(I am a sixteen-year-old, part-time, front desk attendant. Tonight is particularly busy, but my coworker and I manage to check everyone in promptly and without issue. We are organizing some things that hadn’t gotten filed properly in the rush when a woman emerges from the elevator, which is about twenty feet in front of the desk.)

Guest: *walks out of the elevator haughtily, and proceeded to pitch her belongings at the front desk*

Me: *trying to ignore that she almost hit me and my coworker with her luggage* “Good evening. Is there anything I can help you with?”

Guest: “I demand you switch my room! This is unacceptable!”

Me: “All right, I’ll get right on it. However, may I ask why your current room is unacceptable?”

Guest:“Why in the h*** would you need to know? Just switch my room!”

Me: “I’m sorry, but I need to know in case the room is in need of repair so I can take it off market for the night.”

Guest: *huffs and literally raises her purse above her head and slams it onto the counter* “Just switch my room and give me a discount already! I should get this room for free because of the issues you’re causing me.”

Me: “I’m sorry but I can’t authorize any discounts without a reason.”

Guest: “You put me beside the f****** stairwell!”

Coworker: *looks at me confused*

Me: “Um, I’m sorry but you didn’t ask to be roomed away from the stairwell, Miss [Guest]. I would have gladly changed it had you asked at check in.”

Guest: “Well, you should have f****** known where the h*** I wanted put, you dumb c***!”

(My coworker, who is the shift manager, nods at me to go ahead and get rid of her however I can, even if that means kicking her out.)

Me: “That is not proper language to be using at me, and I would appreciate it if you would refrain from using anymore foul language. I will gladly change your room; however, you will still need to pay full price.”

Guest: *slams hands on counter in front of me, and leans over into my face* “I am so sick of dealing with dumb c**** like you! You will give me a new room, for free, and full access to the mini-bar for free as well!”

(At this point I’ve reached my breaking point.)

Me: “Excuse me, but you will not be getting anything for free or discounted. Had you came down in a calmly manner, and politely asked to switch rooms I may have offered a discount. However you attitude makes it very clear that you do not deserve one.”

Guest: *looks over at my coworker* “What the h***?! You should have known to room me somewhere else! Are you just going to sit there and let this woman talk to me like this? Are you the manager?”

Coworker: *walks from her desk to stand by me* “Miss [Guest], I am the acting manager at the moment, and I have to agree with my employee. Your attitude has been less than appropriate. At this point I request you go back to your room quietly or accept the one she is offering you.”

Guest: *grumbles before accepting, cursing at me the whole time under her breath*

Me: “Your new room is 536. Have a pleasant evening.”

Guest: “What floor is this on?”

Me: “It’s on the fifth floor, in the second tower.”

(Our hotel has two towers, with a conference hall in the middle to connect the two. To go from tower to tower, you must go to the first floor and walk the hallway connecting them.)

Guest: “Well, f****** great! Now I’m definitely gonna get kidnapped! I didn’t want to be by the stairwell in the first place because of all the riff-raff coming through at all hours of night!”

Me: “I assure you that the stairwells are locked at 11 pm and not opened again until 6 am or unless someone calls down to use them.”

Guest: “I’ll keep my old room, but I want you to sit by the stairwell door all night and make sure no one comes through it. I also want the room half price, and full access to the mini-bar for free.”

Coworker: “As I told you before, we do not have mini-bars and I am not discounting your room. We are not mind readers, and in no way could have known you preferred to be away from the stairwell.”

Guest: *throws hands up in the air* “Well what kind of hotel doesn’t have a f******g mini-bar?”

Me: “The kind with an actual bar on the premises.”

Guest: “Well, fine, then. I want free drinks on the house during my entire stay!”

Me: “We can’t do that for you, Miss [Guest].”

Guest: “Then you can pay for my drinks, little miss snot!”

(At this point my coworker can tell I’m struggling to handle the situation.)

Me: “I’m underage and thus cannot buy you a drink, even if I desired to.”

Guest: *smirks* “Oh, so you’re probably a knocked up tramp working because Mommy and Daddy kicked you out for being such a slut! Tell me, how many guys could be the father?”

Me: “I’ll have you know, I am working to pay for night classes so that I can graduate with an associates degree. I strive to be more refined in this world, unlike some people.”

Guest: *puffs up and face turns red* “How dare you! Did you just hear what she said to me? I demand you fire her!”

Coworker: “That’s a long list of demands you’ve made. Despite us being a five-star hotel, I cannot meet any of these demands. I suggest you either take the new room, or go back to your current room.”

Guest: “I’ll take the f****** new room! I want someone to carry my belongings over to the room for me. I also want a free dinner from the restaurant here.”

Me: “I can get our security guard to carry your belongings, but as I stated before I cannot and will not give you anything for free or discount.”

