You’ve Overstayed Your Welcome

Most hotels (mine included) require payment or at least an authorization for payment via credit card BEFORE you stay. If you extend your stay, the credit card needs to be reauthorized for the additional days.

I’m sure all of you are following so far, nodding your heads, and thinking, “Yes, of course, that’s how it works.”

We’ve had this guy stay with us over the last six months or so, and we’ve had almost a dozen issues with him paying on time, and then issues with him disputing charges, as well. He also thinks that checkout time doesn’t apply to him and that we will simply keep his room until he tells us he’s checking out, but then if he checks out after checkout time — say, 4:00 pm — he thinks that he doesn’t deserve to get charged. Basically, he thinks he runs the place because his employer is paying for his stays and he’s a Shiny Member because of it.

Yesterday, this guest just TOLD us that he wouldn’t know “until after 1:00” if he was staying or not. Checkout time is at 12:00. I don’t work during the day, so I don’t know how that panned out. I DID hear from a coworker that our general called the guest on his cell about payment or something, and he told her, “This phone is only for friends after [time],” and hung up on her. Which, in my book, means that person is evicted right there. I guess she called his room and they talked, but I don’t know all that was said.

I get here at 11:00, and his card is declined for tonight’s stay. I lock out the room. He arrives at about 12:00 looking for a new key to his room.

Me: *Politely* “I need payment before you get the room. You only paid for one night; we need payment for the second night.”

I show him the receipt for the one night, and I even turn my monitor to him so that he can see that his card is declined, because he keeps insisting “the room is paid for”.

He goes back and forth between being angry, trying to tell me to “do him a solid” and just give him the room without payment, saying what a great relationship he and I have had over the last six months, saying, “We ain’t friends,” and swearing, going out to the parking lot, coming back in, and starting over again. Finally, he says he just wants to grab his stuff and go.

Me: “Okay, fine. I will go with you to the room so you can get your stuff and leave. Do you need a cart?”

Guest: “Yes.”

Then, he just starts taking off to the room with his girl trailing behind him. By the way, the girlfriend totally understands what I was saying to the guy and knows I am right, and she clearly also knows he has no money, despite his bragging about how much money he has, how “this is beneath me,” and what a big shot he apparently is.

Since he didn’t listen when I said that we need to go up together, I’ve had it, and I’m not going to risk letting him into the room and him just closing the door on me because he’s acting shady. I call dispatch, have them send a unit to help with an eviction, and wait.

He comes back down.

Me: “Have a seat. Police will be here soon to help you get your stuff out of the room.”

Guest: “Wait, no! I have money on this other card!”

Me: “Nope. We are past that. I’m done arguing and dealing with you. I gave you every opportunity to pay, and you kept arguing. You are not staying tonight, and you will not be renting from us in the future.”

After a few more choice words from him, he decided to wait outside.

The police unit rolled up. I told them the situation and then hung back so I wouldn’t say something to escalate the situation. They went up with him, and he complained the whole way. It took a long time for them to get him out — and he only had, like, a backpack and a grocery bag full of stuff. So, who knows what was said, but I’m guessing he was trying to figure out some way to stay, or maybe he wanted to retrieve something he was not supposed to have that he’d hidden in the room but couldn’t just grab because the police were over his shoulder.

So, now he’s been trespassed and hopefully won’t be back again.