This is really bothering me so hopefully getting things off my chest will make things right in the world...that is until everyone affirms that my customer service mojo is just all kinds of wrong. That happens, there may be tears.
My dislike of 3rd party bookings is probably well documented. Really, they're horrible. Lately a lot of them have been coming in via fax without actually being in the system. How the heck does that happen??? It's not that I mind manually putting them in, but crikey - it's going to cause a huge issue some day, that's all. And really, that's neither here nor there in regards to this problem guest. Beyond the fact that yes, 3rd party. Now, there was an issue where the housekeeper missed that they had taken down their DND and so their room never got cleaned - clerk on duty scrambled and made a quick pick up job of it which made them happy.
Apparently not. Actually - at check out, the gentleman who came to the desk was amiable enough about it all - he thanked us for taking care of the room, I apologized and we were good. Went on my merry way - no huge issues which makes for a very good day! And then this harpy of woman comes up - nothing was right...the lobby toilet wouldn't flush, it rained, oh wah-wah-wah....I honestly think this woman was gunning for a freebie. So she throws down this "we won't be staying here again" gauntlet. Not only are my hands tied, but since you don't want to stay here again, I can't really offer a discount of any sort for a next stay - not that she wanted it. She wanted to stay for free. So...good riddance. There really wasn't a point in explaining 3rd parties to her cause, really, she wouldn't care.
Still...it bothers me to the pit of gut.
This afternoon's been pretty quiet so far but I got a call that makes me think it's me sometimes. Reservation wanted, best deals and all that great stuff. I work out a discounted rate and the caller's a freaking travel agent...if you can get better deals as a professional, go for it. Why harass me about it? She was a bit difficult to understand too - I'd say either drunk or on something. Really leaning towards her being on something. Not a great time to go around reserving rooms.
She could have saved us both a lot of trouble by saying she had a set rate with us. Though now that I've talked with her, I'm going to find out why. She doesn't stay with us a lot and really comes off like a nasty person. We have enough of those here paying better rates!
Ugh...there goes my gut again. Please be kind!
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Just Freaking Snapped
I'm a bit of a mixed bag right now and hopefully the memory is a touch fuzzy now that I'm home and properly medicated with a cup of froyo. Is there such a thing as medicinal froyo - raspberry tart on top of NY cheesecake with graham sprinkles, walnuts and coconut, I might add.
Before we got to that point, I really was having a good day - honest! But then I get this call for a guy who wants five rooms, preferring five queens, even though they were for only two people. Not really odd - plenty of couples prefer two beds or a company has two people sharing rooms...that's nothing to raise eyebrows over. There was something about this guy though.... Anyhow - he didn't like my price quotes and said he was going to just go through that famous 3rd party that in the past has featured...a famous face. Ha! Did I give myself away?
Anyhow, that gut feeling went through the charts - he was going to say rooms for two people, get put in king rooms and then expect us to put him in queens. No biggie? Well yes, there's a difference, even on a 3rd party site, you're paying more for a room with two queen beds than you are for a single king. Even 3rd party rooms show that a king room with a couch is going to be more than a standard king.
So of course, he makes the reservations that way - saying only two people per room and gets put into king rooms. Shows up...not only with adults but a passel of kids. Jerk didn't even count them. Doing that would have put him in his precious two queen rooms...at the two queen room rate.
Ass...he thought he was going to get those room as a free upgrade.
I'm so glad he didn't.
Before we got to that point, I really was having a good day - honest! But then I get this call for a guy who wants five rooms, preferring five queens, even though they were for only two people. Not really odd - plenty of couples prefer two beds or a company has two people sharing rooms...that's nothing to raise eyebrows over. There was something about this guy though.... Anyhow - he didn't like my price quotes and said he was going to just go through that famous 3rd party that in the past has featured...a famous face. Ha! Did I give myself away?
Anyhow, that gut feeling went through the charts - he was going to say rooms for two people, get put in king rooms and then expect us to put him in queens. No biggie? Well yes, there's a difference, even on a 3rd party site, you're paying more for a room with two queen beds than you are for a single king. Even 3rd party rooms show that a king room with a couch is going to be more than a standard king.
