Hi people, Receptianon here.
It's been a long time since I did one of these threads, so I'm doing it again for the sake of my own mental health.
I'll answer all your questions about the world of hotelery, as well as share some stories of situations, you can share some as well.
I'm reading you all.
Is there any chance you give me an upgrade if I hand you a $20 when I check in?
For you it's 10$
I’m serious. Will giving them $20 actually lead to an upgrade?
Lol sorry
It is not possible most of the time, since management is actively monitoring the bills
Not OP but my experience is the $20 trick only works in Las Vegas.
How does your property handle early check-in requests? Some places are assholes about it, others will assign me any clean room, it seems to be random. It'd be nice to find a system that lets me check in early somehow.
It depends of the management decision.
If there is a room of the same type you booked avaiable, you can do early check-in, bever heard of it not being possible
The person at the front desk was just being an asshole
My impression was that management at some properties have "zero tolerance" for early check-in. It was really obnoxious showing up at 3:30 and being told I can't check in until 4.
I know they had clean rooms because their inventory the night before was showing tons of rooms of the same type.
Sounds like it's just trial and error then.
I had the same experience when I stayed in iceland.
Airplane arrived at 9am, couldn't sleep on the flight, get to the hotel exhausted and want to just sleep. No check ins for another 6 hours. Didn't know what to do so just left my bags with them and wandered around.
Found they had a small movie theatre that nobody was using so I ended up taking a really shitty nap in there kek. Got disturbed a few times by other hotel guests that probably wanted to use it but they fucked off. Felt like a homeless bum.
an expensive trick I've used from this hotel anon, if it is the same guy after all these years, is if I know I'm going to arrive really early like at 0400, I book for the night before and I leave a note on my reservation if there is an option for it that I'll be arriving early the next day.
I've used it a few times, but some people say not to do that because they can just give me reservation away and move me as a no-show, though I doubt that because usually pay in full when I reserve.
I think I did gave you that advice, was it maybe the second time I did one of this?
Yeah, the no-show stuff can happen but only if they can't get in touch with you, you should try and call them to say the specific time of your arrival, if you check-in the same day you are moving, then its not worth it
Do you treat third-party bookings (Booking.com, Agoda, Expedia, etc.) any differently from direct bookings?
Do third-party bookings (the actual booking agents, not the guests themselves) make your job more difficult in any way?
The guest themselves are not treated different from walk-in ones, they are the same
But yeah, there is sometimes the very agents are a pain since they can't understand our policies and rules when doing the booking (sometimes they charge the room without giving us the money, stuff like that)
not op but used to work at a hotel.
third party bookings will dissuade front desk staff from upgrading you for free, and makes it a pain in the ass for any cancellations or changes to your reservations.
after check in you'll get treated the same, but as far as free upgrades etc you'll be at the bottom of the list as to who gets them
this won't happen at any first world hotel. basically guaranteed you need a credit card on file and FOR SURE show ID on check in.
I always thought I'd be good in hospitality. People seem to like me, I like hosting and showing people around, it just seems like a good fit. One thing I will never, ever do is work a night shift. Do I have potential to be a good hotel asset, and is it the type of job that with enough experience I could support a family with? I have a useless liberal arts degree, if that matters (it doesn't).
Funny, I also have an arts degree
By the way, yeah, if you have a good atitude and service profile, you can apply, but you need to be sure you can do the job.
I say you can live with it, just check the payment is good enough for more than one person living with you
(Night shifts are not bad, but it depends of how the place operates)
What chain are you, what region, how many elites do you get and what distribution of status levels (when we’re all elite no one is elite, etc.)
Would you stay at your own property if you were a guest, and where do you go on your employee rates?
I don't work with any chain: I usually work for local hotels, I travel all around the world so I can study cultures and languages, I work on hotelery so I can fund my travels and daily life.
