Thinking back on my years in the hospitality industry, I don't think I've had a more humbling experience than I did tonight.
When working in the afternoon, my shift ends at 11:00pm. I start closing out the shift around 10:30 so I can leave on time. Around that time, we also get antsy to leave and it's possible we may not be on our best behavior (All of you normal schedule people, think of how you are at 4:30pm when your day ends at 5:00pm). So here's the story...
A gentleman walked in tonight around 10:30pm when I was in the middle of counting the cash drawer. I hate dealing with guests when I have the money out. I don't know who I can trust and who's going to try to rob me. I quickly scoop the money into the drawer so it's out of sight as I hear the sliding doors open. I think to myself that I'll breeze through this check-in so I can get back to counting my money and end this long day.
As he walked up to me, I go through the usual check-in shpiel. "Good evening, checking in?" Instead of answering me, he pushed a paper in my face, pointed to the handwritten confirmation number that I had to decipher, and grunted at me. I immediately got frustrated with him and said "I need your ID and credit card". He looked at me blankly and started motioning with his hands. I had no clue what was going on so I stared back at him and said louder and impatiently "Sir, I can't check you in without your ID and credit card".
As soon as I said it, he pulled his paper back and wrote "I can't hear you I'm deaf". My heart dropped and I felt so bad. I was too annoyed to realize he was using sign language when he was making those hand motions. I didn't realize that maybe he wasn't being obnoxious and snobby, but just couldn't talk. After I got over the initial shock of how stupid I was, I proceeded to mime all the actions I could so he would understand everything around the hotel.
I'll tell you, it's not that simple to come up with a hand motion for "free wireless internet", "vending machines" or "check-out time is 12:00pm" on the spot. Finally, I got everything across to him through miming (and some writing) and walked him to the elevator.
When I got back to the desk two thoughts hit me. First was "wow I need to learn some sign language, just in case this happens again." I've learned to deal with people from other countries whose English is not that great, but they know the key words because they looked up our hotel online and familiarized themselves enough to know what I'm saying. Someone who is deaf may be able to do the same thing, but I can't say the word slowly to them so it registers. I have to either use sign language for those words, or use the method I used tonight.
My second thought was "Holy crap. What if I acted like that towards a guest who could actually hear me. That would be really embarrassing". I realized that even that late at night, I still have to be cheery and welcoming, even if I don't mean it. Good customer service can go a long way, and you never know who will give a good or bad review. You never know what kind of day that person had and just smiling and welcoming someone at the end of a long day might be a big help to them.
As usual, leave comments with your thoughts, stories or experiences!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Racism at it's Finest
A black woman walked into the hotel a few days ago and reluctantly comes up to me at the desk:
Woman: I need a room with two doubles starting tonight for a week.
Me: I'm sorry, we're sold out tonight, tomorrow and Thursday.
Woman: Are you sure you looked correctly? Check again.
(I quickly check again)
Me: Yes ma'am, I'm sure. Unfortunately we're sold out those night's.
Woman turns to my black coworker:
Woman: Sir, can you please check for me to make sure he isn't lying to me?
(my jaw drops at this and my coworker does a double take to make sure he heard her correctly)
CW: Sure, give me one second to look that up for you.
Woman: Ok, I need a room tonight for a week with two doubles.
CW: Sorry, we are sold out, just like my coworker told you.
Woman: Ok I just had to be sure I wasn't being played. Thanks for your help (directly to my coworker, not looking at me once).
Let me start off by saying that I've dealt with some minor cases of racism in my years in working in a hotel. I'm an Orthodox Jew and I wear a kippah at work so I get people checking in and the entire time that I'm checking them in, they're staring at my head and not paying attention. I'm fine with that. They're usually from the Midwest or some small town in Europe that hasn't seen too many Jews come through their towns. I've even gotten called things by people coming back into the hotel late at night after drinking for hours. I can deal with that. But to come into the hotel and act like that in the middle of the day in the middle of Manhattan is not so OK. I don't know if it was because I'm white or Jewish, but being rude like that deserves a wake up call. Welcome to New York. It's 2011. Get over it.
