'That sounds like a you problem...': Hotel Cancels Guest’s Reservation After They Don’t Confirm Booking, Guest Demands to Be Checked In Anyway

Author image for Sienna Varady
Sienna Varady
Apr 17, 2024 5:00 PM EDT

Working in the hospitality industry can be challenging. There are a lot of factors to take into account, in addition to the long hours, entitled guests, and constant barrage of unreasonable requests.

The story that follows is an account of a frustrated front desk clerk. A woman approached the Original Poster (OP) while she was working the night shift. She stormed into the hotel and insisted on being checked in right away. But not long after she arrived, OP recognized that the woman in front of him was the same guest he had been trying to get in touch with to get the reservation confirmed for the past couple of days. But because she kept ignoring their calls and making it unclear whether or not she would make it, the hotel was forced to cancel her reservation.

It's reasonable to assume that things quickly got out of hand after that. So, check out the story below to learn more about what happened and whether OP gave in to the demanding requests of the entitled guest! Also, don't forget to read this story, where employees at fast-food restaurants recount their most hilarious moments at work!

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  • 01
    "Get out!" RESERVED
    via canva
  • 02
    "You canceled my reservation bc I got a cheap rate and you wanted to make more money!!!"
    via u/-viasteph
  • 03
    Hi. Night auditor here. We're currently sold out due to a big football game in my area. The whole area is sold out. This woman made a reservation online. Somehow, it comes through without a card. number. No payment method at all. Manager tried reaching out to her multiple times. Unfortunately, the phone number on file is not in service. None of the calls would go through. We kept her reservation until ~9
    via u/-viasteph
  • 04
    pm. When she never showed, we canceled and her room was sold. Well, here she comes at 2:45. I explain to her the situation. No card, we tried calling, etc. Of course she INSISTS "my phone is perfectly fine, I never got any calls!" and "well you need to find a room to put me in!" (like I can pull a room out of my a on a sold out Friday night, sure). Tells me she won't leave and is going to sleep in the lobby, etc. All of
    via u/-viasteph
  • 05
    this is happening while she is allowing her dog to free roam the hotel. ...then accuses us of canceling her reservation bc her rate was cheap and we wanted to sell her room for more money. WHAT. Ma'am, do you hear yourself? That's insane. I understand the situation is frustrating for anyone, but I'm sorry, maybe you should at the very least put a working phone number on
    via u/-viasteph
  • 06
    file? She played herself here. We could have handled this situation hourssss ago if we could have been able to get in touch with her. I did call a couple places for her, and of course there were no vacancies. Bc, y'know, football game weekend. She kept trying to argue with me. I had to eventually tell her I wasn't going to tolerate her arguing any longer and she needed to leave. She took a business card and walked out.
    via u/-viasteph
  • 07
    I swear I do enjoy my job, but nights like this make me loathe human beings. F ingh I. ETA: I saw a comment about how I could have done more to help her. What could I have done? Everything within a 30+ mile radius is booked, and I'm not going out of my way to call hotel after hotel after hotel for a woman who is yelling at and flagrantly disrespecting me. I don't have empathy for people who a se service workers over their own idiotic mistakes.
    via u/-viasteph
  • 08
    bravefacedude I was hoping you called the phone number when she was standing in front of you.
    via u/bravefacedude
  • 09
    KakaReti This reminds of an incident couple years back. I arrive for my audit; see some arrivals but none open. Cc declined for one of the arrivals. I call them to update card information or the reservation will be cancelled. Person on the phone gives me go ahead to cancel. Well the room was sold within half hour.
    via u/KakaReti
  • 10
    Cue 3 am; and couple shows up. They claim they have a reservation; which is weird since no vacancy. Ask for ID; pull up and inform them that reservation is cancelled as per their request, and they're not having it.
    via u/KakaReti
  • 11
    "We booked through 3rd party so you must keep our reservation. It doesn't matter if card gets approved or not; we wanted to pay in cash." After reminding about the call; I was done with their c p, told them to leave property or I'm calling cops.
    via u/KakaReti
  • 12
    vanessa8172 Why would they think it would still be there if they cancelled? People are crazy
    via u/vanessa8172
  • 13
    [deleted] "YOU SOLD MY ROOM TO MAKE MORE MONEY!?" You know, as crazy as that sounds on it's own, after reading enough of these stories I'm starting to form a theory. You know those stories where the guest comes in to a full house and
    via u/[deleted]
  • 14
    starts asking if there are any rooms available. You know the type: "I'm sorry ma'am, we have no rooms." "Are you sure?" "Yes ma'am." "But we came such a long way." "Still full." "But I'm a sparkle member" "No rooms" "Well what if I paid extra?" "Still no rooms!"
    via u/[deleted]
  • 15
    I feel this may be due to a self- centered mentality where they honestly believe the hotel will kick out another paying guest if they can negotiate juuuust right. "No, you see, I'm a better guest than whoever is currently in the room, so it's alright to throw them into the streets."
    via u/[deleted]
  • 16
    The idea of vastly inconveniencing someone for their own gain does not even register to them as a bad thing. Thus, when they are on the receiving end they cannot comprehend a neutral reason for them being left out. Instead, it's more natural for them to believe that everyone in the world, from
    via u/[deleted]
  • 17
    the hotel employees to the other guests are exactly as horrible as they are. "I know you sold my room to another person who offered you more money because it is EXACTLY what I would do in that situation!"
    via u/[deleted]
  • 18
    SkwrlTail Okay, see here is the problem. You treated her as your customer. She's not. She is the third party company's customer, and she is their problem.
    via u/SkwrlTail
  • 19
    "Sorry ma'am, but the company sent us an invalid reservation. You'll have to call them and talk to them about why they didn't give us the information needed to hold a room for you."
    via u/SkwrlTail
  • 20
    You will probably get a 'mutual guest' call, of course. Explain that their people pushed a reservation with invalid data through on a sold- out night. You now have their customer very upset in your lobby and that they need to fix it. Third party makes mistake? Third party gets to fix it.
    via u/SkwrlTail
  • 21
    JenniferG714 I live in a huge college football town. I get these crazies. My guess is she knew what she was doing and was hoping she could bully you into a room. Our town sells out years in advance.
    via u/JenniferG714
  • 22
    [deleted] I would have tried calling her phone tight in front of her. Just to prove the point.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 23
    cometview That seems good but we know that would be the time that it DOES go through.
    via u/cometview
  • 24
    Live-Okra-9868 This is why I always state when making reservations that their room is guaranteed until midnight the day of their arrival. Even if they have a card in file the day technically ends at midnight. If they are arriving after midnight it is
    via u/Live-Okra-9868
  • 25
    their responsibility to let the hotel know this so they don't lose their room. It is also their responsibility to make sure the information on their reservation is correct. Including their phone number. If I am overbooked or have several people calling for a room and it's after 6pm and there's a reservation
    via u/Live-Okra-9868
  • 26
    with no credit card or a declining one and I can't reach the person? yes I am selling their room to someone else. Their room is now classified as non-guaranteed.
    via u/Live-Okra-9868
  • 27
    FiveinOne7200 No credit card guarantee, no room. Can't hold a room for someone that may or may not show up and lose the revenue
    via u/FiveinOne7200
  • 28
    -viasteph OP Exactly. It's a simple concept that multiple people in this comment section cannot grasp.
    via u/-viasteph

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customer service hotel karen entitled entitlement Reddit vacation work work stories entitled people entitled customers workplace-stories karen customer tales from the front desk
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