As for staying on my own propeties, it would be my last resort, I usually find cheap rent
In not so many words, you work at shit properties, an poor, and stay at shitty properties on your own dime… it’s like I’m in sighsee
>hotelery
Are you Spanish by any chance? I don't think I've heard that word outside of Spanish
Which group of corporate customers do you like the most?
Airlines, banks, consultancies, etc.
Usually, tourists.
QRD on having parcels delivered to the hotel you’re staying at? Especially if they’re being mailed from your home country while you’re traveling
Eh, I usually don't receive mail, but I got them delivered to my apartment where Im staying
He's not asking if you personally did it. He's asking how guests should go about doing it
Do a PO Box if you are worried, sometimes certain front desk employees can steal your stuff and pass it as "missing in arrival"
why do guests love to shit and piss in the bed so much do people act this way at home as well?
I'm not the OP, but I suspect it's some kind of power play. The "clean it up, wagie" mentality, if you will. It also could be that they're upset about the price, and making them clean such a difficult mess somehow justifies it.
What’s the method they use to clean the carpets? I often feel guilty when I drop liquids on the carpet.
stop cooming on the carpet, anon
A strong soap I guess, that's more housemaid area
(Since this is a 'hotel' thread)
I was in a cheap country for accommodation but with western standards still (Poland) so decided I would try out a 5 star hotel. Normally I just go with a 3 or 4 star. So the room was really fucking nice, the huge shower was so amazing compared to some of the ones I had recently, better quality towels, even toilet paper, bed super comfortable, obviously air conditioned to your setting, I had the pool to myself for an hour. But anyway, overall I can say I didn't really enjoy it. I felt really out of place there when I was anywhere outside of my room. Every other guest I saw was much more formally/properly dressed up compared to me on pretty typical casual holiday clothes. In the breakfast the staff would make your drink for you, you would order something from them and they would specifically make it for you. I would just prefer a buffet and to get my own drinks. After I checked out I left my suitcase there for a few hours, and they remembered it and got it ready as soon as I stepped back in to the hotel without even needing to say anything which was a bit creepy to me. Well I only stayed 2 nights and hid away when I was there (which was not too long anyway) so I don't have more to say, but I prefer a much more 'anonymous' stay than such a level of service. This isn't any new revelation but 5 star is more about class than money and I will always be a pleb but I just wanted to try it out at least once
>not two sinks
>but two toilets
Hell, you can wait to wash your hands. But when you gotta go, you gotta go.
The attire of other guests is probably because they are travelling on business though. And a la carte breakfast is something that is not that common even in 5 star hotels. Most have buffets. But they knowing who you are is standard in 5 stars hotels. That's part of the service, that should be as personalized as possible. Did you stay in a "palatial" hotel or some hotel chain?
Lol, it must be a bidet.
Why do some hotels refuse to look at my ID when they take my cash for a room? Is it because I appear to be an upstanding guest who, or is it because nobody would dare fuck up the room in a cartel-owned hotel?
Maybe they try to make the service faster?
Eitherway, they probably don't keep the records of previous guests
What did your boss/corporate higher ups actually encourage you to do (besides the obvious stuff like be nice to guests)? Push the loyalty program? Push room upgrades? Were you comped for anything on a commission basis?
What were some of the telltale signs that a guest coming in was going to be trouble?
Did you ever have a guest who seemed totally cool but wound up being insane?
Didn't I answered this same questions before?
Anyways
-Probably a bonus payment every 5 rooms sold or so
-They came in already being noisy
-No
I would like to know how is it possible to book a room anonymously or under a different name?
I hate having my info and a copy of my id or passport in all these places
I just don't see that ever happening in any half-decent hotel. They obviously record customer info & credit card details to cover for incidentals. They need a surefire way to recover any damages in case their rooms get fucked up.
I would say your chances of maximizing your privacy are far better in low-quality hotels and motels. It's hard to fuck up a room that's already fucked up. You might even be able to pay cash. Only downside is that you're staying in a very shitty room.
