Breakfast

I am tired.  I am cranky.  I filled in at another hotel last night 3-11, then had to get up at 7 a.m. to work at my normal hotel.

We serve breakfast.  It is free.

But we are not a restaurant.  It is a buffet.  

Yet, today, when I was so sleepy, at least 4 people asked me to make them waffles. 

They are "make-your-own" waffles.  So, make your own.  It is not that hard.  And I do not have time.  I have to check people out.  I have to answer the phone.  I have to clean up after your messy kids that get more of their muffins on the floor than in their screaming mouths.  

But I do not have to and will not make your waffles.

And, yeah I know, the coffee is empty.  Why did you think I took the pot away? I went to make more.  Thanks for letting me know every 3 seconds.  It takes literally 1 minute 30 seconds to make a new pot.  Calm down.  Maybe you have already had too much coffee.

Have a Beer With Obama, just be quiet

Politics and beer do not really mix.

As you may have heard, Pres. Obama addressed both houses of Congress on Tuesday.

The speech did not start until 9 p.m.  Happy hour is over at 7 p.m.  So, I am set, right?  I can hear the president speak with no drunken interruptions.  Wrong.

I had so much homework, and the hotel was so busy on Tuesday that I forgot about the beer.

I had to sit through the speech, with 10 drunk people still in the lobby.  And they were all loudly analyzing every word as if they were the late Tim Russert.  

I won't forget the beer anymore.  

Thank God for Internet video.

Which one is bigger? I don't care

A guest had a few too many complimentary beers today.  He may have been drinking before he arrived.

Liquid lunches are pretty common among business guys despite the economic downturn.  That's fine with me.  It is not as if you have to drive to the room.  As long as you remain clothed, you can drink whatever you like.

This guy, however, had an interesting theory.  He was dying to share it.  And after he did, I wished he hadn't.

He only likes left breasts. They are the better breast in his (loud and intoxicated) opinion.  

Why?  I still don't know.  

He rambled off celebrities and all the girls and women he has probably ever met in an effort to convince me.

I am sure.  That he drank too much.

Smoking with Cancer

I had a guest check in today after getting directions from Shadyside.  She informed me that she had an appointment at the Hilman Cancer Center.  

Then she said she needed a smoking room.  

I am not a doctor, but I think I've read about a link between smoking and cancer somewhere.

Confessions of a Housekeeper

This article was written by a housekeeper.  It is subtitled "Instead of Vacuuming, I Picked Up Some Crumbs," and is pretty interesting.

Fun Link

Here is a rant written by a hotel worker in Modesto, CA on the Best of Craigslist site.  

Caution:  Has some strong language.

You do what?

I couldn't make this up.

I have a guest who makes chocolate suckers, and she is in town because her products sell best this time of year.  

The shapes of the suckers make them something you would not give to kids, let's leave it at that.

They look nothing like this.

From a co-worker

I have off on Saturdays.  It is good because I get to hang out after a long work and school week.

 Saturdays are usually when the craziest things happen, but I do get informed about them.  What happened last night is too strange not to share.  

We have discretion when we are working the desk whether to go to other floors if guests request something.  Usually we are too busy, and let them know we can give them whatever they need if they come to the desk.  

Last night, my female co-worker had a female guest in a hot tub room call down for towels.  She wasn't that busy so she went up to the third floor and knocked on the door, with the towels in hand.  

The female was alone in the room, and answered the door completely naked.  This freaked out my co-worker.  She knew the towels were on the way, she could have thrown something on.  

But what was worse is that the guest opened the door all the way, and proceeded to have a long conversation while my embarassed co-worker tried to maintain eye contact only.  Next time, I am sure she will have all guests come to the desk for more towels.

Don't Scream at me (Part Two)

Everyone gets cranky at some point during long car trips, and I do not blame them.  I get cranky after too long in the car, too.  But there is a difference between getting cranky and getting rude and crazy.  

This lady came to check in today with a coupon from the interstate rest area.  For some reason people with coupons are especially hard to deal with. Even though they are saving between $30 and $45, they will find something to complain about.  

Anyway, while checking her in instead of asking "How many adults do you have?", I slipped and asked how many dogs do you have.  She didn't notice and said she had two dogs.  

We don't accept pets.  She must have thought I was lying about that.  Because she began to scream at me.  

She told me that this chain accepts pets.  I told her we are all individually owned and opperated and many do not, like us.  

Then, I told her I could not rent her a room, but I could call a sister property five miles away and maybe they would have a room.  She must have been in the car way too long, because 5 miles made her scream again.  

Then she started to scream about what was closer.  Where could she stay closerby?  I had to litterally ask her to leave.  But if is anyone who doubts that Canadians can swear, this lady would have let you know you were wrong a-boot that.

Don't scream at me (Part one)

Ok, so this is not about what a guest told me but instead how she acted.  This lady came to check in today and asked if we had an airport shuttle.  When I said "No." She literally screamed "WHAT?"  I just looked at her.  She continuted to yell about that is the reason she booked at my hotel because the Web site said we had one.

We don't, we never have.  I told her this but she insisted that that is what she saw on our Web site. 

I knew it wasn't, but I was in an okay mood so I just let her go on and on.  What I found funny was when she pulled out her iphone to prove me wrong.  She went to our corporate Web site. 

Her husband pulled out his Blackberry Storm and also went to the corporate site.  While they were doing this I reminded them that they booked on Expedia, maybe they should check there. 

They were crazy, and really old.

I think smart phones and internet booking should maybe have an age limit. And who SCREAMS in public?  It is not like I booked her reservation. If you work with the public, comment and let me know how you deal with crazy customers.