Woman: I need a room with two doubles starting tonight for a week.
Me: I'm sorry, we're sold out tonight, tomorrow and Thursday.
Woman: Are you sure you looked correctly? Check again.
(I quickly check again)
Me: Yes ma'am, I'm sure. Unfortunately we're sold out those night's.
Woman turns to my black coworker:
Woman: Sir, can you please check for me to make sure he isn't lying to me?
(my jaw drops at this and my coworker does a double take to make sure he heard her correctly)
CW: Sure, give me one second to look that up for you.
Woman: Ok, I need a room tonight for a week with two doubles.
CW: Sorry, we are sold out, just like my coworker told you.
Woman: Ok I just had to be sure I wasn't being played. Thanks for your help (directly to my coworker, not looking at me once).
Let me start off by saying that I've dealt with some minor cases of racism in my years in working in a hotel. I'm an Orthodox Jew and I wear a kippah at work so I get people checking in and the entire time that I'm checking them in, they're staring at my head and not paying attention. I'm fine with that. They're usually from the Midwest or some small town in Europe that hasn't seen too many Jews come through their towns. I've even gotten called things by people coming back into the hotel late at night after drinking for hours. I can deal with that. But to come into the hotel and act like that in the middle of the day in the middle of Manhattan is not so OK. I don't know if it was because I'm white or Jewish, but being rude like that deserves a wake up call. Welcome to New York. It's 2011. Get over it.
No Soap Radio
Two elephants were in a bathtub and one asked "can you pass the bar of soap?" The other elephant replied "no, we donated it to Africa."
Sorry. That was pretty awful. I just needed something to lead into this story.
About three months ago, I learned that our hotel entered a program to help Clean The World. The way the program works is when cleaning guest rooms everyday, the housekeepers swap out the "old" bars of soap that were used once or twice and replenish it with brand new ones. While most people think this is a waste of perfectly good soap, it's actually not going to waste at all.
After collecting all the used soap, the housekeepers put them in a giant bin, and when filled, it get's shipped out to be sanitized and then distributed to "save the millions of lives lost each year to acute lower-respiratory infection and diarreal illness with the appropriate educational materials to sustain good personal hygiene practices."
I don't really have a story that this is leading into. It's just a post to pass on the news that we're helping out. It made me happy to learn about and it makes the guests happy, or at least content, when they hear what happens with the soap and shampoo after they're removed from the room.
If you're going to a hotel, feel free to ask an employee if their hotel participates in the Clean The World program. It's a great cause and should definitely be looked into by everyone.
UPDATE: The housekeeping manager saw this post and asked me to update this. He just got an email this week with a tally of everything we've donated. to date, we have donated just under 500 each of bars of soap and bottles of shampoo/conditioner. Go team go!
Sorry. That was pretty awful. I just needed something to lead into this story.
About three months ago, I learned that our hotel entered a program to help Clean The World. The way the program works is when cleaning guest rooms everyday, the housekeepers swap out the "old" bars of soap that were used once or twice and replenish it with brand new ones. While most people think this is a waste of perfectly good soap, it's actually not going to waste at all.
After collecting all the used soap, the housekeepers put them in a giant bin, and when filled, it get's shipped out to be sanitized and then distributed to "save the millions of lives lost each year to acute lower-respiratory infection and diarreal illness with the appropriate educational materials to sustain good personal hygiene practices."
I don't really have a story that this is leading into. It's just a post to pass on the news that we're helping out. It made me happy to learn about and it makes the guests happy, or at least content, when they hear what happens with the soap and shampoo after they're removed from the room.
If you're going to a hotel, feel free to ask an employee if their hotel participates in the Clean The World program. It's a great cause and should definitely be looked into by everyone.
UPDATE: The housekeeping manager saw this post and asked me to update this. He just got an email this week with a tally of everything we've donated. to date, we have donated just under 500 each of bars of soap and bottles of shampoo/conditioner. Go team go!
Friday, April 29, 2011
I Have a Few Questions For You...
Quick rant here...