You probably got your answer already, but decent hotels must keep records of who stays in their rooms
Could I theoretically work at a hotel in Bangkok as a way to stay in Thailand and fund my cooming forever?
My life in America is pretty depressing, and I refuse to learn to code? Where could I apply for this kind of work. I can’t take much more of this horror….
Man, hope you can find happiness
Try work offices that can give you a foreign work pass, since I just work on "dubiously managed hotels" I bypass all of the legal mumbojumbo and keep my earnings, I don't stay in the same place for more than a year or so
hey I'm a hotel manager (a very small one actually)
would you recommend do a hospitality college degree (like hotel management) or is it pointless?
also how do you see working in luxury hotels in Asia (Japan/SEA)? beach life and qt azn chicks feels like a dream.
It depends if the hotel is yours, you can study so you can expand your company and gain more income, it's not necesary tho, so it is more like a personal decision.
Also 2, if you are ready for how the asian do their shifts and manage their schedules, then go for it
Hey mate, fellow hotel receptionist here, being doing it for almost 10 years now. Let's share some fucked up stories:
>drunk men coming to reception naked after locking themselves out (twice)
>young couple which are not guests sneaking in the lobby's bathroom to have sex
>crazy man staring at the hotel's main door with a (kind of) metal stick, threatening guests (police had to be called)
>American pseudo famous stand up comedy "star" locking herself out, naked, and shitting in some stairs leading to a maintenance room
>frequent guests who come to the hotel to cheat on their partners, always paying cash, booking directly and who don't want any confirmation email or proof of the reservation
Lemme guess, New York?
Nope. Barcelona.
Hope hotel anon is still here.
I want to travel light for a 3-week travel. I'm staying at 4ish hotels. So I intend to do laundry. Money is no issue, should I pursue having the hotel do laundry or should I resort to nearby laundromats. What are the pros and cons besides the exorbitant cost.
For 4 star hotels; is calling the hotel to arrange a ride from the airport always available? I really don't trust taxis too much and I am unsure if Ubers/Grabs are available. Can concierges really arrange stuff like that for you and are they indicative of being labeled a 4 star hotel.
Also, if I "accidently" book the hotel for 2 person even though I'm by myself, does it imply something? (Yes I intend to get escorts). How would I go about bringing them over without being awkward. I'm sure you get that question a lot and you should probably a copy and paste general answer to it all whenever you make these threads.
I appreciate you senpai.
>4ish
4 starish hotels. I don't the stars on a hotel is a very good gauge on what they can be from a youtube video I watch. Like there is a metric, but the hotels can scratch by with the bare minimum and be considered 4 stars.
Hi there
>As I always say: you should compare prices of what can you get, try sending a separate piece of underwear to each and compare how much did you spend and how clean it ends between the laundry service and the laundromat (they have to be extra careful with them compared to the laundromat)
>Certain hotels have connections to taxi services, it depends of knowing if they manage one, if not, you'll have to look for an uber or if you are staying for a long time, rent a car
>Usually, most of the hotels use the same fare for either 1 or 2 people, so you can exploit that and do your thing
Yea, you did give me that advice. You're one of the few insightful people on sighsee and I've actively used a bunch of tips from this thread
>Preferred to pay directly on the hotels website rather than some discount app
>Book the day before if I arrive really really early
>Tips are appreciated, BIG tips to hotel maids may make them more happy to do small requests
>Escorts are okay if you're discreet
But yea, the hotel laundry thing is still a mystery to me. I do the laundry service when I was in Budapest and did a $10 equivalent per kilo, crazy how often laundry can way. I was inexperienced at the time and was a broke college student. But not so much now, I just want to travel light for a few weeks staying at 4-5 star hotels and don't want to resort to using the bathtub or sink. I'm fine paying $10-$20 per kilo, no problem. I'm curious if every hotel has that if it is a 4-5 stars. Have you heard of hotels having their own room where customers can use it?
