During the summer between my freshman and sophomore years in college, I found myself living above a barbecue joint on the Intracoastal Waterway with three close friends. We spent our days indulging in drinks and working at the most upscale hotel in a well-known vacation destination. As a cash-strapped student, I truly appreciated the opportunity.
However, working at such a high-end resort was not without its challenges. Guests, often arriving from distant Midwestern states or Canada, anticipated nothing short of perfection after spending considerable time and money to enjoy our beaches and attractions. While not every visitor was demanding, a significant number felt entitled to whatever they desired simply because they were staying at a fancy resort.
I held positions in both reservations and at the front desk. The reservations role was particularly grueling. During peak travel times like Memorial Day or the Fourth of July, guests would call expecting available rooms, only to find none that suited their preferences. As they yelled in frustration, I would remain polite, explaining that I had no power to change the situation. Resort policies forbade me from hanging up, even as tempers flared.
Then there were the guests who would arrive sans reservations, claiming they had booked a room, and throw tantrums when reality didn’t match their expectations. A word of advice: don’t be like them.
One of my friends, let’s call her Sarah, was the granddaughter of the hotel owner, who resided in the penthouse suite. One day, a woman called, insisting on booking this exclusive room. Despite Sarah’s calm explanation that it was occupied, the caller continued to demand access, completely oblivious to the absurdity of her request.
We also dealt with schemers, those guests who would fabricate stories to snag discounts. While many requests for military or teacher discounts were legitimate, some people would go to extreme lengths. I vividly recall a particularly obnoxious guest who we ended up paying to leave after her outrageous complaints about nonexistent pests in her room.
As a resort known for its vibrant nightlife, we often had to manage drunk guests who started their day with drinks at breakfast. One morning, chaos ensued when someone had to be removed from the pool area after a disturbance, and we had to shut down the lazy river due to some rather unsanitary incidents. This led to a flood of complaints about our decision to prioritize guest safety over the “fun” of swimming in contaminated waters.
We encountered guests who’d climb between balconies, feed birds despite our warnings, and even drop heads of lettuce into toilets, demanding compensation for their bizarre actions. This taught us that, as our head maid put it, “vegetables in toilets always go to maintenance.”
But sweet revenge was ours when we had the chance. If a guest upset us, we would assign them a room with a so-called “ocean view,” strategically obscured by an enormous statue. We would chuckle to ourselves, knowing the technicality of their booking would prevent any refunds.
Guests often treated staff poorly, pestering us about minor details of their stay. From complaining about pool furniture to demanding weather reports while lounging on their oceanfront balconies, it was clear that many were seeking an unattainable level of perfection.
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In summary, my experience working at a luxury resort hotel was filled with unforgettable challenges and lessons about the expectations of vacationers. It served as a reminder that while guests may seek the ideal getaway, the realities of hospitality often differ significantly from their fantasies.
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