So of course, he makes the reservations that way - saying only two people per room and gets put into king rooms. Shows up...not only with adults but a passel of kids. Jerk didn't even count them. Doing that would have put him in his precious two queen rooms...at the two queen room rate.
Ass...he thought he was going to get those room as a free upgrade.
I'm so glad he didn't.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Used to Love Summer...
Sometimes I think moving to Texas really changed my opinion on favourites in regards to seasons. Truth be told, I hate cold, snowy winters and yet, the rest of me doesn't do so great in scorching summers. That being said, winters aren't too bad here and I actually kinda like them...if you discount the fact that another thing I dislike about winter are the short days. Summers....thank god for air conditioning!
It's really not so much the heat that drives my dislike for summer anyhow but the industry in which I work in. Ahh...tourism - the bread and butter of what makes us get to keep on doing what we do around here. Some of the people, though, drive me nuts. When I really take a moment to think about it, I realize we all fall susceptible to the sink hole of negativity. Years ago I worked at another job that was customer oriented and they said that a person is more likely to remember a bad experience and spread it around than they are to do the same to a positive one. How sad is that?
On that note, I'm finding that I feel that way on the other end of the desk - the representative suddenly aware that she's dwelling on the negatives rather than all the positives and even humourously off the wall that happens. Just in the last couple of days there have been cute and smiling kids, regulars with kind words and conversation, tips (booyeah!) and even a stranger who continued with the flattery, even after I'd already come through with a discounted room for the night.
Fears and worries have a way of eating at us inside, I know it does for me in a big way. I'm glad on a cracking busy Sunday morning, I can take a moment to sit back and smile - and to realize the good there is around me.
And that maybe summer isn't all that bad...
It's really not so much the heat that drives my dislike for summer anyhow but the industry in which I work in. Ahh...tourism - the bread and butter of what makes us get to keep on doing what we do around here. Some of the people, though, drive me nuts. When I really take a moment to think about it, I realize we all fall susceptible to the sink hole of negativity. Years ago I worked at another job that was customer oriented and they said that a person is more likely to remember a bad experience and spread it around than they are to do the same to a positive one. How sad is that?
On that note, I'm finding that I feel that way on the other end of the desk - the representative suddenly aware that she's dwelling on the negatives rather than all the positives and even humourously off the wall that happens. Just in the last couple of days there have been cute and smiling kids, regulars with kind words and conversation, tips (booyeah!) and even a stranger who continued with the flattery, even after I'd already come through with a discounted room for the night.
Fears and worries have a way of eating at us inside, I know it does for me in a big way. I'm glad on a cracking busy Sunday morning, I can take a moment to sit back and smile - and to realize the good there is around me.
And that maybe summer isn't all that bad...
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Omg, You Look Like a Corpse!
Is something I never thought I'd ever say at work, unfortunately, it was true. Not that I was being purposefully mean or hurtful, but The Boss put in new bulbs above and in front of the desk. I think he's going for a brighter light and contemporary look but quite frankly, these lights wash us out. They're also very clinical feeling - light wise.
Call me crazy, but I swear they're giving me a headache! My eyes HURT...and twitch...it's very odd. The research I've done says this is normal for the cool white CFL bulbs...so I'm hoping with gentle persuasion and mass revolt, the lights will go back to the nice warm lights they were before. I didn't think it was too dim in here - the softer light was much more welcoming.
Gods help me, I wish I could do this job with my eyes closed...
Call me crazy, but I swear they're giving me a headache! My eyes HURT...and twitch...it's very odd. The research I've done says this is normal for the cool white CFL bulbs...so I'm hoping with gentle persuasion and mass revolt, the lights will go back to the nice warm lights they were before. I didn't think it was too dim in here - the softer light was much more welcoming.
Gods help me, I wish I could do this job with my eyes closed...
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Odd Things That Come to Mind
When reading..... We actually went to the library over the weekend but before I can start on anything I've gotten, well, seriously so since I've been peeking at the crochet book, I've had a book I needed to read. Only cause the Carrot Girl needed me to read it before...May 12th, I think. The day it's due back at school before the close down the library for the summer. Can you believe summer break is almost upon us?
