Working in hospitality, you HAVE to have that happy personality. The one you fake with guests trying to be interested in their career, or why they are here on vacation when all you really want to do is get them checked in and up to their room so you can get on with your tasks or next guest.

Thing is if youre too friendly, the guest starts being friendlier. And thinking that because you listened to their inane story or helped them with groceries, theres a bond of friendliness now. Thats NOT how that works.

Ive had guests ask me to extend their reservation on sold out nights when told no by other staff because we ARE sold out. When I tell them the same thing they take it as Ive stabbed their firstborn with a pencil. Or the favorite of all FDA's is the hyped up FAF discount. Asking me to give them my discount because we had a mutual conversation about One Punch Man or how drivers are getting worse. I dont even give my real friends my discount, so Im definitely not giving it to you! Ive had guests cut in line to ask me a question cuz they thought we were friends or aquaintances. I tell them back of the line and they looked shocked I would treat my "friends" this way. Ive had some ask me to discount their rate for them, and Ive told them straight up, "Do you have 65K available? Cuz thats how much you will need to give me because I WILL get fired for doing that and you will have to pay me for that." That usually shuts them up and keeps them from harassing me for stuff again.

Ive even had a few guests ask me out. And these guests were old women, like 60's 70s. Im in my 40's btw. But still its unprofessional, in my opinion, to go on a date with any guest even if they are around your age, let alone some older 20+ yrs asking you to her room. THATS how you get in trouble for sure. But I digress.... Guests asking you for favors that have anything to do with you breaking policy at the property arent your friends in the first place for one asking for those kind of things and 2, not even knowing them really.

There are a few things I will do for guests who are recurring guests. I wont check their ID. I will have them show me their Credit Card and insert their card. But seeing as I know who they are I dont check for ID.

Another situation that has happened with me was a guest tried checking in early, like 5am early, for a room. I was sold out the night before, but had a check out after my audit was ran. I told her that I was sold out and even jokingly said "Ive only had one check out." She took that to mean theres a room available and asked me to clean it. And SHE MEANT IT. I told her no Im not gonna clean a room for her to check in 10 hours early! And that she could try again around noon. When we would have a better idea about availability. But did she think Id go above and beyond for her on this cuz we're aquaintances?

But yeah. Guests arent are friends, they are people that want to manipulate us for their gain and they dont give 2 shits if we get fired just so they can save $20!

One thing that really irritates me about working the front desk is how guests will show up completely unprepared to check in and then get an attitude with YOU because you’re following hotel policy.
For example, a guest will come in and say, “The reservation is under my boss’s name.” Okay, that’s fine, but when I pull up the reservation, YOUR name is nowhere to be found. You’re not listed as an additional guest or authorized to check in. Then they act shocked when I explain that I can’t just hand over keys to a reservation that doesn’t have their name on it.

Or my personal favorite: “There should be a card on file.”Okay??? That doesn’t automatically mean I can just charge whatever card is attached to the reservation. At our property, we require a physical card at check-in unless there’s an approved credit card authorization form. If your company or boss is paying for your room, they need to arrange that with the hotel beforehand.

I’m just so tired of guests acting like we’re personally inconveniencing them for simply doing our job.

How do you handle guests who are very visibly drunk ? I work at a hotel in the center of downtown and the amount of people who come to check in who are literally slurring their words and stumbling to the front desk is actually insane. I get so genuinely irritated, they drive here in that condition after a night out and come to check in. Our parking lot is very small so we have an overflow lot we direct guests to when our main one is full. Am I wrong for catching an attitude with them? I just can’t believe they do not care about driving in that condition, and have absolutely no shame. And then on top of that, having to check them in and explain breakfast, where there room is, how to get there, etc. I end up repeating myself at least 5 times. I get people wanna have fun and enjoy themselves. I just find it hard to interact with them in a professional way when they can barely form a sentence let alone think for themselves. I’ve had guests tell me their coke didn’t dispense from the vending machine, just for me to find their coke can literally right in front of them. then there’s the guests who want to have the complimentary breakfast at 11pm bc they’re drunk, and won’t take no for an answer. I end up just walking away. Perhaps customer service is not my strong suit. Sigh.

I work at a hotel front desk. I like my job usually. I like the work and it's fun to meet new people. But we have a new front desk supervisor that is just awful.

They don't know how to make a schedule and there are people regularly working PM shifts then scheduled the next day for a AM shift, and people working NA shifts and scheduled the next day for PM shift. Once in a while sometimes can't be avoided but this happens all the time.

They lie about front desk staff to get their own way. It's clear they don't like me because I challenge them on their garbage, and have sat in meetings with me and the manager where they straight out lied about me. One time I brought up a situation where they raised their voice at me and they lied outright to the manager and said it didn't happen and that I was the one lying. They lied about me another time and I almost got fired over it. They've probably lied about me other times that I don't know about.

They point out every tiny mistake that anyone makes and turn it into a big deal, or if someone doesn't put something away where THEY decided it should go even though it's never gone there, and sending out reminders all the time. But they forget stuff all the time, then makes excuses if anyone points anything out to them. It's exhausting. I guarantee that no one except them cares if a pen gets forgotten on the side of the counter and not put in the pen holder "where it should go".

They keep passing their work over to other front desk staff and everyone's getting annoyed. It's their job, what they were hired for, not front desk staff. They are supposed to be doing it not us but they get us to do it and make it look like they're the one doing it and getting all their work done.

I feel like I'm stuck there, because I definitely wouldn't get a good reference from the supervisor because they clearly don't like me, and because of everything that has happened. Yet I'm so stressed working there.