Guest: “You are the biggest c*** I’ve ever met! I hope you flunk out of high school and your house burns down!”

(She then stomps off to gather her belongings. We call in our security guard and tell him the situation. He agrees to escort her… to her car)

Guest: *starts yelling when the guard asks where her car is located* “I am not leaving this f****** hotel! I paid to stay here and I’m not leaving! I want a free dinner, drinks, and room! You’d better f****** guard that f***** stairwell!”

Me: *happily* “We’ve already refunded your card, and added you to our not-welcome list. Have a nice evening!”

(We hear her screaming all the way out to her car, and then watch as she drives away angrily, almost hitting several cars.)

Guard: “I already alerted the state boys of a speeding woman driving recklessly. Have a nice night, you two!”

Coworker: *high-fives me*

(I work in a hotel. Sometimes the customers ask for a taxi, then change their minds without telling us. The driver gets really mad. Our company and the taxi company are friends because we give them a lot of business.)

Customer: *bails*

Me: *unaware* “The customer ought to be out in a few minutes.”

(I try to call the customer’s room, but of course, no answer.)

Me: *realizing* “I’m sorry, but it looks like the customer has left.”

Taxi Driver: “LEFT?! I HAVE BEEN WAITING AND I COULD’VE PICKED UP SOMEONE ELSE! YOU ARE A VERY BAD PERSON! THIS IS A BAD HOTEL! I WILL COMPLAIN! YOU UNDERSTAND?!”

(He begins advancing on me. I’m a small female, and he’s very heavy. I’m scared. My coworker, who’s six feet tall, comes out.)

Coworker: “Sometimes the customer leaves without telling us. It’s not our fault. Now go.”

(The driver tried to argue, but spluttered, backed up, and then stomped off. Later, I made a complaint to the company about his behavior, and the company assured us that he will no longer work for them!)

Related:
Taxing Taxiing, Part 3
Taxing Taxiing, Part 2
Taxing Taxiing

(I work at a breakfast bar in a hotel and have just given a guest the tea he ordered. He sneers at it.)

Me: “Is there a problem, sir?”

Guest #1: “You didn’t put milk in it.”

Me: “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you ask.”

Guest #1: “I didn’t, but who doesn’t have milk in their tea?! It’s disgusting!”

Me: “I don’t.”

Guest #2: “Me, too.”

Coworker: “And me. I hate milk in general.”

Me: “If you don’t ask for milk we assume you want it black.”

Guest: *looking thoroughly aghast* “You SAVAGES!”

(The guest stomped over to the pitchers reserved for cereal, intending to use them for his tea. You could see the idea form in his head, though, and instead he picked up a pitcher and dumped his tea into it. He glared at us triumphantly before going to sit down. He was there for another hour, and whenever one of us walked past or looked at him, he grinned as though he had won some sort of battle. However, of the times he didn’t notice us we saw him struggling to consume his milk with tea seasoning. Once he was gone we searched for the pitcher, assuming he might have taken it with him. We found it behind a plant in the corner, with less than a tenth of it consumed. Such a waste!)

(I work at the front desk at a local hotel with 150 rooms. We are sold out and I am literally the only person on property working. A big ‘Furniture Market’ event is taking place and it fills up every hotel in a 50 mile radius. I have two guests from Russia that come every market, checking in. They have two reservations and they have a question about their rates from last market. So their check in takes five minutes longer than normal. The guy behind them is obviously getting annoyed that he has to wait.)

Guest: *as the Russian couple walk away from the desk he starts clapping* “It’s about time! I’ve been waiting for 30 minutes!”

Me: “I do apologize for the wait, sir. As you can see I am the only person working tonight.”

Guest: *interrupts* “—I’m going to take just as long as you took with those other people.”

Me: “Excuse me, sir?”

Guest: *leaning against the front desk not looking at me* “You took forever with them, so I’m going to take my time.”

Me: “Well, while you stand there, what is your last name so I can look up your reservation? I will also need your ID and a form of payment.”

Guest: “I’ll give them to you when I am d*** well ready.”

(He proceeds to turn to the line forming behind him apologizing to them. They seem to not be bothered by his tantrum at all.)

Me: “So, let me get this straight, sir. Because you had to wait in line, you are going to proceed to just stand here at the desk preventing me from checking anyone in?”

Guest: “That’s f****** right, and you’re going to give me a discount just like you gave that couple!”

Me: “Sir, I didn’t give them a discount—”

Guest: “I heard the rate you gave them, it was [rate]. And I am going to stand here until you give it to me!”

Me: “The rate that you overheard was the rate they had paid at their last stay. They wanted to know why it was more expensive this year so I explained it to them.”

