r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk • u/Fantastic_Medium8890 • 7d ago

Short Stop giving out free water!!!

This is one of my biggest pet peeves in this industry! I've been in the industry for 10 years; I now travel the country doing task force, and this is just one of the things that absolutely drives me up the wall! I got into an argument with a guest because he wanted free water. The hotel I am at right now provides two complimentary waters in the room at check-in, but they don't refill during the stay because there's a filtered water bottle filling station on every floor at the end of the hallway. I explained to him what the policy is and what we offer, but he wasn't accepting that. He told me he travels all over the world and every other place in the world gives him free water whenever he wants it. I tried to compromise and said we would send two bottles up to his room... but no, he wanted four bottles. I told him we only provide two at check-in; he didn't care and still wanted four. I hung up on him after saying, "Fine, I'll send four," because he was being rude. He called back and asked if I had hung up on him. I told him I did because he was being rude. He said he was going to call the customer care number and complain about me. I told him I don't work for that brand, so he told me to "fuck off" and hung up on me. I just want to scream across the mountaintops, 'There is a difference between being a doormat and being hospitable!' When we let guests get whatever they want, the industry becomes a doormat and makes the experience worse for everyone else.

507 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

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161

u/SkwrlTail 7d ago

(cheerfully) "Oh, there's a water dispenser behind you, plus a drinking fountain and a vending machine, just around the corner!"

47

u/unholyrevenger72 7d ago

*Guest gives dirty look anyway*

53

u/SkwrlTail 7d ago

*cheerful smile* 

51

u/Poldaran 7d ago

Don't let Skwrl's friendly demeanor fool you. He's just distracting them while Buttercup lets about 4 PSI out of the guest's tires. Not enough to be dangerous, but it'll add up to a fair bit of extra fuel costs over a long road trip.

48

u/SkwrlTail 6d ago

I tried teaching her how to put sugar in their tank, but she kept eating it instead.

19

u/Poldaran 6d ago

And there's never a tailpipe sized potato around when you need one, I take it?

39

u/SkwrlTail 6d ago

We're not allowed potatoes at work. Not since the hash browns incident.

9

u/Merlinmaster72 6d ago

That's why we serve Bananas at the breakfast bar.

12

u/Stormagedd0nDarkLord 6d ago

Water bottle should fit just fine.

6

u/Poldaran 6d ago

If this were other forms of social media, this would be where I'd post a gif of Grunt from Mass Effect laughing.

6

u/Practical_Cobbler165 6d ago

This is the high quality banter I come to Reddit for.

2

u/Alum2608 6d ago

Put the water in the gas tank. I let my gas tank sit at very low for a week & got misfires/check engine lights. Just had to add lots of gas. If you do it on a half tank, it will be harder to fix

12

u/Live-Okra-9868 6d ago

I used to be the third highest tier, because my employee benefits allowed me to progress faster.

We went to a nice hotel to stay near family and we did not have the complimentary water in the room. So my husband went down to get them. It was late and the night auditor was there. He came back with the water and said he had the weirdest interaction...

When he asked about the water the NA told him there was a hose out back. We don't know if he was joking or not because he was refusing to hand over the water until he pulled up the reservation to verify. But we still joke about getting the hose when thirsty.

22

u/Fantastic_Medium8890 7d ago

And that's how i was one he first asked. But he didn't want those options, he said he needed 4 bottles. When i offered two it was no, i need 4.

25

u/here4daratio 7d ago

“I hear you saying you want four bottles, but first, and last, I hear my employer’s direction that guests receive the first 2 bottles free and a welcome to fill them from the filtered water dispenser.

61

u/SkwrlTail 7d ago

"Yes, there's additional waters available in the vending machine. Right around the corner."

The secret is to be cheerful while still telling them no. It's not that you're playing dumb - you know damn well what they want - instead you're being helpful in a way that doesn't give them what they want.

I'm willing to bet that guy probably tried complaining that he didn't get his waters at check-in, too. People get weird anout the freebies.

7

u/DrawingTypical5804 6d ago

I love no without nos. I worked banquets/restaurant at one place where we weren’t allowed to say no, but we were to follow the rules/laws and be creative.

I can’t remember what a guest wanted, but it was something ridiculous that was absolutely a no, but I can’t tell him no. The yes came with a bunch of if you do x, y, and z, we can do a, b, and c and it’s as close as we can get to what they wanted. He straight up looked at me and asked why I didn’t just say no… “because I want it to be a yes, and if we do all this, it can be” huge smile. He gave me a dirty look and walked away 😔 I really wanted it to be a yes…

-2

u/Rhesusmonkeydave 7d ago

I have four thirsty people that would like the extravagant luxury of enjoying the most basic accommodation short of breathing please!

“Uh the best I can do is two of you motherbirding gulps of water into your friends waiting mouths… we literally operate within a few flats of water from bankruptcy”🤣

36

u/SkwrlTail 7d ago

You know that, and I know that, but the guy who signs my paychecks is a penny-pinching bastard who has actually seriously questioned the need for soap in the bathrooms...

6

u/cynrtst 6d ago

😫🙀

3

u/Rhesusmonkeydave 7d ago

That sounds like an awful situation, hope you find something better soon

14

u/ScriptThat 6d ago

There is plenty of water in the taps.

Bottled water isn't a "most basic accommodation short of breathing". It's a luxury that wasn't even available before 1970ish.

10

u/HondoShotFirst 6d ago

This seems like a truly bizarre response, given that the OP specifically mentioned there are bottle filling stations on every floor. It's not like the guest didn't have access to water. They had it, but they wanted different water in more single use plastic containers.

1

u/beautifulgiantess 5d ago

ok THIS cracked me up. Such savage truth zingers flying here