Important things to remember if you're staying at a hotel...

[bhskittykatt]

AND people, we do NOT store your credit card information, your social security number, blah blah blah on the key cards. It ONLY has info pertaining to your room number and the number of days you will be staying.

I can not begin to tell you the number of people who would insist that I destroy their cards when they checked out because OMFG. SOMEONE WILL STEAL MY IDENTITY!

HOW THE HELL would anyone even get that info off the card?

My brain...it hurts.

There's no reason we would. All your info is in the system already! I can just steal it from there if I want to steal your information.

I've actually shown people the card reader and exactly what info is on their card (just room number, copy number, and expiration time/date) to help put them at ease.

[LillFilly]

Sigh. This happened at my hotel all the time too.

Funny how people didn't seem to realize that if they caused a disturbance at the bar and were subsequently arrested, that did NOT mean they could come back to their room after being bailed out. You're banned. Period. They'd argue they got into trouble in the BAR not the HOTEL. Ummmm.....It's our bar in our hotel.

Damn keys, got that all the time! Then there was the ol' "Just unlock the door for me, this room is mine, I swear!"

Ooo, and how about people that checked-in and got to their rooms, only to come back and bitch that this-or-that was not in the room (microwave, crib, folding bed, etc...You know, stuff that you had to TELL THE DESK YOU WANTED when you checked in!?)

[Mystic]

And here I thought these expedia sites and such were bottom of the barrel prices. I stand corrected. lol

[ChynaRose]

1) Do not unload your car before checking in.

I don't know who told 80% of people who check in that you must unload everything you own, wake up all the screaming babies, and drag everything to the front desk to check in. Believe it or not .......... it's not necessary. Leave all of that in the car and let the kids obliviously sleep through the check in process.

Your room is not at the front desk. Even if it isn't a motel you're checking into there still may be other access points to your room that will save you a great deal of walking and hassle.

So what about those who don't have a car and came in by shuttle/bus/taxi?

[Jester]

I love the people who have no idea where they put their driver's license. They spend literally 5 minutes digging through their wallet/purse/car to find it.

I am always amused by this at The Bar. Or at any bar. Or any drinking establishment. And it happens. All. The. Time. Don't believe me. Ask any bartender you know. This is a constant. And while it's usually a girl digging through her luggage-sized purse, it's especially funny when it's a guy digging through all his pockets/cargo pants/fanny pack/backpack to find his ID.

3) Our motel doesn't require deposits or credit cards. We get taken advantage of this all the time.

It's 2010. Your motel's management needs to pull their heads out of the sand and catch up to modern times.

Pity that kid ordering the pizza. If that were my mom, I'd be embarrassed.

If that were my mom, I'd tell her to cut that shit out. No, my mother wouldn't ever do THAT. But yes, I HAVE told my mother to "cut that shit out." When I did that on the phone to my mom in front of my college dorm roommate who addressed his parents as "Sir" and "Ma'am," I think he about had a heart attack. My mom, naturally, objected mostly to my use of foul language. "I really wish you wouldn't use those words...."

HOW THE HELL would anyone even get that info off the card?My brain...it hurts.

To be fair, a person CAN get information off a magnetic strip on a card. It can and does happen. And people know this. What a lot of people don't know, however, is the limited information stored on a keycard, which is, of course, what you said: room number, code for opening the lock, expiration of same. It makes sense that that is ALL the information on the card, but a lot of people who don't get this generally don't get "sense," either.

[geek007]

Love this thread! (and this site!)

1, we get that all the time, and we have had people park their cars out front in the fire lane while they go up to their room and an hour or so later come down and move their cars.

2, No I.D no check in. Paying cash? We have the right to photocopy your I.D and keep it with your reg. card, no exceptions.

3, Guests must present a credit card at check-in and we do pull a $25 deposit which is automatically refunded back to the card upon check-out. If some one is paying cash then they have to put a $25 deposit down to have the phones/ pay per view movies turned on. If some one does not want to put deposit down then no phones/movies.

4, We no longer deal with a certain 3rd pary website due to issues with reservations not being made properly. Also, if we are sold out and your room was booked via 3ed party website, and you wanted a king and get a handicapped suite since we have no kings left ( those who book via 3rd party websites get assigned rooms last after we assign rooms to everyone else making sure that VIP's and other guests get the best rooms) don't throw a screaming hissy fit when told that you were not guaranteed a certain type of room, you were only guaranteed a room. And no, I will not assign a handicapped suite to the CEO of a company that does alot of business with our hotel just because you feel that you cannot live without a king.

5, elevator's behind me, rooms are down the hall on either side.

6, our key cards contain only a code to unlock your room. Not your credit card information.

7, When the bartender cuts you off after your 5th martini, please do not go up to your room and continue drinking. If you get loud and obnoxous we can ask you to leave. Decide to get drunk and beligerent? Decide to then shove me in the hall as I'm escorting you back to your room after you've been caught banging on everyone on your floor's door? Hello police......

8, out shuttle is for trips within 5 miles and only runs during the day. We cannot and will not shuttle to the airport.

9, if a guest has a do not disturb on their phone, please do not ask me to override that. I cannot and calling every 5 minutes is not going to get me to put you through.

[ExRetailDrone]

Love the thread!

I work at a small motel in a small town, so I luckily don't have to put up with much crap. I feel for all the desk jockies out there who do

I do have one thing to add to the list, though, that I have had to deal with.