This is one of the scariest moments for a person working at the front desk. You're assigning rooms and you realize you're oversold so you have to move some things around. The phones are ringing like crazy and you don't have enough hold lines to pick up the next call. And then the guests come in. One by one at first, then they start to come in more bunched together. And then they come in groups. And it hits you: TONIGHT WILL BE HELL.
You make your way through the first few guests and get them into their rooms without a problem. The 4th or 5th guest in line checks in with no problems, but then proceeds to ask you questions. Lots and lots of questions. The line gets longer, and there's nothing you can do. It kinda makes me want to interrupt her and ask "DON'T YOU SEE THERE'S A LINE OF PEOPLE BEHIND YOU??? GO TO YOUR ROOM, TAKE A BREATH, AND COME BACK IN A FEW MINUTES! YOU'RE NOT GOING OUT TO EAT DINNER AND SEE A BROADWAY SHOW WITH YOUR LUGGAGE IN HAND ANYWAYS!" But I can't. We all know that. Even though I REALLY REALLY want to.
Luckily we have some solid guests (most of the time) and they understand that people can be difficult. It's nice when they make fun of the annoying guests when they walk away, just to lighten my mood when they see I'm frustrated.
On a complete side note but is strangely connected to the title...I had an undercover cop come in to the hotel today...
Cop: "Good evening, [flashes badge and has a stone cold face] I have a few questions for you."
[My stomach drops and heart stops while thinking: This is my first day back from a two week vacation! I couldn't have done something wrong already!]
Me: "Hi officer, how can I help you?"
Cop: "I'm tracking a bad guy [yes, he called the suspect a 'bad guy'] and I found this key in a stolen vehicle. Does it belong to your hotel?"
[My stomach slowly crawls back up and heart speeds up a bit while I slowly exhale]
Me: "Oh yes, that's ours, but it's a standard Hampton Inn key and there are eight in New York City, so it can belong to any of them."
Cop: "F*ck! This case is going to be harder than I thought! Crap!"
[I stare at him, not knowing what to say...]
Cop: "Is there any way to track the card and see where it came from?"
Me: "I can try to read the card, but if it's past it's checkout date, it will come up as voided and we won't find anything out."
Cop: "Oh what the hell, give it a shot. I found it four days ago. I might as well go home..."
After trying to find information in the card reader, I tell the officer it's voided and there's no way to know which hotel the card is from. He hands me his card with the suspects name written on it, thanks me for my time, and heads out.
Morale of the story: I have to be more careful when I steal cars in the future. Just kidding. I don't carry hotel keys when I steal cars.
Real morale of the story: Don't jump to conclusions when a cop comes up to you saying he wants to ask you a few questions. I think I grew a few gray hairs and lost a few years of my life from that.
Oh, and if you know anyone who stayed at a Hampton Inn in New York City who steals cars, call the NYPD. You would be a big help to the poor cop who came in today, and you'd be doing a big service to the community.
This is one of the scariest moments for a person working at the front desk. You're assigning rooms and you realize you're oversold so you have to move some things around. The phones are ringing like crazy and you don't have enough hold lines to pick up the next call. And then the guests come in. One by one at first, then they start to come in more bunched together. And then they come in groups. And it hits you: TONIGHT WILL BE HELL.
You make your way through the first few guests and get them into their rooms without a problem. The 4th or 5th guest in line checks in with no problems, but then proceeds to ask you questions. Lots and lots of questions. The line gets longer, and there's nothing you can do. It kinda makes me want to interrupt her and ask "DON'T YOU SEE THERE'S A LINE OF PEOPLE BEHIND YOU??? GO TO YOUR ROOM, TAKE A BREATH, AND COME BACK IN A FEW MINUTES! YOU'RE NOT GOING OUT TO EAT DINNER AND SEE A BROADWAY SHOW WITH YOUR LUGGAGE IN HAND ANYWAYS!" But I can't. We all know that. Even though I REALLY REALLY want to.
Luckily we have some solid guests (most of the time) and they understand that people can be difficult. It's nice when they make fun of the annoying guests when they walk away, just to lighten my mood when they see I'm frustrated.
