Big Boys Do Cry, Big Boys Do Cry

     I think my job as a front desk clerk of a hotel is just a glorified named for a babysitter.  All night tonight I have had grown men acting like huge babies. And really, I am growing old of it. And I can’t even say anything either, because it would be wrong, and customer service rep’s have to take the brunt of people’s stupidity. Unfortunately.  I was in a pretty good mood today. Why not? I am making good grades, people are showing up for their shifts, I have a trip to look forward to and the holidays. What’s to be grumpy about right? WRONG.

   Tonight started out okay.  I think it was my second customer, who began the bad night. He came in, and looked like he’d be a pleasant person. He explains to me his company will only reimburse him for up to $55.00.  I say okay sir, our corprate rate is $54.85 plus tax. He asks me how much the tax is, and I tell him his total comes to $60.87. He then proceeds to tell me that he’s never paid so much here and that we always give him a good deal (in a very impatient and growing in volume voice). I say okay, not a problem, let me look up your name and see what special rate we have been giving you. (Mind you, the minute the feud started I instantly remembered him and the same argument we had the last time he came to our hotel. So already I knew what his past record was going to pull up.) I look up his name, and sure enough it was the same rate I had quoted him when he first came in today. He threw a temper tantrum and then kind of acted like a dog with his tail between his legs. His attitude changed back to nice old geezer. So I check him in, ask if he’d like no smoking or smoking. "No Smoking" he says. So I get him all checked in and tell him how to get to his room. He comes back like two seconds later and said "I told you smoking!" I was like, "oh, okay, well thats easy to fix."  So I change his key to a smoking room and he begins yelling about it being down the hall at the other end of the building …yadda yadda yadda.  So, just when I think I am rid of him…He comes back TWO seconds later FUMING that the AC isn’t working.  I was like sir is it on? "Yes" Is it all the way on high cool? "Uhhh…probably. But I want another room." At this point I have had to change his info in the pc and credit card machine twice, AND change some other stuff. So I give him another room, and he comes back all smiles and giggles.  Hit ability to go from hot to cold in temper is amazing. The last thing I heard out of him was we were out of coffee, that he took the last of it.

THEN–>  I had checked in a guy last night into two rooms. The guys that were going to be staying in both rooms were very plesant and nice customers. One of the room numbers was 228. So, later 228 comes down and asks if he we have any RAID or roach killer. I am like Whaaaaaaat? Roach killer? We don’t have roaches! And he said he saw baby ones crawling all over and stuff. I was like (in my head SERIOUSLY doubting his story. We do not have a bug problem. I seriously wouldn’t work here if we were one of "those" kind of hotels. Trust me.) uhhh..no, we don’t have any because we never have a problem with bugs. He kept insisting we were nasty and infested. I then offered to move him and he declined and went back to his room. So okay, if I found bugs in my room, and was offered another room, I’d really take it. And if I found more bugs I’d be out of there you know? So I leave a note for maintenence to take care of it, or at least look into it. Tonight he comes back down complaing of MORE bugs, and I am like sir, there’s nothing I can do if you wont let me move you to another room that DOESN’T seem to be havng a problem. Your room seems to be the only one with this problem. (And if other rooms were having the same issues, we’d hear about it.) He kept declining my offer to move him but then kept on complaining. I then asked him what he wanted me to do or say? He got this look on his face like he was stumped by my question. Then he started complaining about the sheets being stained and house keeping not doing their job…I’m like look, they do their job. I know. I see them do their jobs EVERY day. If you wont let me move you to another room, there is nothing further I can do to make your stay MORE comofortable. He got kind of quiet and just went back to his room.

AND THEN–>  Also last night, I checked in a bunch of construction crews. All working on the same site I guess because most of the guys seemed to know eachother.  So if you can picture the layout of our hotel. On one side of the hall are the odd numbered rooms, and on the other side are the even numbered rooms. So yesterday  I checked in two rooms for one crew, 118 and 121. Then I checked in two more rooms for another crew, 112, and 119. (Among other rooms.) Anyway, earlier this evening I heard a little commotion in the halls down by 118-121 and thought it sounded like a small fight. It didn’t last but maybe a few seconds in the hall anyway. So yesterday 118 and 121 called for a 5am wake up call.  Tonight, both rooms call for a 5am wake up call tomorrow morning. About ten seconds after I hung up with 121, 119 calls me and says that 121 is being too noisy and really loud and that I need to call them and tell them to be quiet. I am like what? Okay. (119 and 121 know eachother even though they work for different crews. They hang out in the lobby and stuff you know?) Why would they rat on "buddies"? So I figure if I get another call from 119 i’d ring 121. Then 119 calls down again and says 121 wants a 3am wake up call. I am like sir he’s already put in his wake up call. And he yells at me and says, "yeah! Well I said change it!" and hung up. I didn’t change it though. Stupid way to go about being vendictive to some one huh? And now 119 was POUNDING on 121’s door and I walked down the hall and said "if they didn’t stop causing so much commotion that I was going to have the cops throw them out. That other people in this hotel paid for their room, and for the right to enjoy their room. And you’re disturbing them, me, and 121."   They just kind of looked at me for a minute, like stunned I would get on to them like a school teacher and went back into their rooms, lol. These are BIG guys too. Like tall, and just…BIG …like they’re from Minnesota or something..lol

Anyway, it has just been a pretty crappy night and I needed to just vent and let it out. So that I can go home and not think about it anymore. But jeez can grown men be so childish. It’s like I wanted to scream, "Are you freakin’ serious?!!!! You expect me to keep a straight face while you act like this?" And I think all of them were even sober too. Usually I’ll see them carrying in packs of beer. But I didn’t see any of that tonight, so I don’t know what their problem was. Maybe it’s a full moon out or something. Who knows.  Anyway, just wanted to share all that nonsense with everyone. Makes your brain hurt doesn’t it? lol