(At this point this large women approaches the desk wearing a sweater with the word “Sex” written in large bold letters across her chest; I later found out that is is his wife.)

Lady: “What is the problem here?!”

Guest: *speaking to her* “He gave the people in front of us a really big 30% discount but he’s racist and won’t give it to me! Just because they were Persian or some s***.”

(I have no idea how he made the Persian connection or came up with a 30% discount.)

Lady: *turning to me* “You need to give him the discount. He is a guest! You need to appease him! He is a veteran. Show him some respect!”

Me: “Ma’am, first of all I did not give them a discount. Second, I do not even know what your last name is to pull up the reservation. Also he is not showing me or anyone in this lobby any respect.”

Lady: “Ugh, the last name is [Last Name].”

(The guy reluctantly hands me his ID to verify that it is him.)

Guest: “I still demand you give me a discount! Where is your manager? I want to speak to him.”

Me: “I apologize, sir, but like I said before, I am the only staff member on property at this time.”

Guest: “Well, [Manager] and I are really good friends; call him so I can speak to him myself.”

Me: *getting very worked up at this point and am literally shaking* “He is at his other job at this moment—”

Guest: “I don’t care; call him!”

(I proceed to call him and he does not answer. I have it on speaker phone so they can hear it go to voicemail.)

Me: “Like I said before, he is at his other job at the moment and will not answer his phone.”

(This goes back and forth for another twenty minutes – yes, twenty. My entire lobby is full of people waiting to check in at this point. I proceed to give him his keys and he walks away, telling everyone in line that I am a racist and gave someone a 30% discount and refused to give it to him. At this point his frustration becomes contagious and the next five guests in line try hassling me for the 30% discount and so on. Later in the evening his wife comes to the desk.)

Wife: “We are locked out of the bathroom. Come open it. We should also be compensated for it.”

Me: “You… you locked yourself out of your bathroom and you want to be compensated?”

Wife: “Did I stutter? Come open the god-d*** door!”

Me: “I do not have the proper tools to open that door, ma’am. I will have to call my maintenance man in. In the meantime, the lobby bathrooms are located to your right.”

Wife: *getting even more flustered* “So how much will be taken off of my room cost?”

Me: “I do not have authorization to issue any guest refunds; you will have to speak to a manager tomorrow morning.”

(She proceeds to huff away. I call our ONLY maintenance man to come in to unlock their door. He declines and says he will be in tomorrow morning. The wife never came back to ask about the bathroom door. After my shift I call the manager that they were supposed friends with and explain to him the situation.  The following day when I come to work the first thing that manager says to me is:)

Manager: “I got a call from Mr. [Last Name] this morning apologizing to me—” *the manager, not me* “—about how he acted out last night. He said that he had a little too much to drink.”

(My jaw drops.)

Me: “So, he almost causes a riot in the lobby on my watch, calls me a racist, and a bunch of other unflattering words and he calls YOU and apologizes to YOU?!”

Manager: “I’m afraid so. Also, they busted the bathroom door off the hinges. Not sure what that’s about.”

(Needless to say they are not allowed to stay here anymore.)

(I am on the front desk during the night shift. While checking in a guest is a little too excited about me being a woman. It is about three am and his room calls.)

Me: “Front desk. How can I help you?”

Guest: “Can you, umm, come up and fix my TV?”

Me: “What appears to be the problem?”

Guest: “It just isn’t turning on.”

Me: “I’ll see what I can do.”

(I send up one the more experienced on-hand staff to take a look, but I get I another call not five minutes after.)

Me: “Front desk—”

Guest: “YOU SENT A MAN UP TO MY ROOM!”

Me: “He is the most capable to handle your problem.”

Guest: “I WANTED YOU! YOU COME UP! NOW!”

Me: “I cannot, sir, as I am managing the front desk tonight and cannot leave it.”

Guest: “F*** you!”

(I hang up. He calls back, screaming expletives, and I hang up again. By his third or fourth attempt the staff I sent up walks past me. He is white as a ghost.)

Me: “What happened?”

Staff: *turning to me* “WHO ANSWERS THEIR DOOR NAKED?!”

(We both laugh, but the gravity of the situation hits me.)

Staff: *clocking on* “You allowed to kick him out?”

Me: “I guess so. I’ll check the CCTV first, though.”

(The CCTV showed the guy answering the door, in all his glory with a very much erect penis. At this I finally answered his calls and warned him, through his screams, that it had been decided that he must leave, and if he didn’t of his own accord, security would do it for him. The calls stopped, but after half an hour he didn’t show up. I called security. They were down with him within five minutes. He was still naked and screaming expletives. They threw him out and he was left to dress outside the hotel. Once dressed he flipped us off and stormed off. A week later the manager questioned me about a complaint he made. After seeing the CCTV and call history, he was promptly banned from the hotel.)