The Naked Truth Is That There’s Only So Much We Can Do

In our hotel, at 12:00 pm, we send security to all the departing rooms to let them know that it’s checkout time. We have a deal with a third party that allows a 2:00 pm checkout for their VIP members. We still send security to these rooms because if they check out without informing us, we can send housekeeping to the room and not wait until 2:00 pm. If the guest indicates that they will be using the late checkout, we don’t go in the room until 2:00 pm. If they don’t mention it, we send security up at twelve to check if they will be using it.

I sent security to a room with that 2:00 pm checkout. The guest wasn’t answering after three knocks, so security announced himself and peeked his head into the room. The guest then screamed for security to leave.

Shortly after, the guest called down.

Guest: *Angry* “Security walked in on me while I was naked!”

His tone of voice really bothered me; it was like a “Gotcha!” like he thought he would get compensated for this. The way he was talking was as if the hotel had messed up big time and he was about to get a comped stay or even more.

Guest: “Have a manager call me now!”

I hung up the phone, waited a few minutes, and then called him back. I explained to him that what we had done was the hotel’s policy, and then I explained why we do it.

Guest: “That policy makes no sense!”

I just pretended to sound concerned: “Mmm, right, I see, okay.” Then, after he was done complaining, it got quiet.

Guest: “Sooo, uhhh…”

Me: “Was there any other question you had?”

Guest: “Well, no, but I just disagree with the policy.”

Me: “I understand that, sir.”

Guest: “Like, he literally saw me naked.”

Me: “He knocked three times, but you didn’t answer. He then announced himself before opening the door. Once it hits 12:00 pm, our security staff has the right to enter the room.”

Guest: “I was in the bathroom. How can I hear a knock from the bathroom?”

Me: “Well, he told me that he didn’t actually see you; he just heard you yell so he closed the door. If you were in the bathroom, then how did he walk in on you naked?”

Guest: *Stutters for a minute* “After I heard the door open, I stepped out of the bathroom naked.”

Me: “Well, sir, as I mentioned, he had knocked multiple times and had the right to enter the room at 12:00 pm.”

Guest: “Okay, well, I don’t think your policy is right. What’s the point of 2:00 pm checkout if someone is still going to come to your door? Doesn’t make sense.”

Me: “I’ll definitely pass your dissatisfaction with our policy on to a manager.”

Guest: *Silence*

Me: “Did you have any other questions?”

Guest: “You know, I’m not expecting anything, I just need to know that my complaint is heard.”

Me: “As I explained, I will be passing this on to a manager, so your complaint is heard.”

Guest: “Well, everyone just says they’ll pass it on. How do I know something will actually come of this?”

Me: “This is our hotel policy; I can’t guarantee that we will change it, especially since this is the first complaint anyone has ever had on it. But like I said, I’ll let a manager know.”

Guest: “I don’t want you to give me anything free or anything like that, but you’re not going to do anything for me?”

Me: “If you aren’t expecting any compensation, then what else can I really do for you other than pass your feedback onto a manager? Did you have something specific in mind?”

Guest: *Pauses* “So, you’re basically telling me you’re not going to do anything for me.”

Me: “What I’m doing for you is giving a manager your feedback as you asked. As for compensation, we can’t compensate someone just because they disagree with our policies.”

Guest: “So, basically, you’re not going to do anything.”

Me: “That is correct.”

He hung up.

Just to clarify, the 2:00 pm checkout is not a paid perk. It’s comped since they’re a member of the third-party service. The guest didn’t specifically pay to get a later checkout.