#hotel asks

[heir-of-morningstar]

Oh hi charlie

@firena-the-hazbin-oc

Hello! How are you and what are your thoughts on redemption? :D

[mistergandalf]

Well now I want to know about the haunted hotel

Ooh yes soo I worked at this one hotel that was built in the 1920s. Several people died there, of course, over its history. One person fell down an elevator shaft from a high floor after it got stuck and he tried to crawl out. One of my coworkers there would say he was haunting the 4th elevator, but I don’t believe that at all because 1. That elevator just sucks and 2. The dude died in the OTHER building they don’t use anymore. Like did he get lonely and decide to haunt the elevators on the side that gets used instead?? Whatever.

I DO have a photo a guest took up in the ballroom on the top floor that looks like there’s a woman in a blue dress! Just vaguely. They showed it to a security guy who sent it to me. It’s unclear enough to be a possible trick of the lens, and clear enough to possibly be a ghost. Here it is (with an identifying part of the photo cropped out):

The guest was up there at night all by herself, so idk who this could have been if it wasn’t a person. But it could just be a trick of the light, who knows!

THIRD STORY ABOUT THAT HOTEL. One morning I came into work, and I had two night auditors on that night. They told me that someone kept calling from the 11th floor and asking what day is it, what time is it etc. and they would tell her, but she kept calling. One of them asked her what room she was in, and she said a room number we don’t have. So they called security to see who was up there, but security didn’t find anyone… but while security was up there, literally standing RIGHT BY the phone this person kept calling from, SHE CALLED AGAIN. No one to be seen. SPOOPY

[mistergandalf]

tell them about the weirdest riders you've had.

OKAY honestly I've seen lots of riders but no one has ever gotten close to Elton John. He needed a fax machine in the room (in 2018???), 3 kinds of mouthwash, 4 sticks of butter (3 in the fridge and 1 on the counter), and coca-cola in GLASS BOTTLES ONLY. we had to send someone to the store at midnight because we got him coca-cola in PLASTIC BOTTLES and that was UNACCEPTABLE. also required a nespresso and an extra mini fridge for his snacks. we did make him pay for all this and then we kept the nespresso in the back office for a while so that was nice.

I know Khalid's was pretty specific, but the only thing I remember is that he asked for chicken wings in his room. I only remember that because I tried to make it happen as that is SO EASY TO DO and no one else seemed to care about making a good impression on a celebrity. I was so mad. You have a pub onsite just MAKE THE CHICKEN WINGS.

No one else's stands out to me, so they were probably pretty normal. I will always remember Elton John though, the true queen of England

[mistergandalf]

What's the weirdest interaction you've ever had with a guest? I keep getting in my mind Chonda Pierce's (comedian) time where she was told her room was clean and ready for her....and then found a dead body in tje bed!

https://youtu.be/OJyBF8bO6yw

Link in case you want to hear the story. She tells it in the most hilarious manner!

THIS VIDEO??? HELLO DJKDHSJSHSJSHSJDHUSHS oh my GOD

I’ve never had anything like THAT happen, at least not when I was working… one of my employees found someone dead in the room once which was sad. It was a long-term stay hotel so he’d been there for a few days before housekeeping came around :(

But uhh weirdest interaction. SO many to choose from. I always come back to the one from my early hospitality days though, when a woman checked in with me and was super normal. But then later?? She came back and told me I had disabled her keys on purpose so I could track her comings and goings through the front door… and I laughed because I thought it was a joke. I stopped laughing when I realized she was Not Joking. She then proceeded to go on a tirade, accusing me of putting a camera in her room, stealing a pair of her pants, and trying to force her to sleep with a random man?? (I think that last one was some kind of word association because I’d said “I’m sorry ma’am” and she heard MAN but I really couldn’t tell you.) It was so bizarre and I had no idea what to do except deny it?? And then she complained the next morning again about all that and my coworker was JUST as baffled.