Also, what are the limits of the hotel concierge(assuming I'm in a 4-5 star hotel). Been meaning to leverage that service for a while, but not sure what I could ask that I can't do on an app on my phone.
Most hotels in Asia and Europe have their own per room on hotels avobe 4 star, I don't know if the same thing applies in America
About the concierge service, the limits of what they can do for you depends of themselves, you should ask them, but they generally can arrange a reservation on a restaurant, help you with admission to events like concerts, etc and also get you information of whatever you plan to do on your stay/travel
>About the concierge service, the limits of what they can do for you depends of themselves, you should ask them, but they generally can arrange a reservation on a restaurant, help you with admission to events like concerts, etc and also get you information of whatever you plan to do on your stay/travel
Say I want to send some souvenirs home; but I really want to keep my travel light. Is it within their ability to box and ship stuff via FedEx/UPS, assuming I'd be paying for the whole shipping and handling. I literally can not be bothered to do at any shipping centers abroad.
They can arrange it if they are allowed to.
Certain brands don't want to get involved with some personal belongins of their guests
that's unfortunate. Any other tips other than obvious you would like to share, like tips to ingratiate oneself with the staff or the brand? Like if you signed into your account with your hotel, do staff write down what kind of guest you are, or is that reserved for high profile guests?
They might keep records of guests and make notes into a profile so they know in the future who they had deal before, the same you review and such
is it dependent on if its higher than 4-star hotels, what is often noted about guests, do staff note how polite a guest is. I often use the Fairmont brand since I actually have an account with them and book with them. Can't imagine they may have a note about me bringing in an extra "guest" for the night occasionally...
I'm always wondering if my go-to place, a 5 star in Bangkok, has a note saying this guy occasionally brings in a lady of the night.
Maybe, if the front desk people is always the same, they already know who they're dealing with
They do rotate, but when I check in usually I do get recognized. When I bring in a hooker I am discrete about it though, it's not like I bring her to the check-in desk. And it's Bangkok so I'm far from being the only one bringing in the occasional guest.
Why do some receptionist can be a bitch sometimes? Just let me through with my hooker
why does it matter to you. I walk with my hooker straight to the elevator. Who the fuck introduces the hooker at the front desk?
They chase you down sometimes. Who the fuck actually walk straight to the reception if you bringing in 'guest'
If I a cooming and I use a hotel as my base, what is the best way to go about bringing in a whore/whores and not have to register them? I usually just walk straight to the elevator and 90% of the time nobody says anything. However 10% of the time they request they register at the reception and this interferes with the cooming.
Check if the hotel offers the same price for 1 and 2 ppl, you can exploit that to your liking
I use to work at a hotel in F&B, it fucking sucked. Fuck that.
I really liked it. The working hours were fucked but at least you got free food and met interesting people
yeah reception fag here as well...
crazy stories are mostly about hobos sleeping inside the lobby chair and leaving a stank for a solid week ... make sure to kick them out before they get comfy btw had a guy drunk as fuck just piss inside the lobby one time full dick mushroom tip just pissing on the fucking floor at 3 am ...
mostly reception has it easy compared to other tasks on the property if we disregard the shitshow of whores and drunkards ... mostly people come to complain about various things or to make small talk and get some info of the area or taxi transfers and all other little things so it is a chill job if you are night shifts as a fellow owl myself i recommend the experience at least for a few months.
Pro tip call reception directly instead through booking for 1 night and ask to get more nights after eating breakfast and if you gonna book through booking anyway make sure its like half a year before you get there so that you have the cheapest price possible
tl;dr
>hobo stench / guy pissing in lobby/ tip for reservations
>mostly reception has it easy compared to other tasks on the property if we disregard the shitshow of whores and drunkard
drunkards I can get, but what makes it a shitshow with whores, i doubt that guest paying serious money would treat the hotel like a motel.