They Should Have Czeched Before They Traveled
(I have a summer job at the reception of a hotel in Prague’s city centre, and our guests are mainly tourists. It is July 3rd. We have two national public holidays coming up, one on July 5th and second on July 6th. Neither is really celebrated unless it’s an anniversary year. The guests are clearly Americans; one of them has an American flag around his suitcase. There are four guys in total, somewhere from thirty to forty years old. They are generally pleasant and cooperate during the check-in.)
Me: “All right, you are all set. Can I help you with anything else? Any places you would like to visit and need directions for?”
Guest: *with the American flag on his suitcase* “Where are the celebrations? What is a good spot to watch the fireworks?”
Me: “Oh, the holidays are on July 5th and July 6th. Unfortunately, there won’t be any festivities. Only some places might be closed, and others might have different opening hours. But definitely nothing major.”
Guest: “What?!”
(He has been really nice up to this moment; however, he starts to raise his voice.)
Another Guest: “The fourth of July.”
Me: “Oh, you mean the American Independence Day?”
Guest: “YES!”
Me: “I’m terribly sorry, but I’m afraid that here in the Czech Republic we do not celebrate the American holiday.”
Guest: “But we came here to celebrate it!”
(After that, the manager came down to the reception and dealt with them. All four guys seemed to be genuinely perplexed that there wouldn’t be any festivities to mark American Independence day in the middle of Europe. However, my manager was quick on his feet and suggested that they look for some Facebook group for expats living in Prague to find some Americans living in Prague that might be celebrating. When I asked my manager about the idea, it turned out they were not the first ones to ask about it.)
This story is part of our July 4th roundup!
Question of the Week
Have you ever met a customer who thought the world revolved around them?
