Every Now And Then, Things Just Work Out

One day at my old hotel, a guest came to check in. He was an elderly man with a walker, and he was very sweet.

Guest: “I really need an accessible room with a roll-in shower. Most of your regular rooms have tub/shower combos, and I can’t use lift my leg to get into a tub. I had to book last-minute due to a family emergency, and only standard rooms were available.”

I double-checked the inventory and, yes, all accessible rooms were either rented or had been reserved for today. I started checking the arrivals list. Maybe one of our regulars had booked an accessible room by mistake — it happens — and would switch to a standard. But only one reservation had booked an accessible room, and it was through a third party, so there was no way to tell whether that person really needed it or not.

I was about to explain to [Guest] that we just didn’t have any accessible rooms available when I overheard my coworker greet and begin to check in a couple that walked up. This couple had the third-party reservation. I quickly excused myself from my station, dashed over to my coworker, and interrupted.

Me: “Do you need an accessible room, or would you prefer a standard king with a standard bathroom?”

The couple seemed confused. The third-party site hadn’t specified to them what kind of room they were getting, but they didn’t need a roll-in shower room.

I quickly told my coworker to switch their room with [Guest]’s room.

I went back to [Guest] and explained what was happening, and he walked over to the couple and gave them a hug.

Somehow, Serendipity was on our side and everyone got the room they wanted. [Guest] was very grateful, and we got a glowing review online.