On a complete side note but is strangely connected to the title...I had an undercover cop come in to the hotel today...
Cop: "Good evening, [flashes badge and has a stone cold face] I have a few questions for you."
[My stomach drops and heart stops while thinking: This is my first day back from a two week vacation! I couldn't have done something wrong already!]
Me: "Hi officer, how can I help you?"
Cop: "I'm tracking a bad guy [yes, he called the suspect a 'bad guy'] and I found this key in a stolen vehicle. Does it belong to your hotel?"
[My stomach slowly crawls back up and heart speeds up a bit while I slowly exhale]
Me: "Oh yes, that's ours, but it's a standard Hampton Inn key and there are eight in New York City, so it can belong to any of them."
Cop: "F*ck! This case is going to be harder than I thought! Crap!"
[I stare at him, not knowing what to say...]
Cop: "Is there any way to track the card and see where it came from?"
Me: "I can try to read the card, but if it's past it's checkout date, it will come up as voided and we won't find anything out."
Cop: "Oh what the hell, give it a shot. I found it four days ago. I might as well go home..."
After trying to find information in the card reader, I tell the officer it's voided and there's no way to know which hotel the card is from. He hands me his card with the suspects name written on it, thanks me for my time, and heads out.
Morale of the story: I have to be more careful when I steal cars in the future. Just kidding. I don't carry hotel keys when I steal cars.
Real morale of the story: Don't jump to conclusions when a cop comes up to you saying he wants to ask you a few questions. I think I grew a few gray hairs and lost a few years of my life from that.
Oh, and if you know anyone who stayed at a Hampton Inn in New York City who steals cars, call the NYPD. You would be a big help to the poor cop who came in today, and you'd be doing a big service to the community.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Behind Closed doors...
Have you ever interrupted a couple having sex? My coworker did. It was both hilarious and awkward at the same time. Let me tell you what went down...
I received a call from a Japanese guest around 8:30pm who, in her very broken English, was asking me to order her a pizza. It took about four or five tries for me to understand what she wanted me to do, and that was just the beginning. I proceeded to tell her (here is my side of the phone call):
"sorry ma'am, you have to either call them and order what you'd like and give them a credit card number over the phone, or come down to the lobby with your credit card and then I can call for you."
...
"No, I can't do it now. I don't have your credit card."
...
"Oh, you can't come down? Ok, can you read the credit card number to me?"
...
"Ok, I understand if you don't want to give me the card number, but then you have to call them yourself."
...
"No, you have to call them and they'll deliver to your room."
...
"Sorry, I can't order it for you. I can't pay for it without your card."
...
"You can call from your room and order it yourself."
...
"Yes, you can call from your room and order it yourself."
...
At this point, I continued to repeat that last like 6 or 7 times until my coworker (and all the guests in the lobby) looked over to figure out what the heck I was going on about. I put the guest on hold and explain the situation to "Bob". He proceeds to take the phone off hold and somehow manages to get the credit card from the guest, and the phone number of the pizza place she wanted to order from. Bob called the pizza place and discovered that it wasn't a working number. After quickly calling the guest back, we find out that she was having the same problem and wanted us to try calling, in case she was calling the number incorrectly.
"Bob" told the guest he was going to bring up a menu for a different pizza place that we use often and then she can order from her room. After a few minutes, he came back down, his face white as a ghost, and he was trying to hold back a laughing fit. This is how he explained the interaction:
"I knocked on the door and heard shushing really quickly after I knocked, so I knocked again. A woman cursed, or it sounded like a curse, in a foreign language. The man said 'one second!'. Then, there was a loud THUD and male laughter, which leads me to believe that the wife fell off the bed. She must have quickly gotten her robe on and answered the door all sweaty and frazzled, took the menu, bowed down, and closed the door quickly. As I walked away, I heard them laughing hysterically!"
My question is, WHAT??? Were they doing it when I was on the phone with her? How about when they were on the phone with "Bob"? If not, and they knew we were bringing the menu up, WHY WOULD THEY START THEN???? And weren't they hoping to get pizza delivered? SO AWKWARD!