All of our rooms are non-smoking. This is a state law. There is a sign at the desk stating that a $100 fee will be applied to your room if you are caught smoking in there, and said sign is also plainly in every single room in this motel. So whining to me when you have smoked in your room and received a note stating that you will be charged (or, rather in this case, your company, since you are a construction worker) will do fuck all other than annoy me. Oh, you claim you were never told about this policy? Follow the direction of my finger pointing to the sign on the desk. Too bad I can't use the finger I would prefer due to wanting to keep my job.

Funny how he could read the note about being charged, but not the multiple signs that would have warned him about the impending charge given his actions. Gotta love selective literacy.

Oh, you're thinking of moving to another motel during your stay while you're working on a local building? Good riddance!

And on another note, I also work at a motel that does not charge a deposit for cash-paying guests. We charge a pet deposit and a long-distance deposit for cash pays, but for the room itself we only photocopy an ID. I guess it's something, but I think a hefty deposit would help curb any idiot plots to trash the room.

[Merriweather]

I treat the room as if it were my own (I usually make sure that the trash is picked up and in the trash cans before I leave), and leave on good terms fully knowing that if they ever see me at that hotel again, they'll have no reason to think ill of me.

Funny how that seems to get me treated with a smile and respect at this one hotel I frequent.

Good for you, staff must love you

I never did understand why so many people think hotel housekeeper = personal maid. NOT the same thing. They're supposed to be there for generally keeping the room clean, not cleaning up every conceivable mess the guest can think of to make. I always put any trash in the trash can, wipe crumbs/spills etc. off tables, drape wet towels & rags on the side of the tub or somewhere, etc. In other words, do all but vacuum, dust, clean bathroom fixtures and make the bed - that's all the housekeepers should have to do. I even try to keep my stuff fairly tidy so they can dust/clean around it easier.

Besides, being nice to housekeepers can pay off. When DH and I came back to the US after 9 years abroad, we stayed in a motel for 2 weeks while househunting. First essential item was a car, as we hadn't taken one overseas, and didn't bring one back from there. New area, no idea where to get a good deal or what dealers were reputable, and very limited budget, too. We got to know our housekeeper (who fell in love with our Yorkie :-), and she ended up calling a nephew who owned a used car dealership - when we got there, he informed us he'd been ordered by his aunt to give us an awesome deal, and he did, LOL. She saved us SO much time and money, we even left her a gift.

[Wenchie]

I almost always take my luggage in with me when I check in.

Of course, I usually only have one suitcase and maybe a backpack too. And most of the time I come in on a train or shuttle so I don't have a choice. And if I drove and only have a little bit, I only take my stuff in if I'm staying at a hotel where you can get to all of the rooms from the main front gate... Actually, I don't remember that last time I had to drive around to my room. Is that a motel thing rather than a hotel?

If I'm going to a hotel for a convention (and I didn't take a shuttle or train) I leave my luggage in my car until I check in... because if I'm driving to a con it's normally because I have a LOT of stuff and it's easier to cart it straight to my room.

I also clean up after myself in a hotel... trash is in the trash baskets, empty bottles/cans are on the counter and rinsed out... towels are in a pile in the middle of the bathroom so they'll be easy to grab, and place isn't destroyed. I don't want to give the hotel a reason to hate me... and leaving the hotel room a mess means that there's a larger chance I might accidentally forget something and leave it there!

[bhskittykatt]

Is that a motel thing rather than a hotel?

General rule of thumb:

Motel = outside entrances to rooms
Hotel = inside entrances to rooms

(Motel comes from Motor + Hotel -- the original idea was you could drive around and park near the room)

Either way, if you have loads and loads of luggage in a car, it makes sense to wait and find out where your room is. On multiple occasions, I have watched families unload about half a dozen large suitcases, come into my lobby, and either (1) they don't have a reservation and I'm sold out or (2) all I have left is a room on the other side.

If you only have a small amount of luggage, it probably doesn't matter. I'm talking about people with loads of luggage! People who packed everything but the kitchen sink! (Actually, there's enough suitcases, the kitchen sink could be in there somewhere...)

[PepperElf]

Yes, I understand you're a "Regular!!!!1" but since we had a "Regular!!!!!1" recently write his name on the wall in feces we're charging everyone.

Somehow I think the SC confused "Regular customer" with "regular bowels"

[Mr Hero]

8, out shuttle is for trips within 5 miles and only runs during the day. We cannot and will not shuttle to the airport.

My brother works for a different hotel than I do. He had this happen to him. Apperantly the SC was too stupid to realize that Travelocity's website didn't advertise an airport shuttle. His hotel does have a shuttle which is also a 5 mi radius. When Travelocity called my brother, they asked if an exception could be made for the SC. Of course since the spine runs in the family, he said no.

And welcome to the boards! As a fellow hotel worker, I can't wait to hear more of your stories.

[geek007]

My brother works for a different hotel than I do. He had this happen to him. Apperantly the SC was too stupid to realize that Travelocity's website didn't advertise an airport shuttle. His hotel does have a shuttle which is also a 5 mi radius. When Travelocity called my brother, they asked if an exception could be made for the SC. Of course since the spine runs in the family, he said no.

And welcome to the boards! As a fellow hotel worker, I can't wait to hear more of your stories.

Yours to! I've got some doozies, my hotel is the "upscale" hotel in my area, so we get alot interesting individuals. We have an amazing General manager, a lying sack of sh1t dumba$$ as her assistant general manager who we've nicknamed FUM for F up manager, two morons for bartenders who we've nicknamed vodka and gin and a sales manager who will promise anything to get the hotel full.

It's a motley crew of morons.