So, as you might know... IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON!! Normally, this is the time of year that makes me rejoice because it means I can trash talk a certain college team that will remain unnamed, I get to play Fantasy Football, a new season of The League is on and most importantly, my weekends are dedicated to being THAT fan and drinking more beer than usual and not being judged for it! The only downside to football season is that I work in a college town that happens to have a big football following. While I am all for the tailgating and the running around half naked covered in body paint, I am not all for the crazy guests that end up at our hotel. This season has been fairly tame compared to years past, but a few games ago I realized that ladies are no longer ladies when the ole pigskin gets broken out. First, let me explain our hotel's policy for special events (ie football, graduation, etc.). Every guest is mailed a contract and a confirmation. Upon receiving said documents, you need to review, sign and send them back. If they aren't returned by a specific date, your reservation is cancelled. Believe me... it sounds pretty easy to understand but you would be surprised at how many people show up thinking they have reservations when they don't. And that's exactly what happened a few weeks ago. I worked all morning and was hoping to get out of the hotel around 7pm so I could go enjoy a dinner and some drinks with my significant other (unlikely on a football weekend, but we all know I like to dream). As I was closing my shift and the evening manager arrived, I could hear a front desk clerk having some trouble with a guest that had just walked in. Hoping to be out of sight before the problem could reach me, I started moving quickly... NOT FAST ENOUGH, FOLKS!
Desk Clerk: This lady says she has reservations here with us tonight, but it looks like they were cancelled because the contract was never received and a valid form of payment wasn't on file.
I walk out front to explain to this "lady" that she did not have reservations with us and tried to tell her why. BAD.IDEA. Before I could even finish the sentence, she starts letting the cuss words fly!
Crazy: "THIS IS ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT!! I WANT TO SPEAK WITH YOUR BOSS."
Me: "Ma'am, I do apologize, but if you'll just calm down I'm sure we can figure something out. I'd be happy to call around and try to find you a room."
Unfortunately, the conversation went like that for another minute or so until I walked around the desk in the hopes that I could pull her away from other guests checking in. However, she was prepared. She started telling me that she was "GOING TO GET LOUD" and "CAUSE A FUCKING SCENE" if I didn't get her a room at our property because she did not want to get back in her car after driving for 6 hours. I told her that was pretty much IMPOSSIBLE because everyone that had rooms with us were competent and knew to send their contracts back, SIGNED. Obviously, I didn't say it like that but you get the gist and so did she. At which point she threatened to SLAP ME. She actually threatened me with physical violence. I kept stepping back, while she kept stepping forward. It made for a really awkward and uncomfortable scene in our lobby. Finally, her husband (who look MORTIFIED the whole time this was happening) got in between us and told her she needed to calm down and was "acting like a wild animal." Thank God!! Because now her sights were set on this poor man that opted to marry her... who the hell knows why!
While she was busy ripping her husband's heart out and stomping on it in our lobby, I called around and found a hotel room. I even offered to pay for it just to get her to calm down. Still wasn't good enough. You tell me, folks.... If you are being offered a FREE hotel room (valued at $269 a night + tax) versus paying for one, which option do you take?? In the end, her husband's logic and physical strength won out as he dragged her out the door with the directions I printed for him. The whole time she was telling me she'd never stay with us again and that I was lucky because if her husband wasn't there, she would have already ripped my face off. GOD BLESS THAT MAN!!
Anyway... I made it dinner around 9pm.
....She called 1 week later to apologize to me. And to book a room. I lied and told her we were sold out.
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