All I have to say is thank G-d I wasn't the one to bring the menu up!
Name of the Day: Apussorn Phungsoondara
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Renovations
We just finished going through renovations in the hotel, and it sure was an interesting experience, to say the least. Renovations started at the end of January and just finished last week. We completely renovated the lobby, breakfast area, and the guest rooms. Two and a half months of complaining guests (even more so than usual), renovation questions, jackhammering, drills, saws, dust, and everything else you can imagine that goes along with renovations.
It started in October when the GM put a note on our website saying "The hotel will be under renovations from January through March 2011". Little did we know that we were in for 6 months of hell. I understand getting questions about how the renovations will affect the guest rooms and breakfast and things like that. Then we started getting crazy questions. Here are a few of my favorite conversations:
Caller: Will your swimming pool be available?
Me: Sorry ma'am, we don't have a swimming pool.
Caller: You're closing down your swimming pool? That's the best part of the hotel!
Me: Ma'am, we've never had a swimming pool on our property.
Caller: Oh.
Guest Checking In: So I saw you're under renovations. What time do I need to be out of my room so they can do the work in the room?
Me: Excuse me?
GCI: Well I certainly won't want to be sleeping when they come in, so I want to get out early enough.
Me: Sir, we're not doing any work in the rooms that are occupied with guests. That's a health and safety hazard.
GCI: Oh good. That's good to hear.
Luckily for us, we have a lot of repeat guests that come in every week, or often enough that we know them by name. When they come in, it's always nice to see them and catch up. You know they're here often enough when you can ask about their family and how things are at home. Having these guests coming in during renovations was quite helpful with our morale.
Despite all the questions and complaints from the other guests, these regulars would come in with a smile (assuming they didn't have a crappy day) and lift our spirits a bit. They know that when we aren't bogged down with renovation stuff, we're a (mostly) great staff, the breakfast is good, and the rooms are comfortable. They're understanding and despite the minor disturbances and inconveniences, they still show up week after week.
So this post goes out to Mrs. Levy, Mr. Fox, Mr. Fennema, and all the other regulars that I can't think of offhand at 2:00am. Thanks for the help with the annoying guests and for keeping us sane when we're at the desk!
I'll be starting a new game. At the end of every post, there will be a name of the day. Each name I pick will be an actual name of a guest in the hotel. I am NOT making these up, no matter how ridiculous they look. Enjoy!
Name of the Day: Christine Farondegoerdeherve
It started in October when the GM put a note on our website saying "The hotel will be under renovations from January through March 2011". Little did we know that we were in for 6 months of hell. I understand getting questions about how the renovations will affect the guest rooms and breakfast and things like that. Then we started getting crazy questions. Here are a few of my favorite conversations:
Caller: Will your swimming pool be available?
Me: Sorry ma'am, we don't have a swimming pool.
Caller: You're closing down your swimming pool? That's the best part of the hotel!
Me: Ma'am, we've never had a swimming pool on our property.
Caller: Oh.
Guest Checking In: So I saw you're under renovations. What time do I need to be out of my room so they can do the work in the room?
Me: Excuse me?
GCI: Well I certainly won't want to be sleeping when they come in, so I want to get out early enough.
Me: Sir, we're not doing any work in the rooms that are occupied with guests. That's a health and safety hazard.
GCI: Oh good. That's good to hear.
Luckily for us, we have a lot of repeat guests that come in every week, or often enough that we know them by name. When they come in, it's always nice to see them and catch up. You know they're here often enough when you can ask about their family and how things are at home. Having these guests coming in during renovations was quite helpful with our morale.
Despite all the questions and complaints from the other guests, these regulars would come in with a smile (assuming they didn't have a crappy day) and lift our spirits a bit. They know that when we aren't bogged down with renovation stuff, we're a (mostly) great staff, the breakfast is good, and the rooms are comfortable. They're understanding and despite the minor disturbances and inconveniences, they still show up week after week.
