We Have Reservations About Letting You Stay Here

I work in a hotel. I have a guest come in at about 4:30 one morning wanting to check in. I inform her of our policy: in order to check in early, you have to pay an additional fee. She begins to whine.

Guest: “I want to stay until Sunday, but I don’t want to pay the extra money!”

Me: “That is our policy, and I cannot change it.”

Guest: “I’ll just book it online.”

Me: “Without the early check-in fee, you would have to wait until 3:00 pm to check in.”

She goes out to her car for a few minutes, comes back in, and announces:

Guest: “I have a reservation through [Third-Party Booking Site].”

Me: “I’m sorry, but you still either have to wait until 3:00 pm to check in or pay the $45 early check-in fee.”

Guest: “No, I have a reservation for today.”

Me: “Okay, well, check-in will be at 3:00 pm this afternoon.”

Guest: “I have a reservation. See?”

She shoves her phone into the plexiglass barrier between us, nearly knocking it down.

Me: “I see that. If you will read the line printed in bold on your confirmation, you will see that it states that check-in time is at 3:00 pm.”

Guest: “But I have a reservation and I want to check in now!”

Me: “That will add an early check in fee of $45 to your bill.”

She grunts, groans, and argues a bit more, and then calls [Third-Party Booking Site] to whine to them. She makes sure it’s on speaker so I can hear them take her side. But, alas, fate has smiled down on me and the wonderful representative tells her in no uncertain terms that if she wants to check in now, she has to pay an early check-in fee or she can wait until 3:00 pm to check in.

She demands they cancel the reservation. I swear I can hear the evil grin come across the rep’s face.

Representative: “I’m so sorry. You booked a super-low, no-cancel, no-refund rate. Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

She walked outside, got in her car, and drove away. She never came back.