Me: Thank you for calling (hotel name) How may I help you?
Guest: (immediately begins speaking French)
Me: I’m sorry ma’am, I do not understand you.
Guest: You don’t speak French?
Me: No ma’am
Guest: (continues to speak French)
Me: Ma’am I am sorry, I don’t understand or speak French, but I would be glad to help you in English.
Guest: (continues in French)
(after about a minute of her talking in French, I just have to hang up)

(Our hotel is right next to the ocean, and we have beach chairs spread out along it.  One day, while I’m monitoring the beach, I notice a girl, about 14, fast asleep on a chair.  She looks pretty sickly, big bags under her eyes and all.  Her dad is sitting watching her, looking worried.)

Me: Sir? Is…everything alright?

Father:(distracted) Yes, yes, fine. Thank you.

Me: Sir, I can’t help but notice that you look upset.  Is something wrong?

Father: (Quietly) Actually… yes. My daughter.  She…she’s a very smart girl, and a hard worker.  A little too hard working.  She’s been quite busy lately.  Very busy.  She’s been pulling all-nighters to get all her work done, and if she does sleep, it’s about 2-3 hours. She bites off so much more than she can chew, but she gets it all done somehow.  For some reason, she’s still crazy insecure.  I…I found out recently that she’s been bullied at school recently, and she’s developed social anxiety, making her even more insecure.  She passed out in the halls a week ago, and the doctors recommended that I try to get her away for a bit; so she can de-stress.  I’m worried about her.  I want this vacation to be nothing but fun for her, to relax.  She can’t relax properly though, and I don’t know how to help. Her mother’s gone, and I can’t ask.  What makes a girl tick?

Me: … Sir? What room are you guys staying in?

Father: ####, why?

Me: That’s one of my rooms.  Tell you what, in my experience, chocolate always seems to help.  I hope she likes ice cream?

(We chat a bit more, then I leave.  I come up to their room later with a small chocolate sundae.  I added little chocolate swirls and decorations, and made it as fancy as I could.  She answers the door, surprised.)

Me: Hello.  I believe you need a sundae?

Her: Um… well…I’ll go grab some money.

Me: Don’t worry about it.  This is on the house. You look like you could really use it. (smile and hand it to her)

Her: T-hanks… Thank you! Thank you so much!!

(She beams at me before closing the door.  A few days later, when they leave, I go into their rooms to clear up.  I find a note.)

Note: “Thank you so much for taking care of us, and especially for the sundae! I’ve had a somewhat stressful time at school, and it really made me feel better that somebody noticed and cared.  A little chocolate goes a long way! You are really the best staff member I could have hoped for.  The butterflies are for you!”

(Next to the note I find $15 tip in one dollar bills, each folded into a butterfly shape.  It’s really nice to think that in the midst of her own troubles, she took the time and trouble to make my day special. To the girl, Thank YOU)

(After mopping the floor, a 16-18 year old kid comes over and stands  in the middle of the sectioned off area. He takes hand fuks of pringles and shoves them in his mouth. I’d be surprised if he even got a single chip by the time he ate avery five. With this mess growing, I walk over with the broom and
pan.)
Me: hey, we just cleaned this area. Your turn.
Kid: gives wide eyed look* why me? Your the slave.
Me: no. Im the supervisor. Im not going to have one of my team members clean this area again because some self centered kid older than they are cant understand where to not walk through.
(Now the kids mother comes rushing over)
Mother: whats going on here.
Me: we had just cleaned this floor then roped it off to ensure the safety of our gests and team members.
Mother: *clearly sees the three foot circle of chip crumbs around her son looking like a dog left out in the rain still holding a half empty tube of pringles* GHUGH not again son! Quickly grabs the broom and pan and starts sweeping.
Me:  I ensure you, my team appreachiates it. Thank you for your cooperation.
Team:*stares in astonishment*
Me:*walked away* before I accidently said “well look at yourself bitch, why do you think this fuck cant understand what hes done wrong. My dogs better behaved…”

(I am a front desk agent at a local resort. The road going up to the resort is under construction during the late morning all week to widen the road. A guest comes in to check in.)

Me: “Hello there!” *starts going through the information about resort and the road closures*

Guest: “That won’t work. I have tee times then.”

Me: “Well, you could go out earlier and have breakfast in town, or you could drive around it will just take you another hour.”

Guest: “No, that won’t work.”

Me: “Well, I can’t change it, unfortunately; it’s controlled at the government level.”

Guest: “You should have called me.”

(Keep in mind, we have thousands of guests that come in, and not all the reservation information has a phone number.)

Me: “I’m sorry, but we don’t always have contact information for each guest.”

Guest: “Then you should have contacted [Travel Agency] to find out.”

Me: “We unfortunately don’t have the manpower to call and find every guest to let them know about the road closures. I’m sorry. It is on our website, though.”

Guest: “I just don’t know why you couldn’t have called to let me know.”

(I realize that this the whole conversation has been a waste of everybody’s time. I pick up the keys and hand them to the guest, smiling.)

Me: “Okay, well, enjoy your stay!”

(My then-girlfriend and I have been dating seriously for nearly a year and a half. Her parents moved across the country about the same time we got serious. She is visiting her parents who flew back and are staying at a resort; I join them over the weekend. The four of us are sitting around the pool until my girlfriend and her mother go upstairs. This leaves me alone with her father, a man of few words. We engage in some brief small talk, then I decide to pop “the question before the question.”)

Me: “So, do I have your permission to marry your daughter?”

Father: “Well, I don’t see why not; you’re both mature adults.” *without missing a beat* “So, who do you like in the [College Football] game today?”

Me: […]

(He never did like deep discussions, but still! He did keep it a secret from my future mother-in-law, however, until I popped the question to my now-wife.)