Working with difficult hotel guests requires patience, professionalism, and a genuine effort to understand their concerns. Though, depending on the approach of the customer, keeping composure can be much easier said than done.

How would you handle a ranting a raving difficult customer? One person recently shared a wild example from their own job with Reddit. Here’s what happened.

If your throat is closing up, you can’t be ranting about it

My hotel just underwent a round of staff training that included “making guests feel heard,” only to then have the experience of observing a grown woman ‘cry’ that she’s “basically going through anaphylaxis right now.”

The reason behind her alleged medical emergency was the “intense amount of fragrances” used around the hotel.

Some people are sensitive to that, but yeesh.

But here’s the kicker, folks.

If someone is experiencing anaphylaxis, they can’t tell you…because they’d be on the cusp of passing out.

They surely wouldn’t be droning on about what the perceived cause is, because, again, the throat should actively be closing.

Most sensible people know this.

So, this woman who should have been gasping for air was instead holding court with my manager for almost ten minutes, as she went on about how the hotel “was the most fragrance-laden place I’ve ever stayed in”.

She demanded to know ‘why’ and even asked my manager: “Do you even know what’s in this stuff? You should at least be curious”.

That manager has other things on his plate.

He continued to hear her out as she verbally unrolled a scroll, detailing all the negative health effects of the various fragrances.

Was this woman at least wearing a mask or deploying any other means of mitigating her apparent unique needs? No.

Not shocking.

Instead, she made sure to mention that she can “smell things that other people can’t,” and that’s why we should listen to her.

She then insisted that “other people are complaining about headaches, and I’ve had one since I came here last night”.

My manager said he felt sorry that she was having pains but did mention: “However, it is true that we’re also at the height of allergy season right now”.

He may be right, but that couldn’t have gone over well.

She snapped back: “But both these things can be true!”

Spoiler alert: absolutely no one else but her mentioned anything of the sort to us.

She also went on to mention how another brand is apparently being sued for their use of fragrances, and “That should give us something to think about”.

That’s hardly going to be the takeaway from this interaction.

My manager intently heard her out, and every moment that passed I was happy I wasn’t the one actively dealing with it.

But, before she finally shuffled on out, she did feel the need to mention to him: “I just want you to know I’m NOT crazy”.

A point that he made sure to respond to with “Ma’am, I never said you were”.

Whatever this manager is making, it’s not enough.

She never got loud, but she sure never got off her soap box either.

Regardless, the fact of the matter is…don’t tell us you’re in the process of dying if you know you’re not.

This is why I continue to roll my eyes at the thought that some people “just want to be heard”.

After that story? Understandable.

They want an audience.

They want attention.

And for what?

That sounds like an unfortunately fair assessment. Let’s see what the Reddit comments chimed in with.

The comments immediately read this woman for filth.

Others expressed their own anger at the situation.

One person encouraged escalating the matter.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a man who is shocked to learn how little he has to do to keep his cushy remote job.

Another took the time to vent.

But one person dropped some knowledge.

Something smells rotten, but it’s not the hotel…