Dealing with the Public 

Hospitality workers are some of the most flexible people you will ever meet. Some of them abide by the philosophy "The customer is always right"; others abhor the phrase. Either way, hospitality workers are taught to deal with the public on a day-to-day basis.

Hospitality workers have to know a bit of everything; the Front Desk staff have to know some accounting; the Servers need to know how to calculate percentages and bills and such; Banquets staff need to know how to set up functions at the last minutes; Managers need to know how to do their staff’s jobs.

The general public doesn’t always understand us. People get frustrated that we cannot change rates; people get frustrated and scream at us. Yet, if they ever stopped to think about what we deal with…

There are not many jobs where you are dealing with brand-new people every three minutes, eight hours a day, continuously. Hotel staff have to stick together in a crisis; if a banquet function is hours away from being completed and the entire banquet staff come down with a case of the flu, other members of the hotel pitch in and pick up the work.

The third-parties that you booked through, that promised you that triple-queen room, non-smoking, with a view of the lake? Is actually a double-double room, smoking, and faces… the parking lot. Oh, they’re charging you $110 for it, and you think it’s too much? Our standard walk-in rate is $190. They’re not ripping you off; you’re ripping us off. stop booking through third-party sites. Call the hotel; say something to the effect of “well I wanted to book this room at this date for this rate I see here on Travelocity, but I don’t want to book it over the net. Can you help me get a room for this rate, close to this rate? Without booking through Travelocity/Priceline/etc.?” Many hotel staff would be happy to try and help you out. Front desk staff hate third-party sites. They promise rooms that we don’t even always have! And if they need to call to book you a new room, guess what. We’re sold out. That means, no rooms left. Stop asking.

Hospitality workers have seen it all; housekeepers know how you live, servers know how you eat, front desk know how you treat others, night auditors know your sleeping patterns. How’s that for creepy? So you there, that wanders around all night in your too-tight PJs, you that doesn’t tip your server at all, you that leaves your room a disaster for housekeeping, and yet we still treat you great. It’s who and what we are. Just think for a minute, how creepy is it that you can stay here and we find out that much about you.

Hospitality staff have dealt with some of the rudest, and some of the kindest, people that are out there. And we do it all (well… almost) with a smile on our face. We love out jobs; we love dealing with different people each day and doing the same job in general but a bit different. To some of us, guests are just a face; to others, they have a name.

So the next time you stay at a hotel, get to know the staff a little bit. Don’t check in yapping on your cell phone, then ask where the luggage carts are after I’ve already pointed them out. Shut your phone off before you even step to the counter, and let us make our long spiel. Chat with your server for a bit; don’t act high and mighty. Tip them. Each employee you come across, stop to say hey or to give them a smile. I promise you, you’ll have a much better stay.

Deborah-Anne Bertin is a night auditor who has nothing better to do at night than write for us. If you are a bored auditor too, you can read more of her work on this site.

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