sold out.

[rerant]

That was just... I mean it was so... and I just...



The sheer awesomeness of your response to him makes me want to wear a tshirt with your face on it and a big heart around it. ::

[marasbaras]

"Sir, even if we were the kind of hotel that holds rooms for last-minute VIPs, you couldn't afford the rate."

[hotelnpa]

Oh I can relate.

One time this guy apparently didn't believe me when I told him we were sold out and he called the 1-800 reservations # on his cell. Well, surprise...they told him the same thing: Sold Out!

Believe me, when we are sold out, we are really sold out. In fact, my manager is upset when we are not sold out and our bonuses are determined by the number of rooms we sell and the average rate we sell rooms for.

THis is annoying: Sometimes guests over extended their stay also by reserving the room for one night and not telling the front desk they intend to stay another night. They'll leave in the morning and not return until the evening so alot of the times we can't contact the guest. This causes problems when we are depending on everyone due to checkout to actually leave. This can overbook the hotel and make arriving guests who didn't get rooms very unhappy.

[friendofjimmyk]

Me (at this point, my mouth is getting away from me) Actually we have 160 rooms, but every single solitary one HAS BEEN BOOKED!!

I love it! I love those moments where the filter gets shut off and you can put an SC in place - too bad you couldn't see the look on his face.

[chainedbarista]

pwned and then some!

'actually sir, we do have a space available; we're pitching the tent right now.'