Since we started this blog we have embraced it as an opportunity to tell you all how much we love our jobs and where we live. Working in the hospitality industry in Vermont is like putting sugar on ice cream; it just doesn’t get any sweeter. The hotel industry does, however, have a dark side…and sometimes that dark side is hysterical!
Running a hotel is like inviting a few hundred strangers into your house every night and hoping they all respect your property and use their manners the way you would. By and large we have overwhelmingly positive guest experiences. Occasionally, however, there are guests who cause trouble and our staff is left with the consequences…and the stories!
There was, for example, the sorority group that I convinced the General Manager to take as I was sure college age girls away on a trip and under a school’s name would handle themselves with dignity and restraint. Wow, was I wrong. Their late night alcohol infused merriment involved among other things police assistance, detox, and sparse clothing. One of my favorite guest stories was of the irate guest whose blonde wife found long dark hair in his hairbrush. He accused our housekeeping staff of brushing their hair with it. When our GM asked if it was possible that the hair belonged to the man, the guest responded “that is impossible since I am bald”, begging the question of why he needed a brush in the first place. Finally, I will offer the story of the guest who was livid to discover that, in his opinion, we had lost his reservation. In an attempt to calm him down, our desk staff thought to call other Holiday Inn’s in other Burlingtons around the world and found that the man had mistakenly made an online reservation at the Holiday Inn in Burlington Ontario. Upon our explaining his error, he demanded we reimburse him for a long distance call to Canada to cancel his reservation there.
We cannot always control what guests bring to our doorstep, but we can and do learn from the experiences. Our well trained staff works hard to ensure that no matter what the circumstance, our guests are comfortable, safe and content. In the coming months we look forward to sharing with you more funny stories since at the end of the day if it is going to happen we surely learn something…and we share!
Dina Townsend
Director of Sales
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