Hotel Employee Tries To Be Friendly With Guests, But Gets Fed Up When They Start Expecting Discounts, Special Treatment And Personal Favors
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There’s a difference between being friendly and actually being friends. Unfortunately, some hotel guests apparently missed that distinction entirely.
One hospitality worker is venting about the uncomfortable situations that arise when customers mistake professional courtesy for a personal connection.
As a front desk employee, being welcoming and making conversation comes with the territory. Whether that means chatting about someone’s vacation or bonding over a shared interest, it’s all part of providing good service.
But according to this employee, those seemingly harmless interactions have occasionally created some rather unreasonable expectations.
Guests have reportedly asked for employee discounts, special room rates and reservation extensions that simply weren’t available.
Others have attempted to skip lines, requested personal favors or even made romantic advances.
And when the employee refuses, some act genuinely offended, as though a friendly conversation somehow entitled them to special privileges.
Now, after one particularly ridiculous early check-in request, the worker is reminding everyone that hospitality has its limits.
We are not friends….
Working in hospitality, you HAVE to have that happy personality. The one you fake with guests trying to be interested in their career, or why they are here on vacation when all you really want to do is get them checked in and up to their room so you can get on with your tasks or next guest.
Thing is if youre too friendly, the guest starts being friendlier. And thinking that because you listened to their inane story or helped them with groceries, theres a bond of friendliness now. Thats NOT how that works.
Ive had guests ask me to extend their reservation on sold out nights when told no by other staff because we ARE sold out. When I tell them the same thing they take it as Ive stabbed their firstborn with a pencil.
HA.
Or the favorite of all FDA’s is the hyped up FAF discount. Asking me to give them my discount because we had a mutual conversation about One Punch Man or how drivers are getting worse. I dont even give my real friends my discount, so Im definitely not giving it to you!
Ive had guests cut in line to ask me a question cuz they thought we were friends or aquaintances. I tell them back of the line and they looked shocked I would treat my “friends” this way.
Ive had some ask me to discount their rate for them, and Ive told them straight up, “Do you have 65K available? Cuz thats how much you will need to give me because I WILL get fired for doing that and you will have to pay me for that.” That usually shuts them up and keeps them from harassing me for stuff again.
Thank goodness.
Ive even had a few guests ask me out. And these guests were old women, like 60’s 70s. Im in my 40’s btw. But still its unprofessional, in my opinion, to go on a date with any guest even if they are around your age, let alone some older 20+ yrs asking you to her room.
THATS how you get in trouble for sure. But I digress…. Guests asking you for favors that have anything to do with you breaking policy at the property arent your friends in the first place for one asking for those kind of things and 2, not even knowing them really.
There are a few things I will do for guests who are recurring guests. I wont check their ID. I will have them show me their Credit Card and insert their card. But seeing as I know who they are I dont check for ID.
That’s fair.
Another situation that has happened with me was a guest tried checking in early, like 5am early, for a room. I was sold out the night before, but had a check out after my audit was ran.
I told her that I was sold out and even jokingly said “Ive only had one check out.”
She took that to mean theres a room available and asked me to clean it. And SHE MEANT IT.
Come on now.
I told her no Im not gonna clean a room for her to check in 10 hours early! And that she could try again around noon.
When we would have a better idea about availability. But did she think Id go above and beyond for her on this cuz we’re aquaintances?
But yeah. Guests arent are friends, they are people that want to manipulate us for their gain and they dont give 2 sh*ts if we get fired just so they can save $20!
The employee makes a reasonable point: being friendly with customers doesn’t obligate someone to bend workplace policies or risk their job.
Guests shouldn’t expect discounted rooms, employee benefits or preferential treatment simply because they’ve enjoyed a pleasant conversation with the person behind the desk.
And asking an employee to personally clean a hotel room for an exceptionally early check-in is certainly an unreasonable expectation.
However, the worker’s frustration occasionally veers into unnecessarily broad territory.
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Not every guest who misunderstands a friendly interaction is deliberately trying to manipulate someone. Some may simply be asking questions without realizing what’s involved or what the employee is authorized to do.
There’s also a slight contradiction in the employee’s willingness to skip identification checks for familiar guests while criticizing others for expecting exceptions. Depending on hotel policy, that could create its own problems.
Still, the central complaint stands. Customer service requires courtesy, not unlimited accommodation, and employees deserve to have their professional boundaries respected.
Being welcoming shouldn’t mean becoming everyone’s personal concierge.
This person offers her perspective on being a guest.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an employee who isn’t happy with the company’s new time tracking rules, so decides to find a way around them.
This person agrees.
And this person sees another side to it.
The hotel offers friendly service, but some guests apparently think that comes with a friends-and-family discount.
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