Another sold out night

[bhskittykatt]

We're sold out almost every summer weekend. It's the state fair! Soccer tournaments! Dog shows! And at least two weddings! Our motel is sold out, the strip we are on is sold out, and most of the other "hotel strip" in town is sold out as well, so good f***ing luck if you don't have a reservation this evening.

Yes, in fact, we are kicking you out

A little bit of background on this SC. (1) She had way more people in her room than she paid for, and got pissed when ACW called her out on it (SC wanted towels and TP for four; ACW refused to give her TP and towels for more than 2). (2) We're quite certain she was running her "business" out of that room, and had already notified Cute Detective of our suspicions. (3) When Other MOD was on the phone with another guest, SC came down and SCREAMED that she "had an appointment" and that Other MOD needed to "deal with her now"!

So yeah, we weren't exactly crying tears to be rid of her.

Today, SC tried to pay to stayover. SC didn't have a reservation. CW told her she would have to leave. CW conveyed the approximate following conversation to me:

SC: "But I've been here all week!"
CW: "Yes, but we don't have that room to sell to you tonight. We've been sold out for this date for about a month now."
SC: "So, you're basically kicking me out."
CW: "Yes. In fact, we are."

SC stomped her feet and stormed out, but it sounds like she left without further protest.

There's a reason for that

*phone rings*
SC: "Your website is saying you don't have any rooms tonight..."
Me: "That's correct. I'm full tonight."
SC: "F***!!!!!!" *click*

It's working out fine for me...

Guest calls in. He asks for ACW. I tell him ACW is not here. He has a non-guaranteed reservation taht ACW booked (not held with a credit card; we cancel it at 6pm). He's going to be coming in after 6, so he gives me his credit card number. He keeps dropping ACW's name throughout.

Guest: "Also, my friend here didn't make a reservation, so can we get another room?"
Me: "I'm sorry, but we're completely booked tonight."
Guest: "Okay, can we put another bed in my room?"
Me: "We don't have rollaways."
Guest: "Well, this isn't working out very well, is it?"

Translation based on tone of his voice: "Well, this isn't working out, and it's your fault, and I'm holding you personally responsible, and if ACW was there she would make things right!"

Hey, not my problem your buddy didn't plan ahead. I'm booked. I have your reservation, but at this point I can't take any more. It may not work out well for you, but I'm sold out with, if I may say so, some f***ing ridiculously high rates, so it's actually working out great for me. A lack of planning on your buddies part isn't my problem.

Fix the traffic NOW!

*phone rings*
Me: *spiel*
Guest: "Yeah, I had my room as a 6pm hold, but I guess I need to guarantee it now because no one told me that Washington state is a parking lot!

Ah, I see you found the traffic. Welcome to Western Washington!

Guest: "I mean...this is crazy! It took me five hours to get from Portland to Seattle!"

That's...that sucks, but that's not too bad...but you're upset, so I won't go into my own horror stories.

Guest: "I'm from Southern California, and the drive from LA to San Francisco isn't even this bad! Your traffic is terrible!"
Me: "We get that a lot, actually."

And we do. People from LA and New York are often shocked at our traffic. We're the place with the worst traffic that no one knows about, apparently.

Guest: "Hang on, I'm driving...I have my credit card here just let me get it ready."

Normally, I would be alarmed that you are driving and reading off a credit card to me, but you said you were in Everett, and I know that parking lot all too well. So continue. (Watch out for the state patrol through there, though. You cannot talk your way out of a ticket with them. Trust me, I tried.)

Guest: "And your drivers are just...they're insane! I am never doing this [event] again! Your traffic is a nightmare!"

While I do concur that traffic around here is quite bad, why are you putting the emphasis on "your", as if you are accusing me of being personally responsible for the bad traffic? Hey, I don't like it any better, and I live here. If I could magically fix it, I would, but I can't, so just chill. Once you are past Everett, it gets better. I promise. Maybe.

(I didn't have the heart to tell her that at the time there was an accident in town and traffic was backed up behind the motel as far as I could see in both directions. Lucky for her, it seems to have cleared.)

No means no!

*phone rings*
Me: *spiel*
SC: "Any rooms tonight?"
Me: "I'm sorry, I'm completely booked."
SC: "What? S***. What's going on?"
Me: "Lots of stuff." *rattles off lengthy list of events that he probably doesn't really want to hear, but he asked*
SC: "Do you have any suggestions?"
Me: "Unfortunately, all the other hotels I've talked to are also booked. You might try *next town*."
SC: "There's nothing in town? Are you sure?"
Me: "I am not aware of any vacancies in town. Everyone I've called tonight is sold out as well."
SC: "You have nothing."
Me: "No."
SC: "F***." *click*

Seriously, what's with all the profanity tonight?

That's too bad

Now, this woman was giving off major snobby EW vibe. I don't know if I can convey her tone, but I will try.

Me: "Hello, how may I help you?"
SC: "Just a room for one person, nonsmoking."
Me: "I'm sorry, but I am sold out tonight."
SC: "One person, non-smoking." *Tone translation: How dare you tell me no; don't you know who I am?*
Me: "I'm sorry, but we are sold out. I have no room left."
SC: "Hmm. That's too bad." *leaves*
*Tone translation: That's too bad for you that you will not be privileged with the incredible awesomeness that is my presence. I will go to your competitor and reward them for bowing to my every whim.*

Just typing the conversation, it wasn't sucky, but it was the tone of her voice...you just had to hear it!

