let's open our minds to the hotel world

[thehippie777]

This is a common reaction the hotel hears when we are booked, and it even happened tonight.

Two gentlement walk in. Younger one asks, "Do you have a shuttle to the airport?"
Me: Yes, we sure do! (I am way too perky then any normal human should be.)
YG: Does it cost anything (I am answering these questions like I am because I figured they were already guests by how they were phrasing them)
Me: Nope, not a thing. It leaves on the hour and we try to sign people up so we don't leave anyone behind. (I get ready to sign them up.)
YG": Alright, good. So (turns to older gentleman) what we'd need to leave like at 5?
OG: Yeah, that's about right. (I am in position & ready to sign up these fine gentlemen.)
YG: Okay, good alright.
OG: Next question...
Me: Alright!
OG: Do you have two rooms avaiable... (starts naming what they need)
Me: (Quickly scoots over my list) I am sorry, we are completly booked. ( empathy)
OG: You have GOT to be kidding.
YG: aw man!
Me: Nope, not kidding. Sure sorry. I am paid to sell rooms, not kid people about being full. (no idea where that came from)
YG & OG: (actually laugh!) Can you call some places for us?
Me: Sure, I can dial & you can chat with em. Well, I am not sure where I can send ya, but the Hotel & Convention Center, Holiday Inn Grand, and the Crown Plaza all have shuttles. So, we could try them.
YG: How about the Kelly?
Me: (hello? were you caring to listen???). No, they don't.
OG: Well, call up the klsafjflk. (I literally did not hear what he had said.)
Me: I am sorry, call up the...?
OG: THE RAMADA! You said they have a shuttle. (uh what?)
Me: Um no, I said the Crown Plaza had one....
OG: Where is that?
Me: It's downtown...
YG & OG: NOO! Forget that. We want to stay out here. (The largest town in Montana, and people freak out about how big it is...)
OG: Oh well, what was that one? (I named 3!)
Me: *repeat the 3 hotels*
OG: Where is the Hotel & Convention Center?
Me: Kind of tucked behind the Holiday Inn Grand. They are right beside eachother.
OG: Oh that place that used to be *old hotel apparently I have never heard of* long time ago.
Me: *gives the uh sure look* I dunno, I mean I am 26 but I have not lived here all of my life either.
OG: *laughs* Yeah it's back in the age of dirt.
Me: Give the *uh sure look* again. They get on the phone, and are off.


Also:

The hotel version of "you looked bored".

Guest: Hey! (does something I can't remember)
Me: Hi. How ya doing? (doing my paperwork but look up to greet guest)
Guest: I just wanted to help you stay awake!
Me: Oh I have no problem staying awake. *said in stern tone*
Guest: Oh.

AND:

Guest: I bet you get so bored at night.
Me: (you bet wrong, you lose!) No, actually I have pleanty of paperwork and guests to keep me busy pretty much all night actually.
Guest: Oh.

I have even had to explain to people that I have trained probably more then 20 people on the night shift and every one of them has said the following two things: "I thought I would have more time to just sit around." OR "I didn't know this would be soooo hard (referring to the paperwork that the computer does most of)!"

[smileyeagle1021]

"I didn't know this would be soooo hard (referring to the paperwork that the computer does most of)!"

granted, I don't know about your hotel's requirements, but that line made me giggle...

all that paperwork, going through the departures making sure the credit cards were charged the right amount (takes roughly 20 minutes) and going through the registration cards making sure 1)everyone in house is in house on the computer 2)any room that the computer says has a zero or lower balance was checked in today.

Oh then I tell the computer to print 6 reports (oh so arduous, I have to click 3 buttons per report, 4 if you include the print button).

[thehippie777]

Our computer runs it's own program developed by our head company. When I let the computer close out today's information, it prints prolly about 40 or more pages, of which we use maybe 8. Most calcuations are done, we just transpose them onto a exel sheet for management & owners. Honestly, people just think they can sit here & do whatever the heck they want including sleep when they apply for the job.

[smileyeagle1021]

That's one thing I like about my manager... her attitude was, go ahead and do homework, or play on your laptop, or whatever during the dead times... but God help you if any day I come in and not all your work has been finished.

[Becks]

Guest: I bet you get so bored at night.
Me: (you bet wrong, you lose!) No, actually I have pleanty of guests to keep me busy pretty much all night actually.
Guest: Oh.

Snipped for my amusement and for use of this:

[smileyeagle1021]

becks, I would of seriously had a rule one violation had I been drinking...
though I have actually heard a guest ask if the night audit really does have sex with the beuatiful girls in the hot tub after it closes and there are no more guests to check in...

haha, how I wish my job were really that exciting... nope, just me, the computer, and my paperwork after people are checked in.

eta, paying more attention to the OP... and completely OT... I actually really liked taking calls for the Holiday Inn Grand... it was one of the few out of market calls that was easy to handle.

[bainsidhe]

I know it completely depends on the hotel, but I used to work for a small Sleep Inn that was the easiest. job. ever. On night audit, I'd take about 20-30 minutes to run my reports and do closing, but really I wasn't responsible for much else. The computer ran all the reports and only when it buggered up and I had to call tech services did it ever get exciting. Otherwise I just occassionally checked people in and baby-sat the phone. Then at 5am I put out breakfast. Real easy.

I kept myself busy washing my own laundry for free, playing computer solitare, watching the lobby TV (though I was careful about what channels were playing, no blood and guts or anything in case someone complained) or reading books.

What's funny is that night audit also used to handle deposits and reconciling the books. Except the new GM thought night audit already had it soooo hard that she made the overworked daytime staff do it. I secretly suspected she was trying to keep night audit happy so there would never be a reason she'd be called to come in and work (due to someone calling in sick, quitting suddenly, etc). She hated working overnights that much

[Becks]

becks, I would of seriously had a rule one violation had I been drinking...

It would've been worth it.

though I have actually heard a guest ask if the night audit really does have sex with the beuatiful girls in the hot tub after it closes and there are no more guests to check in...

If anyone ever asked you, you could answer "No, but I do seem to attract the nekkid people".

[thehippie777]

Yeah see I find the job easy overall. But people I have trained...well one lady thought she would only have to do the books at night & didn't realize she would have to be front desk. (um duh). She was also the one who told me that she had worked with computers all of her life but didn't understand what the "desktop" was. The computer work was too difficult for her because she wasn't qualified even though she said she was.

Most people I have tried to train both didn't realize people check in late & that they had to do the paperwork for the day. I mean, they should have asked rather then trained a little then quit because it wasn't a "sit on your butt all night" job.

[Tanasi]

Well as a hotel tech support person I can tell you that a good night auditor is worth their weight in gold and bad ones aren't worth killing. Now maybe it's because I know the quicker ways to fix problems but I really don't find the computer and paper work very difficult for me it would be dealing with the guests especially at check out in the morning.

[smileyeagle1021]

Well as a hotel tech support person I can tell you that a good night auditor is worth their weight in gold

why thank you