I assume she was on some kind of medication that wore off, but wow it was wild. I didn’t know what to do for her. Eventually she just went off to her room and left me there very confused.

[mistergandalf]

I'm curious, how did you get into hotel work? Did you do any other hospitality-adjacent jobs before that and if so how does it compare?

Honestly? Before hotels, I only had one other job at a grocery store. They were cutting hours and giving us extra work for the same pay. My friend worked at a hotel and said her work was hiring. I showed up and the owner/GM’s only question was when I could start. And then I worked there for years, until I hit the ceiling on how much he could afford to pay me, and I started working for a fancier hotel that could pay me more. I still text that GM when I’m in town to say hi, he’s a cool guy.

I just worked in hotels all through college and then got a degree in English literature, but when I thought about getting a job in my field, I realized I loved hospitality too much to quit. So here I am lmao. I’ve done a grocery store and hospitality and that’s it. Customer service either way.

I DID do freelance content and copy editing for a Christian vanity publisher during the height of covid when no one was traveling. I hated that because I have ADHD and cannot be self-motivated working from home. Also vanity publishing is the worst because it’s all the people who can’t get published the traditional way but still want to publish. Soooo much bad writing… SO MUCH PLAGIARISM. It made me cry. I’m much more cut out for customer facing jobs.

[mistergandalf]

Is there something about your job that surprises people? A task or aspect people do not even think about being part of the position? 👀

Hmm, I don’t know! I don’t think anyone has ever been really surprised by anything that comes with the position. Like tbh, front desk is an entry level job. If you can read, are capable of using a computer, and have basic people skills, you can do the job reasonably well. Even the luxury hotel I worked at would hire 19 year olds with zero experience for front desk because you genuinely don’t need it. You check people in, you check them out, you connect them with the information they want or need. That’s the job.

As far as management goes, I’m just managing those people and keeping track of numbers, really. I’m there to answer questions when my staff doesn’t know what to do or how to do something. I do the background stuff, like making sure groups are assigned to rooms close together, or solving billing problems, but overall it’s a straightforward job, tbh.

[mistergandalf]

i've recently been curious about the job of the night auditor and/or night desk agent at hotels; would you say that it's a good job, and are there any aspects to it that you think most people wouldn't expect?

It depends on what kind of person you are, tbh! First of all, you have to ACTUALLY be a night owl to survive. I’ve been a night auditor, and I tend to start dying at about 4am. Not cut out for it. You’ve gotta be able to make it to 7am on a regular basis and still feel like you’re a person.

The important things to know about night audit:

1. You are going to be by yourself to solve problems. Unless you’re working at a BIG hotel (minimum 300 rooms) where there are overnight engineers, housekeeping, security, etc., you’re going to be on your own. Someone needs towels? You’re bringing them up. Someone’s partying on the fourth floor? You’re kicking them out. Someone’s AC doesn’t work? You’re up there checking the thermostat. Homeless person unconscious in the bathroom? You’re calling 911. (These are all real examples.)

2. You ARE performing an audit, so you need SOME accounting skills. If you’re working at a Super 8 you probably just have to click “run” on the system’s audit page, but if your hotel has any extra stuff like a restaurant or a spa, you have to reconcile everything across all departments.

3. Besides that, it’s a chill job. If you don’t have any issues happening, you’re pretty much free to do whatever you want between 2am and 6am after you run the audit. My auditors usually watch YouTube or movies. I always say one of the best parts of front desk is that someone HAS to be there whether there’s something to do or not, so when it’s slow, you have lots of free time.

[mistergandalf]

Maybe an obvious question but what is your favourite part of your job?

My FAVORITE part is solving problems. I’ve reached the point where when it comes to front desk, there is very little I don’t know. So when someone comes to me with an issue and I can solve it for them and leave them feeling happier? That’s a job well done. Especially if it’s a guest and they apologize for being rude about it lol