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Working at a hotel near an airport already means dealing with steady traffic and long-term guests, but one front desk employee has been navigating something no training manual really prepares you for.

Since a family checked in for a long-term stay months ago, their kids had taken over the lobby daily for up to an hour and a half at a stretch, even approaching random strangers to use their cards on the vending machine.

Things escalated further once the kids figured out which room he stayed in as part of his on-call arrangement, repeatedly knocking on his door during business hours while he was actively working the front desk.

So when speaking to the parents didn’t help, the employee was forced to lose his temper on the job. Now he’s questioning if he took things too far.

Keep reading for the full story.

The Hotel Lobby is not a daycare

Normal days here at the front desk of the hotel I work at are pretty busy, especially considering we are located by the airport. Needless to say, the business here is steady, and on the weekends it’s worse.

There’s a certain type of guest this employee dreads the most — and for good reason.

We deal with long term stays here, and most guests understand that, and with the long term stays it happens that some of them have kids, that’s not the issue.

The issue that I have been tending to have is that some adults that stay here do not supervise their kids whatsoever. I have a pretty sweet gig where I stay, I get a room because I have to be on call at night, and that’s a huge deal for me because I love where I work.

He describes a particularly tough night on the job.

Recently had a returning long term guest check in a few months back at this point, and every single day without fail their kids get them and their friends to stay in my lobby for upwards of an hour to an hour and a half straight being nosy, asking people if they can use their card on a vending machine and give them cash in return, as our machines only take card.

Mind you, these kids are not asking people they know, just random people in general.

That wasn’t all.

On top of it all, the kids have figured out the room I’m staying in and constantly knock on my door during business hours while someone is actively at the front desk. I have spoken to their mom about the issue and they don’t do it anymore, but the issue I’m seeming to have is that they think the lobby is a daycare.

One day, he finally lost his patience.

So finally today I snapped after they wanted to go back and forth with me about them staying in the lobby, telling me I’m not their mom, I can’t tell them what to do, etc.

Well, finally I snapped and told them they either need to go outside or go back to their room, my lobby is not a daycare, and if they want to keep acting up I’ll call both their mom and their grandmother.

Now he’s wondering if he took things too far.

Not only does the things they do annoy me, it drives away business, and I have brought it up to management’s attention.

So I guess while I’m here, has anyone else encountered this issue in their place of business? How did you handle it? Am I an AH for snapping at the kids? Any and all tips on this would also be appreciated.

It’s part of his job to maintain order in the lobby, and that’s exactly what he did.

What did Reddit think?

This commenter in a similar line of work deals with the exact same issue.

Maybe it’s time to give up the fight.

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This user argues that childcare is totally not part of the job description.

Teenagers can pose just as big of a problem.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a man who gets revenge on his company after they fire him and try to steal his custom program.

Watching unsupervised kids solicit strangers for cash exchanges every single day for months is the kind of problem that really needs a quick solution. And if losing your temper gets you results, then so be it.

These families have already gotten more patience than they deserved at this point, so it’s only right to set a boundary that should have been clear from the start.

Hotel receptionists are responsible for many things, but watching someone else’s unruly kids shouldn’t be one of them.

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Author

Benjamin Cottrell

Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.