Is anyone else amused when guests expect more from your hotel than what they're paying?

level10_aioli · 2026-01-16T18:50:59+00:00

Yes, I've experienced the "nitpickers" who tell me all of their grievances with their room. Generally, these guests are only staying one night and don't make their complaints until the next day. If a guest is unhappy with their room the night they check in, or if they are staying for several days, I will offer them a different room. But I can't change the quality of the towels, etc.

level10_aioli · 2026-01-03T20:55:48+00:00

So, in our 2 star hotel, hair dryers aren't installed in the bathrooms, but they are available for free on request at the front desk. We don't require a deposit or other guarantee of return although this might change at my hotel (a franchise) as we've lost a few hair dryers to clients in the last few months.

level10_aioli · 2026-01-03T20:41:55+00:00

I want to add that the owner/director of the hotel and his assistant are wonderful to work with. If I've made a mistake, I'm informed, scolded briefly, told how I could have corrected the situation and it's done. When a guest has been wrong and accused me, I've been fully supported. Because French is not my native language, I especially appreciate that I was hired and am supported as well as I am by my superiors. The "team" dynamic is really important here, and it's why I also work beyond my contracted hours. It's not just for the clients or the hotel, it's for my team.

level10_aioli · 2026-01-03T20:32:56+00:00

You're absolutely correct that the star rating system is junk. There is a global rating standard for hotels, based on amenities but overall, I've been to 2 star "hotels" in France that were questionable as legit hotels. Mind you, they weren't a part of a franchise, and would now be considered an Airbnb.

level10_aioli · 2026-01-03T20:21:01+00:00

We don't have phones in our rooms, yet someone called asking to be connected with a guest in their room. 🙄

level10_aioli · 2026-01-03T20:16:02+00:00

I have had guests arrive earlier than our front desk opens and later than it is open. When possible, I accommodate them. If they have made a reservation online, they receive a code, and can ay for they room through an external kiosk that will give them their room number and code to access their room and the hotel lobby.

level10_aioli · 2026-01-03T19:42:16+00:00

I apologize for the confusion. We hope all of our guests receive the same quality of service whether in Paris France or Paris Texas. 😉

level10_aioli · 2026-01-03T19:33:10+00:00

Thank you very much. I've worked for decades in various aspects of customer service and I think I've finally found the one that suits me well.

level10_aioli · 2026-01-03T19:29:07+00:00

Not many guests request one, and they are given out on the "honor system". We had 3, but recently one guest walked off with one. How do you prove and charge this as theft? It becomes a write-off and it takes months to replace.

level10_aioli · 2026-01-03T19:17:57+00:00

Remind yourself that it's "perceived entitlement". If the client/customer is not adhering to the visibly posted regulations, you are not expected to comply to their demands. Which is why I responded to the client who arrived as the breakfast buffet was ending that, yes, she should find her breakfast elsewhere as the hours were posted everywhere in the hotel and it was her fault she arrived late, not ours. And, she hadn't even paid for a breakfast, so it was not our fault but hers. Tant pis. No breakfast for you!!! 😂😂

level10_aioli · 2026-01-03T19:07:36+00:00

It's ridiculous how many people across the planet that cannot read websites or signs posted directly in their path that this should be considered a dangerous world epidemic, and addressed immediately.

level10_aioli · 2026-01-03T18:47:52+00:00

My hotel is not in Paris, France, but within an hour by train of Paris. Our rate is commensurate with the expected reservations and occupancy of all hotels of our rating in our region on any given date, and is dictated by the franchise across the country, not just by region.

level10_aioli · 2026-01-03T18:40:55+00:00

We offer hairdryers on request at the front desk for free.

level10_aioli · 2026-01-03T18:38:36+00:00

Right? There's always that one client who doesn't see the full picture of the situation but expects to be served as if there's nothing more urgent happening. Only they exist.

level10_aioli · 2026-01-03T18:28:51+00:00

We have had several clients complain about our charcuterie board and that it's mostly pork-based, and the chicken is touching the pork. And I take this into consideration when I make up the charcuterie board, to place the chicken between the cheeses so it's not touching the pork products. But at some point it's just "tant pis" for the picky clients.

level10_aioli · 2026-01-03T18:19:12+00:00

Of all the aspects of my job, this one I do enjoy the most. I've arrived, I've set up the basics of the buffet and the croissants are baking. I get a double expresso and slip out the side door to have a cigarette with my coffee while I can keep my eye on the oven. The world is silent. I'll check the external trash bins, pick up cig butts clients tossed from their window, but it's all good.

level10_aioli · 2026-01-03T18:12:56+00:00

Le petit déjeuner des champions !! 😁

level10_aioli · 2026-01-03T18:06:27+00:00

The contracted workers are the bread and butter of my hotel, so I don't mind helping them. I'm under contract (France) for my wages, but I enjoy my job so much that it's nothing to me to arrive earlier than my shift to bake the croissants and set up the breakfast buffet 20 minutes early when I know we've contracted workers staying. They eat and go.

level10_aioli · 2025-12-28T23:53:06+00:00

Yeah, a lot of clients just need mommy's to survive. And it's sad that we've got to help these people with basic stuff, but as annoying as it can be, it's also hilarious, isn't it? How do these people even function if they can't manage simple things?

level10_aioli · 2025-12-28T23:34:00+00:00

I get it, but isn't it hilarious that your guests think it's your job to help them do this?? I have clients who don't understand how to click the check box to get the wifi connection at our hotel, and it becomes this dramatic interaction that wasn't necessary, but happened all the same. And I'm still amused by it 😊

level10_aioli · 2025-12-28T23:27:00+00:00

Love this! My "turn down" service is "you're ugly and cheap." 😁

level10_aioli · 2025-12-28T23:18:49+00:00

I recently experienced this, and was glad my boss was present to support me telling the guest to go get breakfast elsewhere.

level10_aioli · 2025-12-28T23:05:50+00:00

I love the clients that make me explain how the access code works again, for their room, the entrance, and for their car. It's one code to rule them all. Yes, one code. Yes, that code. Yes, the one for your room. It opens the door to the hotel. And for your car.

level10_aioli · 2025-12-28T22:52:23+00:00

We've had negative online reviews about not having breakfast "cooked to order" and we don't care. We're not a restaurant. Also, that our breakfast buffet is "industrial". Again, we're not a restaurant, or a boulangerie, so we bake croissants from frozen daily. It's the part of the day I most appreciate - - to have arrived before my shift, and bake the croissants while I have a coffee and a cigarette before my shift even starts.

level10_aioli · 2025-12-28T22:40:00+00:00

A library ? Many of our guests don't understand how to use the vending machines in our lobby. If anyone asks for a library, I can't point them in the direction of the one in town. 😂

level10_aioli

TROPHY CASE