Anyhow...once shared, I realized the book's actually been made to a movie and a website I frequent had a lot of posters that think it's a very twee book. Something like that...I see the beauty and pain in the story and it's one that really touches me. Or so says the pile of tissues I've been going through. Don't ask me why, but it brought some thoughts that, at the time, seemed somewhat profound, typed up, I'm sure they're just the same silly thoughts I usually have. I'm sharing though cause...ha, I can!
It's said that I have a pavlovian response to The Undertaker's entrance. Regardless of what's happening, I go still tot he sound of tolling bells. My head lifts before giving a slight tilt as eyes gleam with the glee that rises from a smile. This may have even happened last night from a dead sleep.
Years and years ago, I grew up enough to realize that I'd never get to marry the first love of my life, Optimus Prime. It would have never worked out with him being a Transformer and me walking that thin line with my strange admiration for Soundwave.
Where does The Undertaker come in all this? I have idea where the notion came that he was, likely is my human Optimus. Now I realize this is just a character in the male soap opera of "sports entertainment"...listen here bitches...wrestling is about as real as crap like American Idol so screw already....
It's something the height, the size they have. The inherent grace one must have to walk along a top rope. My personal thing spats and long coats and dramatic hats. Perhaps I'm simply touched by long embraced forays into macabre imagery. Long ago I lost the point to all this....what I describe is more on a physical plane. I don't know what's on the inside but in my own deluded mind? It's filled with all sorts of good things.
*wry laughs* I grow tired of trying to sort this mess out so I'll leave with a fleeting thought.
I want to take care of people in a most greedy way. Not to be a scapegoat or selfishly used but in hopes of being taken care of in return. To be loved, uniquely so by the ones I care for most.
Anyhow...once shared, I realized the book's actually been made to a movie and a website I frequent had a lot of posters that think it's a very twee book. Something like that...I see the beauty and pain in the story and it's one that really touches me. Or so says the pile of tissues I've been going through. Don't ask me why, but it brought some thoughts that, at the time, seemed somewhat profound, typed up, I'm sure they're just the same silly thoughts I usually have. I'm sharing though cause...ha, I can!
It's said that I have a pavlovian response to The Undertaker's entrance. Regardless of what's happening, I go still tot he sound of tolling bells. My head lifts before giving a slight tilt as eyes gleam with the glee that rises from a smile. This may have even happened last night from a dead sleep.
Years and years ago, I grew up enough to realize that I'd never get to marry the first love of my life, Optimus Prime. It would have never worked out with him being a Transformer and me walking that thin line with my strange admiration for Soundwave.
Where does The Undertaker come in all this? I have idea where the notion came that he was, likely is my human Optimus. Now I realize this is just a character in the male soap opera of "sports entertainment"...listen here bitches...wrestling is about as real as crap like American Idol so screw already....
It's something the height, the size they have. The inherent grace one must have to walk along a top rope. My personal thing spats and long coats and dramatic hats. Perhaps I'm simply touched by long embraced forays into macabre imagery. Long ago I lost the point to all this....what I describe is more on a physical plane. I don't know what's on the inside but in my own deluded mind? It's filled with all sorts of good things.
*wry laughs* I grow tired of trying to sort this mess out so I'll leave with a fleeting thought.
I want to take care of people in a most greedy way. Not to be a scapegoat or selfishly used but in hopes of being taken care of in return. To be loved, uniquely so by the ones I care for most.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
No Mas Fiesta!
This makes me so sad - I wrote notes for this post and totally threw it away! Does anybody else do that? Make notes for a given post, I mean - not actually throw them away.
Yesterday, when I started this entry, I would say we're all still recovering from last week...well, maybe the weekend. For the last three weeks, Fiesta has been going on. I've never actually been but from what I can tell, it's an extended party downtown...must be since it lasts for THREE WEEKS...actually, I think that's a first time thing and years past it's only been two weeks. Which really? That's an awful long time for a street party to last. I know there are parades, notably, the Battle of Flowers which apparently has every school district (except for the girls) either on an early dismissal or out for the entire day. There's also tons of music, a carnival and some sort of...I don't know if it's a clam bake or scallop fest...who knows, a college puts it on. Anyhow - it brings in tons of people.
