Hotel Front Desk
Los Angeles, CA
Male, 27
For the past two years I've worked the front desk at a boutique luxury beachfront hotel in Southern California. My job can range from simply checking guests in & out to many other duties, including: pretending I work in different departments so that behind-the-scenes chaos is never seen by a guest, shielding guests from stalkers that come looking for them, and picking up used drug paraphernalia from a trashed room. Ask me anything.
I buy them, only because there is generally a new person or persons staying in each room on average every three to five days, if not every day, and I don't have any idea what they decide to do in there or what their personal hygiene standards are. I've found a used condom under a bed of a room thought to be ready to sell, which was pointed out to me by the concerned father of two that checked in with his family. On the flip-side, the massive amount of fluids, etc are probably being found on areas that housekeeping isn't trained nor told they have a need to clean, but that a guest thought would be a good place to deposit said fluid(s). By and large, the surfaces that a sensible person comes in contact with are probably cleaner than the ones in that person's own home, because they're cleaned so frequently and professionally. If I find something gross, I will be the first to point it out to housekeeping if not clean it up myself.
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I have definitely held my ground, never lost my cool though. Thank goodness, because I would have hurt someone if I did! I find that how I look and deliver my words will severely impact how far someone thinks they can take something. One New Year's Eve when we had an all-night party I had to work until 2 am and I happened to have the opportunity to grow a full beard while on vacation beforehand. I kept it for that night and made sure to keep my security-style earpiece in and also shaved my head. That night I was more cop than front desk. Telling people "no," which almost never happens, was okay on that night because it prevented, rather than caused chaos. I do recall one guest saying to me "Are you crazy?!" before storming out of the lobby when I told him he couldn't extend his stay because we were MORE than sold out, but I have to think, what good would it have done myself or the hotel if I had told him otherwise? There was nothing I could do for him so I had to be brutally honest. If I see that guy on the street ever I might have to kick his ass though.
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The simple answer is, most of those who succeed in hospitality careers do fit your description, and naturally gravitate to these jobs. If the hiring manager at the hotel wants to keep up at all with the increasingly competitive market, the demand for the best service, and wants to differentiate their brand and property from another, then I would give the credit first to the person who is actually as you described above, because it can take a lot of resolve, cunning, and resourcefulness to remain that way given what a front of house job requires daily. Second, I would give credit to the brand itself (Hyatt comes to mind, as does some other brands which take a lot of time ensuring their employees are properly selected, outfitted, trained, and managed), and lastly I would credit the hiring manager who made the ultimate decision to bring those qualified and moldable candidates aboard.
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At my property thankfully we have duvets that are completely washable and that means we DO wash them. That being said, at cheaper hotels and especially motels, ownership or management are going to cut corners, including not washing the duvet covers. In most cases, it's in the best interest of a hotel-owner to do so but one place that gets almost ZERO attention are the couches and chairs! Those in most cases don't need cleaning unless something is visibly wrong, so you can imagine how much unseen filth is on those! Not a place to do anything naked...
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CPR Trainer
Just how effective is the Heimlich, really?
Radio program/music director
Just how good of a radio host do you think Howard Stern is?
Veterinarian
Who are the bigger hypochondriacs: dog owners or cat owners?
Using a vacant room for anything other than prepping it for the next guest could land someone in a lot of trouble, however if it is a slow time of year and there is a bank of rooms that haven't been occupied in a while, then some hotel managers are okay with their employees eating their lunch in such a room. That policy would vary and likely would not fly at a larger, more corporate and branded hotel. As far as using a vacant room for napping, drug use, or other unprofessional activity, it's just a path to trouble for anyone doing it. You will see some hotels have live-in managers, or a rotating shift of managers that stay the night, especially on weekends, so that there is someone close by for emergencies, but all of that is pre-determined and sanctioned by upper management. I personally don't want to stay in the hotel any longer than I'm paid to, so I would prefer NOT to spend the night there, that's my personal feeling on it.
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I think hands down the most ridiculous thing to ask the front desk to do is wipe a bill clean, ESPECIALLY after the guest actually stayed the night and used the hotel's facilities, food and beverage outlets, and services. I've had people demand that they pay nothing, but they've been staying for one, maybe two or more nights, and haven't complained until they check out. If I was never given the opportunity to fix a problem, then how is it my fault that it didn't get fixed? I understand the small complaint at checkout which warrants me adjusting off the wifi charge if that didn't work, or the valet parking service was terrible, room service arrived late *or never*, but to ask not to pay ANYTHING? C'mon, now! Second to the above would be people who broke a personal item due to their own clumsiness, say like dropping their iPad, then saying I should have the hotel pay for the damage because they couldn't see the stairs leading into the bar. Really?
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Only a guess, but I'd have to say at most 40%, and it's even harder to ascertain because so few people order movies, it seems. The percent of couples that order porn? Got to be less than 10%.
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