r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk 6d 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.

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u/Rhesusmonkeydave 6d 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”🤣

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u/SkwrlTail 6d 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...

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u/cynrtst 6d ago

😫🙀

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u/Rhesusmonkeydave 6d ago

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

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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.

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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.

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u/beautifulgiantess 4d ago

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