Last weekend marked the culmination of activities AND there was a regional track meet nearby so as you can imagine, we were hurtling towards a crazy weekend. I'd say by Thursday, we were well on our way. We had fairly gnarly ratio of teens to real people...ok, I kid, I kid - teens are people too...when they're not stampeding the place like a pack of elephants. That's practically the call that came down to the desk that night:
Irate guest with a 4am wake up call: "Excuse me, Miss, did you just check in a herd of wild elephants for room upstairs?"
Local Friendly Front Desk Clerk: "Oh no, Sir, sorry about that - we have a lot of HS track teams staying with us and one of them have just gone up and should be settling for the night. If they continue to be a disturbance, please let me know so I can notify their coaches."
Honestly, they had JUST gone up, so I thought it was fair to give them a moment to disperse to rooms and since I didn't get a call back, I think I was right.
A couple friendly tips and ideas came to mind while working this weekend:
A 3pm Check In does not mean that you must absolutely posolutely be here right at 3pm. I promise, we're not going to be counting noses and taking names and promptly DROPPING your reservation. Can you imagine the hell it would be checking in if we required everyone to be around at the same time? That would be crazy!!! Where do people get this crazy idea??
On that note, though, do pay attention since some hotels WILL drop your reservation if you're not in by 6pm. Personally, I think that's crazy. There is no harm in calling to let a hotel know that you're going to be late coming in. I always make a note if someone does that so any clerks on duty know not to drop them.
If you don't make a reservation directly with a given hotel and want, say...a top floor room, call them up to make sure they know about the request. I know, extra work for a traveler but I've found that these special requests don't always get conveyed to the desk.
Now this is probably repeat from any major event or holiday - if you're going to a major tourist area during these times, plan ahead! Yes, you and everybody else wants to be at Fiesta or Spring Break so don't be surprised if every room is taken up except for some fleabag hotel that has their last room available for the low, low price of $700 for the night. Think I'm kidding? Ha!
Omg...so happy it's over!
Yesterday, when I started this entry, I would say we're all still recovering from last week...well, maybe the weekend. For the last three weeks, Fiesta has been going on. I've never actually been but from what I can tell, it's an extended party downtown...must be since it lasts for THREE WEEKS...actually, I think that's a first time thing and years past it's only been two weeks. Which really? That's an awful long time for a street party to last. I know there are parades, notably, the Battle of Flowers which apparently has every school district (except for the girls) either on an early dismissal or out for the entire day. There's also tons of music, a carnival and some sort of...I don't know if it's a clam bake or scallop fest...who knows, a college puts it on. Anyhow - it brings in tons of people.
Last weekend marked the culmination of activities AND there was a regional track meet nearby so as you can imagine, we were hurtling towards a crazy weekend. I'd say by Thursday, we were well on our way. We had fairly gnarly ratio of teens to real people...ok, I kid, I kid - teens are people too...when they're not stampeding the place like a pack of elephants. That's practically the call that came down to the desk that night:
Irate guest with a 4am wake up call: "Excuse me, Miss, did you just check in a herd of wild elephants for room upstairs?"
Local Friendly Front Desk Clerk: "Oh no, Sir, sorry about that - we have a lot of HS track teams staying with us and one of them have just gone up and should be settling for the night. If they continue to be a disturbance, please let me know so I can notify their coaches."
Honestly, they had JUST gone up, so I thought it was fair to give them a moment to disperse to rooms and since I didn't get a call back, I think I was right.
A couple friendly tips and ideas came to mind while working this weekend:
A 3pm Check In does not mean that you must absolutely posolutely be here right at 3pm. I promise, we're not going to be counting noses and taking names and promptly DROPPING your reservation. Can you imagine the hell it would be checking in if we required everyone to be around at the same time? That would be crazy!!! Where do people get this crazy idea??
On that note, though, do pay attention since some hotels WILL drop your reservation if you're not in by 6pm. Personally, I think that's crazy. There is no harm in calling to let a hotel know that you're going to be late coming in. I always make a note if someone does that so any clerks on duty know not to drop them.
