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tales from the front desk

'You trippin bro...': Guest ignores hotel policy, demanding nonexistent membership points from fed up employee

'You trippin bro...': Guest ignores hotel policy, demanding nonexistent membership points from fed up employee

It's just not possible to reason with some folks. Certain conversations might be beneficial to have because they might result in a productive dialogue, however, others might not. But are arguments and conflicts in the customer service sector worth engaging in? Or are we fighting an unwinnable war? The story that follows tells the tale of a hotel front desk employee. The Original Poster (OP) is rarely surprised by privileged clientele because of his vast experience as a customer care representat…
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Hotel worker fired for using multiple guests' credit card information: '[His] manager just exploded in anger'

Hotel worker fired for using multiple guests' credit card information: '[His] manager just exploded in anger'

This employee's extracurricular activities were not a good look for the hotel's reputation. What's particularly funny about this story of an unprofessional employee getting justly fired is that it wasn't a coworker or manager who figured out what he was doing. In fact, it was another front desk agent at a totally different hotel. This agent was contacted by the bad employee, who was trying to book a 20-day stay using someone else's credit card information. The agent started to sense that someth…
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‘This is a major violation’: Hotel might face $70 million fine after employee discovers they keep guests' credit cards in system after they leave

‘This is a major violation’: Hotel might face $70 million fine after employee discovers they keep guests' credit cards in system after they leave

Any front desk employee can tell you that more often than not, some fishy things are happening behind that counter. Even the most prestige establishment can get entangled in some ugly business. With that being said, it can be worrisome to think about the fact that many of these establishments have repeated access to extremely personal information of their clients. Like the hotel in this Reddit story. A front desk clerk wrote to Reddit with the concern that her hotel was doing wrong by its guest…
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‘I don’t get paid enough for this…’: Hotel employee cheerfully kicks childish guest from the premises after guest tries to smash glass entry door

‘I don’t get paid enough for this…’: Hotel employee cheerfully kicks childish guest from the premises after guest tries to smash glass entry door

Occasionally, it's that one tiny, unimportant incident that drives you over the edge and beyond the point of no return. The story that follows recounts the moment a front desk receptionist witnesses a complete and total meltdown of a person caused by a blocked door. The Original Poster's (OP) account details his meeting with the most horrible man-child. OP was working the front desk when a man, his mother, and their two kids pulled into the hotel parking lot. The two ports of entry that are acc…
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'Either pay with credit card or leave': Hotel clerk refuses to accept guest's cash payment, demanding he pay only with card

'Either pay with credit card or leave': Hotel clerk refuses to accept guest's cash payment, demanding he pay only with card

Many people find themselves rarely in need of using their credit cards anymore. With a digital wallet or a smartwatch, you can tap to pay pretty much anywhere you go. The need for a physical wallet with actual credit cards is basically non-existent. But still, some places will not accept payment without a physical credit card, and you do not want to get stuck being unable to pay them. Like hotels, apparently. This Reddit story can teach you a lesson or two about always taking a credit card with…
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‘This is your last warning…’: Guest gets kicked out of hotel at 1am following 'towel dispute'

‘This is your last warning…’: Guest gets kicked out of hotel at 1am following 'towel dispute'

While working as a customer care representative is never fun, dealing with vacationers who think they deserve it all is an absolute nightmare. The story below is an account of a frustrated front desk clerk. The original poster (OP) dives right into the narrative without wasting any time setting the scene. It all began at around one in the morning when a haughty visitor made his way to the hotel reception to grab a towel for ‘his’ wife. He started screaming about the reportedly subpar customer s…
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‘I can’t give you a key to someone else's room': Guest demands access to hotel room despite reservation not being under his name, front desk clerk refuses to give him a key, leading to a dispute

‘I can’t give you a key to someone else's room': Guest demands access to hotel room despite reservation not being under his name, front desk clerk refuses to give him a key, leading to a dispute

Working a graveyard shift when you are at a front desk type of job is always… interesting. The stories that those employees tell in the break room afterward are always the funniest and most unhinged ones. The combination of the late hour, lack of sleep, the manager not being present, and weird customers always creates the best tales to be told. A lot of those tales end up on Reddit, much like this one. The OP of this story worked at the front desk of a hotel on a night shift during Mardi Gras.…
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‘Everyone has a problem with you’: Hotel worker quits after manager calls her into meeting to discuss why ‘she needs to be nicer' to team of employees

‘Everyone has a problem with you’: Hotel worker quits after manager calls her into meeting to discuss why ‘she needs to be nicer' to team of employees

When everyone at your job has a problem with you, the problem is usually… well, you. But other times, your workplace is filled with a lot of bad apples. That is what happened in this case for a hotel worker whose job title was assistant general manager. Her GM was out of town, so she was left in charge of the hotel. Only a couple of problems arose, and OP made sure to text her manager about them. She thought it was all good, but apparently, it was not. Her manager came back from his trip and ca…
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employee hotel entitlement refund front desk caught in the act tales from the front desk hotel room entitled people - 24146437