So this post goes out to Mrs. Levy, Mr. Fox, Mr. Fennema, and all the other regulars that I can't think of offhand at 2:00am. Thanks for the help with the annoying guests and for keeping us sane when we're at the desk!
I'll be starting a new game. At the end of every post, there will be a name of the day. Each name I pick will be an actual name of a guest in the hotel. I am NOT making these up, no matter how ridiculous they look. Enjoy!
Name of the Day: Christine Farondegoerdeherve
Sunday, February 6, 2011
New York City Nightlife
We get all types of creatures wandering into the hotel when working overnight. Someone just walked in who clearly had too much to drink tonight. I knew from the moment he walked in that it would be a fun conversation and I'd write about it. Here's how it went:
(Man walks in, stops in the middle of the lobby, purses his lips while looking around, and then walks over to the desk.)
Man: (while still looking around) This looks different. Did you change it tonight?
Me: The lobby looks different?
Man: Ya, it's different than when I left. Did you move the desk from the other wall?
Me: No sir, we haven't moved anything tonight. In fact, it's been like this for 8 years.
Man: No way! You're s***ting me!
Me: No, I wish I was though!
(He looks at me quizzically)
Man: Am I staying here?
Me: That's a good question. Are you? What's your name?
Man: I'm not sure. Do you have coffee and tea in the back?
Me: Yes. Just around the corner to the right.
Man: So I am staying here. Are you sure you didn't move things around?
Me: Ya, I'm positive.
Man: This must be wrong. I don't remember you. I'm going to find my place. Can you point me in the right direction?
Me: Do you know where you're staying?
Man: (Silence...)
Me: Are you staying in a hotel or an apartment?
Man: It's...um...crap. (Rubs eyes and face). I'm so confused!
Me: Do you know what street you're supposed to be on?
Man: Umm...up. There somewhere (pointing to the front door).
Me: Ok, so you're staying uptown. There's a start. Do you know the name of the place?
Man: No, but it looks like this. I'm going to walk uptown. Where is that?
I point him in the right direction and help him get his bearing straight. The poor guy proceeded to walk down a quarter of a block and fell twice before the next corner. As entertaining as that was, I hope he makes it back ok. Mainly because he'll be safe, but also so the night auditor at the hotel he's going to can enjoy his presence as well.
Moral of the story: If you're planning on getting piss drunk in New York City, don't get separated from your friends, and keep a hotel business card on you, so someone can direct you to where you need to go when you can't get there yourself.
(Man walks in, stops in the middle of the lobby, purses his lips while looking around, and then walks over to the desk.)
Man: (while still looking around) This looks different. Did you change it tonight?
Me: The lobby looks different?
Man: Ya, it's different than when I left. Did you move the desk from the other wall?
Me: No sir, we haven't moved anything tonight. In fact, it's been like this for 8 years.
Man: No way! You're s***ting me!
Me: No, I wish I was though!
(He looks at me quizzically)
Man: Am I staying here?
Me: That's a good question. Are you? What's your name?
Man: I'm not sure. Do you have coffee and tea in the back?
Me: Yes. Just around the corner to the right.
Man: So I am staying here. Are you sure you didn't move things around?
Me: Ya, I'm positive.
Man: This must be wrong. I don't remember you. I'm going to find my place. Can you point me in the right direction?
Me: Do you know where you're staying?
Man: (Silence...)
Me: Are you staying in a hotel or an apartment?
Man: It's...um...crap. (Rubs eyes and face). I'm so confused!
Me: Do you know what street you're supposed to be on?
Man: Umm...up. There somewhere (pointing to the front door).
Me: Ok, so you're staying uptown. There's a start. Do you know the name of the place?
Man: No, but it looks like this. I'm going to walk uptown. Where is that?
I point him in the right direction and help him get his bearing straight. The poor guy proceeded to walk down a quarter of a block and fell twice before the next corner. As entertaining as that was, I hope he makes it back ok. Mainly because he'll be safe, but also so the night auditor at the hotel he's going to can enjoy his presence as well.
