Gentle Reader, I work with the General Public. I work in the hospitality industry.
I know. It's my cross to bear - this is my witness.
Dear G-d, are people so very clueless. People wander around in a fog, and need to be hand held to do the smallest things. No attention span.
The Public is fickle, it is petulant. It wants what it wants, when it wants it.
Take for example, an interaction I had with a guest who wanted to secure some lodging. They wanted it for one night, but wanted to checkout EXTREMELY late the following day.
When I told him that we could accommodate that, he would just need to pay the full amount for the following nights rental, he went a bit ballistic.
Didn't matter to him that we couldn't turn the room for the following night, didn't matter that our housekeepers are very hard working, but only work until 4pm. By the sound of his voice over the phone, I would estimate him to be in his late 50's or early 60's.
This man, older than I, threw a tantrum over the phone.
When he had calmed down a bit, I said he was welcome to check out our competitors in the area, but they all have similar late checkout policies (as does EVERY lodging institution on the planet - from the ultra-swank to the No-Tell Motel).
I, as proud member of the hospitality industry, am very serious about you getting what you pay for.
Operative term: Pay. My superiors get very cross when something happens and there is no money to cover it. As with most lodging options in the developed world you get the use of a unit from the check-in time to the checkout time. Early check-in and late check-out are never guaranteed. It is the staff doing you a favor. If we say no, 99 times out of a hundred it is not us being mean. We do reserve that 1% if you've been an entitled, clueless prick. We're only human, after all.
My advice to every person in the developed world: Ignorance is now less of an excuse for anything than it ever has been, in the history of man. Most all of us carry around more computational capacity in our hip pockets than generations before even dreamed of (including us). You have access to the sum total of human knowledge. People whose job it is to assist you are always happier when you've made even the slightest effort of research. We also tend to be much quicker to lend a hand or help out.
You're the one who has spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars to take a vacation. The term, "couldn't find a map" don't cut it when you then get a text on your thousand dollar internet enabled supercomputer in your pocket. Help us help you. We tend to be friendlier, and not pity you quite so much.
He wanted something for free. My job is to help you have a place so that you can have a good time, while separating you from as much of your money as possible. That is what I am paid to do. Sorry (not sorry).
Lodging staff is a dying breed, thanks to advances in technology and the AirBnB. I personally prefer it to traditional hotels. Our employers know it, we know it. We're not even asking for special treatment - just have a bit of a clue, maybe just for laughs have an idea of what you're paying for. Ask questions if you have to after looking up the place you're going on the internet. Most of us can internally roll our eyes at you, but most of us will give you a friendly answer.
If you come across a tiny resort convenience store miles away from the closest town, don't get pissed at the schlep behind the cash register when you don't have the very specific item you want. You might be the first person who's ever asked for it.
I miss the days when people treated strangers and service industry employees with at least a modicum of respect. I still do, and try to instill it into my children.
Anyway. End of message
Crazed American, out.