If you don't make a reservation directly with a given hotel and want, say...a top floor room, call them up to make sure they know about the request. I know, extra work for a traveler but I've found that these special requests don't always get conveyed to the desk.
Now this is probably repeat from any major event or holiday - if you're going to a major tourist area during these times, plan ahead! Yes, you and everybody else wants to be at Fiesta or Spring Break so don't be surprised if every room is taken up except for some fleabag hotel that has their last room available for the low, low price of $700 for the night. Think I'm kidding? Ha!
Omg...so happy it's over!
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Inspiration and Easter
So how long have I been gone...oof, way too long! You could say a lot's gone on since I last posted. - things at work, kids all getting taller than me, towels toppling - so on and so forth. The biggest thing wasn't really me directly, but a health issue that came up in the family. In the interest of keeping it on the down low, the cathartic to have shared things that were going on.
Inspiration has struck me, though, in the form of a 16 year old who decided to start her own blog. Oddly enough, cause of me...go figure! My lil Carrot Girl...all grown up and blogging...sorta...maybe...ok, we'll see how this works out. No, really, so far, so good - it's going to be interesting to see where it takes her. Oh - while she's going by that name, I did want to clarify, this is the Elfling we're talking about.
Easter evening and I'm here at work. It's been quiet and I have to admit, I'm feeling this side of tired. It started pretty early with at least one excited girl...I think she got me up to watch a movie but we wound up with Amer Hor Story - hey, did I get that right?? That show is it's own post, let me tell you!
Anyhow...*grins* my tradition with the girls is making up an Easter basket for each of them. I like to do a pile o' candy (of course) but with a couple non-candy treats like lip gloss or pretty soaps. This year it was really cute, mini notebooks with purple pens and Hello Kitty bandaids. They went over like a dream so, hey, a win!
Ham is usually the big thing around here but since I had work at 3, I decided to try something new. When dealing with a big honkin' piece of meat is no longer the plan, what do you do? Brunch, of course..duh and or hola!
Inspiration came in the form of Ina Garten - I've always, always, always wanted to make her smoked salmon frittata....course...I didn't today cause...let's face it, my budget doesn't allow for it and my grocery store had no fresh dill. No dill..what the heck!?! Regardless, I thought I made a nice lil spread - it was perfect for the three of us - here's what was served in Haus der Fae:
Inspiration has struck me, though, in the form of a 16 year old who decided to start her own blog. Oddly enough, cause of me...go figure! My lil Carrot Girl...all grown up and blogging...sorta...maybe...ok, we'll see how this works out. No, really, so far, so good - it's going to be interesting to see where it takes her. Oh - while she's going by that name, I did want to clarify, this is the Elfling we're talking about.
Easter evening and I'm here at work. It's been quiet and I have to admit, I'm feeling this side of tired. It started pretty early with at least one excited girl...I think she got me up to watch a movie but we wound up with Amer Hor Story - hey, did I get that right?? That show is it's own post, let me tell you!
Anyhow...*grins* my tradition with the girls is making up an Easter basket for each of them. I like to do a pile o' candy (of course) but with a couple non-candy treats like lip gloss or pretty soaps. This year it was really cute, mini notebooks with purple pens and Hello Kitty bandaids. They went over like a dream so, hey, a win!
Ham is usually the big thing around here but since I had work at 3, I decided to try something new. When dealing with a big honkin' piece of meat is no longer the plan, what do you do? Brunch, of course..duh and or hola!
Inspiration came in the form of Ina Garten - I've always, always, always wanted to make her smoked salmon frittata....course...I didn't today cause...let's face it, my budget doesn't allow for it and my grocery store had no fresh dill. No dill..what the heck!?! Regardless, I thought I made a nice lil spread - it was perfect for the three of us - here's what was served in Haus der Fae:
Smoked Sausage Frittata
Fried Polenta
Fruit Salat
Joghurt
Granola (of my own doing!)
Carrot Cake w/Cream Cheese Frosting
Seriously - given the Diva went to town, even after being a total glutton with the candy all morning long, you know it had to be good! This was the first time I've made fried polenta that held its shape while being fried - I hope it's something that can be replicated cause I have a feeling it's going to be requested once again in the near future.
As the day trickles away - I hope everyone had a great Easter!
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