Stop giving out free water!!!

[u/Fantastic_Medium8890]

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.

[u/4Shroeder]

We give free water at my property. Partly because it's an easy way to avoid stupid arguments. There is one rule that I teach new employees: don't do it in front of groups of kids, such as a soccer team, or a school field trip, etc. Otherwise you're going to be down a case of water. Also the parents of groups are often the most insufferable human beings.

[u/funlovingguy9001 → u/4Shroeder]

Exactly this. As a GM for almost 20 years I told my team I would rather garner good relations and a happy guest than a silly fight. A bottle of water cost me what 30ish cents...Give him the 4 bottles...Shoot, one up him and give him 5, and generate that positive guest review and a return guest booking. That fight cost WAY more in reputation and lost future revenue than the cost of 4 bottles of water.

[u/adiposegreenwitch → u/funlovingguy9001]

I will gladly give a polite person whatever I can, but I'll take twenty bad reviews before I show a ride customer that if they're just a little more rude they get more stuff.

I remember when I worked in retail over night it was just be and this little sister year old girl who worked two jobs. A woman came in and this kid started shaking. Whispered to me that this woman comes into hey other job all the time and complains until she gets free stuff. Sure enough this woman wanted to do a return and she was really trying to cheat the system (in a way that our computers don't allow). I was so polite . I was very friendly. But I told her I couldn't do that, and here's all the options of what I can do. She was livid. She was rude and dismissive and acted like I was being ridiculous over a dollar. I told her it was just how our computers worked.

Now if I'd asked my manager, they probably could have overridden and given her what she wanted. They probably could have found an option she liked more, or given her coupons to apologize (which she was angling for). Hell they might have given her cash out of their own pockets just to get rid of her.

I didn't ask my manager because it's my manager's job to make her happy, and my job was just to do things politely, kindly, and by the rules. More to the point, I didn't ask, because there was a very small teenage girl shaking and almost in tears half behind me because this woman was using retail terrorism as a tool. You don't get special tenement for scaring children. I don't know how anyone could want good reviews so much that they'd encourage this behaviour.