ETA: Drinking before lodging

A couple come in wanting a room. I explain I'm sold out.

Woman: "But our friends are here, and they should have gotten two rooms!" *turns to Man* "Did they get two rooms?"
The man was on his cellphone, presumably with their friends, and he stepped out to converse with them.
Me: "I'll check for you in just a second. What were their names?"
Woman: "They should have booked us a room. Their names were...."

The man walked back in.

Man: "They didn't even book here."
Woman: "What?!?!"
Man: "They haven't been here. They're at a bar downtown. F***ing idiots!"
Woman: "Well then why did they tell us to meet them here?"

It seems their friends figured they could just waltz in and get a room at any time of night, and made arrangements with this couple without making arrangements with us. Too bad, so sad...

[South Texan]

Man: "They haven't been here. They're at a bar downtown. F***ing idiots!"
Woman: "Well then why did they tell us to meet them here?"

I can just imagine how cheery THAT reunion was when they finally met up with the "responsible" couple that evening.

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

5 hours from Portland to Seattle? They should throw a fucking party with cake and ice cream!

[Elspeth]

Ok I am glad i am not the only one who thinks that making that kind of time from Portland to Seattle was good.

And I so understand the complaining about traffic. I love the traffic jams for no reason at all.

[bhskittykatt]

I know. I didn't want to tell her about the time I spent 4 hours to get from Lynnwood to Olympia. Or the time I spent 2 hours just on the 205 just getting around Portland, which according to the traffic reports was even worse.

I think my record between Portland and Seattle is around two and a half hours. Normally, it takes me three and a half to four in driving time.

[pitmonkey]

Hubby has been going from north Snohomish Co. to Portland on a regular basis and you are looking at 14 hrs on a good day. you add an accident and for get it.

[Antisocial_Worker]

Yep... That brings back the memories. I'd say we were sold out, and they'd look at me bug-eyed and ask where they would have to go to find a room and I would tell them one city 50 miles away or another one 130 miles in the other direction. And those were the only choices, too. Every motel in our town was full, and you can bet your sweet bird the resort city 20 miles up the road and all those tourist trap towns by the national park will be full too. So. 50 miles south or 130 miles east. Take your pick.

Upon hearing that, we would occasionally have people offer to pay us if we would let them sleep in their cars in the parking lot.

[Mr Hero]

I sometimes hate the nights we sell out. On those nights I suddenly turn into a hotel directory for the entire city of Denver where it's my job to know what hotels have available rooms.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

O_o sooo... what are the mass transportation options like in western Washington, especially around Seattle/the Olympic Peninsula? I'm considering moving there at some point in life...
More on-topic... uh... at least business is booming?

[thansal]

Any one from NY that complains about traffic should be laughed at as far as I care. I mean, sure, if you try to drive through Manhattan it's impossible, but we have a public transit system that works, and you know, it's one small sliver of island, it's not a sprawling area that you HAVE to drive to get around.

I wasn't aware of Washington being horrible, however I am familiar (to a degree) with traffic around LA, and if Washington makes THAT look bad? Yeash, I'm glad I'm a NYer.

[Moirae]

Sooo been there done that. I once had a bidding war going on in my lobby over the last room. And once time I was offered $400 by someone if I would let them sleep on the floor of the ballroom with a blanket and pillow. The city had been sold out for weeks, and the surrounding area was sold out for a 3 hr drive all the way around the city. No, not NOLA (where I'm living now), that was up north in Canada.

[Shpepper]

I grew up in Southern California and learned to drive down there. I have to say that I think the traffic in and around Los Angeles is way worse than the traffic here in Washington. At least the freeways usually move here.

[Andara Bledin]

Guest: "I mean...this is crazy! It took me five hours to get from Portland to Seattle!"

Five hours for 200 miles that looks like it's all in civilization and through major metropolitan areas? That sounds about right.

Guest: "I'm from Southern California, and the drive from LA to San Francisco isn't even this bad! Your traffic is terrible!"
Me: "We get that a lot, actually."

Oh, wait, you mean that drive up the 5 that is almost pure desert travel? I've done that drive more than once. Anyone using that trip for comparison is an utter douchemonkey. It's maybe 50 miles of congestion on each end surrounding 300 miles of wide open desert. No shit it's not as bad.

Guest: "And your drivers are just...they're insane! I am never doing this [event] again! Your traffic is a nightmare!"

*snicker* We should send this idiot to the Boston area if he thinks the west coast is bad.

I wasn't aware of Washington being horrible, however I am familiar (to a degree) with traffic around LA, and if Washington makes THAT look bad? Yeash, I'm glad I'm a NYer.

The thing about LA (and probably NY and Washington, too) is that different spots have different problems. I learned to drive on LA freeways. Some I prefer, some I avoid like the plague, yet they all go to the same general areas.

I honestly doubt that Seattle is really any worse than LA or San Francisco.

Though everything I've heard says that the Boston region is it's own level of driving suck.

^-.-^

[Kogarashi]

Though everything I've heard says that the Boston region is it's own level of driving suck.

Boston is...special. I think I've told people before that I'd rather drive through Manhattan than Boston.

[hotelnpa]

Once a person actually snatched on the manager's business cards after I told him we were sold out. He looked at me like I was lying. Yeah, I would lie about being sold out.

Also just because the parking lot is full does not mean we are not sold out. "You can't be sold out!!! There aren't any cars in your parking lot!!!!!' I hear people say. Well, that means either not all of the reservations have showed or there may be a big group staying who will be arriving on a bus.