Always Room For Kindness

I work at a hotel. It’s part of a big brand known for business hotels, but we’re not that: we’re more of a stayover for long-haul truck drivers and people who have family at the hospital down the street. We don’t have any “extra” amenities. We don’t have a pool, a business center, or anything really. We do have a little breakfast bar, but that’s it.

The area being urban/downtown, we have a bit of a “homeless problem”. They’ll come in and sit down in the lobby or in the stairwells to get out of the wind/rain/snow/cold; usually we just have to say “hey bud, I’m sorry you can’t stay here.” And they’ll say okay and leave.

Tonight, I had a guy come in. He’s not new to the area or to me; I’ve had a few conversations with him. He’s a veteran and actually pretty cool. Just a dude down on his luck, in a country that doesn’t care. 

I was in the laundry room, so I didn’t see him for a few minutes. Some other woman comes up to the desk and rings the bell rapidly, so I’m like, “Whoa, where’s the fire?” She has this nasty look on her face and points to my guy, and basically says:

Guest: “He stinks! Get him out of here!”

So, I look over and see that it’s Mr. Cool.

Me: “Heya, Mr. Cool, it’s good to see you! Can I get you some coffee before I get you checked in?”

He looks a little baffled but sees the angry woman, and then he gets it and nods. So, I get him a cup of coffee, and then…

We have a room that’s out of order right now because the bed frame is broken. So, I gave him everything he needed to take a nice hot shower and get cleaned up, and sent him up.