'How is your phone charger in here if you haven't entered the room?': Entitled man demands refund for hotel room that he claimed he didn't use

Every so often, an entitled hotel guest comes along, thinking they can outsmart the front desk manager. However, time and time again, their schemes fail. It seems they underestimate the experience of hotel employees who have truly seen it all. In this particular incident, an entitled guy attempted to rent a room for two hours and then sought a refund, insisting he never used the room. The irony was that the bed was left unmade, and he had forgotten his phone charger in the room. Not the most su…
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Front desk clerks discuss ‘well-travelled individuals’ who are actually just entitled

Front desk clerks discuss ‘well-travelled individuals’ who are actually just entitled

If you've ever worked at the front reception of a hotel, you will have heard it all. From, ‘This is the first time I’ve ever been asked to do this', to ‘I have never heard of city fees’, people will say anything to convince you to let them off easy. The funniest, most ironic part of it all is they usually say something along the lines of, ‘I’ve traveled ALL AROUND THE WORLD, and I've never heard of such a policy'. Immediately you roll your eyes… If they really are so ‘well-traveled’, then this…
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‘We have a water outage': Hotel hit by water outage due to weather, hotel guests turn to front desk clerk

‘We have a water outage': Hotel hit by water outage due to weather, hotel guests turn to front desk clerk

One city was hit by awful weather, and that led to water outages and busted pipes in surrounding cities, even though they weren't hit directly. One hotel was feeling the wrath of the water outages, and let their guests know that there was a water outage, resulting in a lot of canceled reservations. OP was working the front desk when all this was going down and had to deal with communicating with the guests who did book a room in the end. Let's just say, a couple of them were not happy at all wi…
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guests aita hotel malicious compliance upcharge tales from the front desk petty hotel room entitled Reddit entitled people - 24004869

'I forcefully upsold them and made them pay double': Entitled guests demand refund from hotel manager for rooms booked at hotel next door

People who work at the hotel front desk see a lot of interesting stuff. On a subreddit, hotel receptionists and managers alike have shared stories about entitled customers making all sorts of weird requests. But one story might take the cake. This one guest not only booked more people than allowed for 'single rooms' but he actually booked at the hotel next door. When he couldn't check in at the right time (because check-in wasn't for another few hours), he got upset and went to the OP's hotel...
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'We had to charge them about $7K': Hotel workers share their worst housekeeping cleanup stories

'We had to charge them about $7K': Hotel workers share their worst housekeeping cleanup stories

From glitter to an actual bear, it's truly shocking what hotel workers have discovered in rooms after guests leave. Not only is there a ridiculous number of folks who refuse to clean up after themselves, but also there is a startling number of guests who should at the very least alert the front desk that there has been an issue. Some of these guests may have been trying to get out of being charged extra, but in many of these cases, those extra charges are bound to come so you might as well just…
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‘You need to pay before I give you the room’: Hotel guest's card gets declined, front desk clerk refuses to check him in

‘You need to pay before I give you the room’: Hotel guest's card gets declined, front desk clerk refuses to check him in

You pay, you get a room, simple as that, right? Sometimes, people go to elaborate lengths to get a room for free, and it seems as though this was one of those times. OP was working as a front desk clerk at a hotel when they were approached by a young man who came to check in for the night. He showed OP his ID, but it turns out, the room he had booked was not yet paid for. So OP told him that they had to pay up, leading to a very suspicious turn of events that led OP to believe that they might j…
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'Don't talk to him like that': Entitled guest gets kicked out by hotel manager after she barks at another guest to 'wait his turn'

'Don't talk to him like that': Entitled guest gets kicked out by hotel manager after she barks at another guest to 'wait his turn'

In hard times, our worth and value become evident. The way a person handles others in trying circumstances speaks volumes. So, while I don't want to jump the gun, I'm quite sure that I'm a terrible person. There is no patience in me when I'm nervous or angry. The story below is of a front desk worker who unfortunately meets the Karen of the century. The Karen in question enters the room totally oblivious of what is going on. OP, however, doesn't let her insults get to him; instead, he keeps cal…
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'This lady filmed me': Karen accuses hotel housekeeping of stealing her daughter's things, tries to get front desk agent fired

'This lady filmed me': Hotel guest falsely accuses housekeeping of stealing her daughter's things, tries to get front desk agent fired

It takes a special kind of hotel guest to misplace important items and then immediately go on the offensive and accuse housekeeping of theft. Perhaps it's generational, perhaps it's having experience being on the other side of these kinds of accusations, or perhaps it's just being a decent human, but I consider myself to be someone who is far more likely to blame himself for a lost item. Hypothetically speaking, if I were convinced that for once it was not my fault this time, I would at the ver…
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