Moral of the story: If you're planning on getting piss drunk in New York City, don't get separated from your friends, and keep a hotel business card on you, so someone can direct you to where you need to go when you can't get there yourself.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Holidays
Being in New York during the holidays is quite an experience. There is just so much to see and so little time to see it. Do you go to the Empire State Building first, even though you know it will take up two hours of your day? Or do you go see to Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree and go ice skating? Maybe head down to the Statue of Liberty? Oh, and you can't forgot about seeing Macy's all pretty and lit up!
The holidays bring people to New York from all over the world. Off the top of my head, I can remember meeting people from at least 14 different countries. Despite the language barrier, it was amazing to meet them. The come in from Sweden, Chile, Germany, or whatever country they're from. They wake up early to venture out into the craziness that is New York City and spend the entire day traveling, sightseeing, eating and shopping. I don't know if you've ever had the chance to do it, but it's exhausting. Sometimes I forget that I haven't done much touring around New York and that some of these tourists have seen and done more than I have.
They come back in after their long day and they just love to talk, in their broken English, about what they did and saw. I love to hear their stories. It makes me feel like I've been where they've been and seen what they've seen. Sure, I've never been to the top of the Empire State Building before, but after hearing the story dozens of times and having them explain the view with vivid details makes it all seem real. The Central Park Zoo? Nope, I've never been there either, but I'll tell you those animals are adorable without ever seeing them! How about that helicopter tour around Manhattan? "Oh ya! That's an incredible trip! You'll really enjoy that!!"
And then there's hearing about everything around the world. From the way they talk about it, New Zealand, Sweden, Morocco, India, and Japan seem like fascinating places to visit. They make the United States seem bland. Well, New York at least. If only I had time and money to travel...
I guess I'll just have to live vicariously through the guests and enjoy their stories.
Story of the week:
9 guests walk into the hotel at the same time while I'm the only one at the desk. I start checking them in relatively quickly and get through most of them when my front office manager walks up to the desk. I'm checking in the 8th guest when she asks "are you all together?"
The last guest looks around and, as he's walking up to check in, says "No. Well, yes. I'm together. like, in my head. I'm not crazy. I'm just not with them. Not in their group. Wow. I'm making an idiot of myself in front of strangers in New York City. I'm going to stop talking now."
Happy February!
The holidays bring people to New York from all over the world. Off the top of my head, I can remember meeting people from at least 14 different countries. Despite the language barrier, it was amazing to meet them. The come in from Sweden, Chile, Germany, or whatever country they're from. They wake up early to venture out into the craziness that is New York City and spend the entire day traveling, sightseeing, eating and shopping. I don't know if you've ever had the chance to do it, but it's exhausting. Sometimes I forget that I haven't done much touring around New York and that some of these tourists have seen and done more than I have.
They come back in after their long day and they just love to talk, in their broken English, about what they did and saw. I love to hear their stories. It makes me feel like I've been where they've been and seen what they've seen. Sure, I've never been to the top of the Empire State Building before, but after hearing the story dozens of times and having them explain the view with vivid details makes it all seem real. The Central Park Zoo? Nope, I've never been there either, but I'll tell you those animals are adorable without ever seeing them! How about that helicopter tour around Manhattan? "Oh ya! That's an incredible trip! You'll really enjoy that!!"
And then there's hearing about everything around the world. From the way they talk about it, New Zealand, Sweden, Morocco, India, and Japan seem like fascinating places to visit. They make the United States seem bland. Well, New York at least. If only I had time and money to travel...
I guess I'll just have to live vicariously through the guests and enjoy their stories.
Story of the week:
9 guests walk into the hotel at the same time while I'm the only one at the desk. I start checking them in relatively quickly and get through most of them when my front office manager walks up to the desk. I'm checking in the 8th guest when she asks "are you all together?"
The last guest looks around and, as he's walking up to check in, says "No. Well, yes. I'm together. like, in my head. I'm not crazy. I'm just not with them. Not in their group. Wow. I'm making an idiot of myself in front of strangers in New York City. I'm going to stop talking now."
Happy February!
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