This was many years ago, during one of the first tax-free weekends in Texas. I decided to take my family down to Dallas and make it a weekend of shopping and spending a day or two at the large amusement park there. I prepaid for a weekend reservation at a hotel near the park.
When we walked into the lobby, there was a large family sitting around. A group of children were running around and being rather noisy, their fathers were sitting around and trying to watch TV, one grandmother was asleep in her chair, and a group of mothers were around the desk trying to see whose credit card would work for their rooms.
I patiently stood back, watching the chaos, until another desk clerk saw me and asked if I was checking in. The whole check-in process took five minutes. As I walked off, one of the mothers said loudly:
Mother: “Why does she get checked in so fast?”
Desk Clerk: “Because she planned ahead and prepaid for her reservation.”
I had to hide my grin.
We unpacked and decided to relax at the pool and hot tub. My family and I had not been down there for very long when all the children came running into the pool area, carrying plastic bottles of Kool-Aid, Skittles, and bologna sandwiches. They began jumping into the pool with their food, running and chasing each other, and really just being a major annoyance.
Eventually, my husband and son had had enough, and we left the pool area. On our way up to the room, we notified the front desk of what the children were doing and the fact that there was not an adult with them. The kids were not happy as the desk clerk made them leave the area — the noise they made was so loud I could hear them while in the elevator! (Later, we learned that they had to close the pool to remove all the Skittles, sandwiches, and other crap the kids had left.)
On Saturday, we got up early and spent the day at the nearby amusement park. When we get back to the hotel, there were four or five police cars parked out front. As we entered the lobby, we could hear screaming and yelling from the adults in the family, but we really didn’t pay attention. We went about our business, ordered dinner from a nearby pizza place, and went to bed.
On Sunday morning, I went to check out, and I found out that my card would be refunded for one night’s stay for my trouble because of the family. It seems that the mothers went shopping and left the children with their fathers and grandmother. The fathers left for a beer run, leaving the children with their grandmother. They once again went down to the pool, and the front desk staff made them go back to their rooms until an adult could come down with them.
Grandma was asleep while the children ran up and down the halls, chasing each other in and out of their rooms, slamming doors, and really making a ruckus. The front desk went up again to stop the noise and asked where an adult was. The children pointed out Grandma’s room, but they couldn’t wake up Grandma.
So, they called the police and paramedics. The fathers, gone for three or four hours at that point, came back from their beer run and promised that the kids wouldn’t be making any more noise and that Grandma was fine, she just tired easy.
The mothers came back, and they harassed the front desk so much that the general manager had enough and called the police to have them removed from the property with no refund.
Me: *To the desk clerk* “Well, thank you for the comp, but it’s not necessary.”
Desk Clerk: “It’s the least we can do.”
I found out later that I was given double points for my stay, including for the night that was comped. I have stayed at that hotel a few times since, and I’ve never had any other problems.
You front desk workers still have my respect. And the crap you have to put up with is ridiculous. You are truly worthy of some major recognition!
