Bad Times At The El Royale

(It is midnight and I’m a female working in a hotel alone. I’ve been doing so for many years, so I’m used to it, but I’ve gotten a LOT of weirdos during late night and early morning hours. However, this one tops them all by far. He’s a normal looking guy in his late 40s, with a very direct stare.)

Weirdo: “Hello. I’m checking in.”

Me: “Certainly, sir.” *goes through the check-in process* “Have you ever stayed with us before?”

Weirdo: “No, but I have to tell you that some men might be here to kill me.”

Me: “I’m s-sorry? What you say?”

Weirdo: *seriously, looking me dead in the eye* “I said, someone might come later to kill me. I have important documents that incriminate President Trump. He might send an assassin. If they come, don’t resist. If they tell you to lie down, don’t argue; just do it. Show your hands to them.”

Me: *stammering* “Uh, are you serious? Are you joking?”

Weirdo: “I’m not joking, young lady. If you don’t want to die, just do as they say, and you won’t. Probably. I’m not afraid to die, so just tell them my room number.”

Me: *trying to compose myself* “I’m sorry, sir, but we can’t let dangerous people in here. We have to protect our guests.”

Weirdo: “Then have security deal with them.”

(We have no security; as I said, it’s just me. He looks at me with pity and leaves, uttering warnings. I spend the whole night freaking out that some masked man will come in with a gun like in the movies. I just pray and hope the weirdo was crazy and nothing will happen. He seemed completely serious and not crazy or on drugs, but nothing happens, thank God. In the morning, my coworker arrives to relieve me.)

Coworker: “Hey, how’s last night?”

Me: “You wouldn’t believe what happened. I checked in this old guy and he told me that another guy was coming to kill him!”

Coworker: “HUH?”

(I explained everything and my coworker just stared at me with his jaw on the floor. Now, my coworker isn’t a skinny little coward, he’s buff and tall and grew up in a bad neighborhood.)

Coworker: “You should’ve called the police! That’s a threat!”

Me: “And what? Tell them that some weirdo said a guy with a gun’ll come? They’ll laugh.”

Coworker: “They’ll come; they have to take any threats seriously.”

Me: “I guess. But I just didn’t want any other guest seeing them and asking questions.”

Coworker: *shaking head* “Next time, call them. Or the GM.”

(The GM was told and was equally shocked. She told the weird man to get out and not to come back. The man left without a fuss. The man’s family came later and wasn’t surprised that he’d been kicked out. “That’s just how he is,” they said when they learned that he freaked us out. And why are you letting him out in public?)