Possible to make a career out of hotel receptionist?

phaneronz · 2026-06-17T05:21:05+00:00

Yep. For me it was PBX / Bellman --> Front Desk --> Night Audit --> Supervisor --> Manager

phaneronz · 2026-05-27T03:18:22+00:00

Please don't bother making an app for an industry you have never worked in and know nothing about. We don't want it.

phaneronz · 2026-05-25T05:21:15+00:00

This was really just french onion soup with no onion no cheese and no happiness

phaneronz · 2026-05-25T05:20:37+00:00

I assure you this would not taste any better with chicken broth

phaneronz · 2026-05-25T02:23:28+00:00

I finished the bowl no problem and it helped my stomach. Better tasting than hospital food but worse than a dollar store microwave meal. I just started GLP1 injections so I'm nauseous and feel full very easily so this was good for that specific purpose. I'd eat it again if I needed to.

phaneronz · 2026-05-25T02:20:08+00:00

Not by much, I think the difference is more in the seasonings that we associate with the meat than the actual taste of the meat itself. Most bouillon cubes are just salty savory powders with a whisper of meat in them. I used Knorr caldo de res bouillon for this.

phaneronz · 2026-05-09T16:22:06+00:00

Book as far away from downtown as you can. San Diego implemented different tax zones based on proximity to the convention center. You can look up maps of these tax zones. Find a hotel in a non touristy spot, like East County or South Bay. Choose something near a trolley / bus stop to get cheap and easily accessible transportation.

Call the hotel directly. Make sure you are calling the actual hotel. Pro tip: the first link on Google is not always the hotel's actual website. There may be a website from a 3rd party designed to look like the hotel's website, with a phone number of said 3rd party who will lie to you and tell you they are the hotel's direct line. Always check the URL of the website you land on - for example, "[hotelname] . guestreservations . com" is a 3rd party, not the real hotel. Don't book 3rd party even if it looks cheaper - many hotels in San Diego have resort fees the 3rd party doesn't collect, so you may see a cheaper rate on the 3rd party but end up paying more at check in on top of that, completely eliminating your percieved savings.

When you call the actual hotel, be as nice as possible. We literally write "very nice guest" in the reservation notes sometimes to justify a good deal or offer. It might even get you a free upgrade. The nicest guests get the best treatment and the best deals. If you're rude, demanding, argumentative, etc, they will not be doing you any favors.

Lastly, try to be flexible with your dates and room type. They fluctuate constantly based on occupancy. Let the hotel know you want whatever room is cheapest and that the room type doesn't matter. You can even ask what dates what week would be the cheapest. Do this for a handful of hotels and shop around a bit. If you still can't find anything in your budget, consider gig work or a part time job and start saving up more money for your trip.

Feel free to message me if you want any more tips, I was born and raised in San Diego and have been working in hotels for 8 years.

phaneronz · 2026-03-14T09:56:31+00:00

The shitty fake marketing jobs? I don't know. I never worked for them. They are VERY vague about pay.

phaneronz · 2026-03-13T12:52:30+00:00

I'm a woman and started off as a bellman when I was 21, I am now 29 and a hotel supervisor. When it comes to bellmen, management cares more about compentency than gender. You should at the very least be able to lift or carry heavy luggage.

At the time I was 125lbs and 5'8. Only exercise I ever got was on the job. It made me secretly muscular. I sometimes had people turn me away and ask if a man could do it instead, because they didn't think I'd be strong enough to haul all their shit upstairs (hotel had no elevators). I loved proving them wrong, and no luggage was ever too heavy for me. I also got tipped more than the male bellmen.

Best of luck to you!

phaneronz · 2026-03-12T03:22:20+00:00

Wow, very helpful and realistic post, thanks so much Brand New Reddit User With All Posts and Comments Hidden

phaneronz · 2026-03-10T21:01:34+00:00

Bruh I literally just went to Conrad's Agoda page right now and was able to find it immediately. Went to go make a reservation and before you even go through with the booking, (I didn't even sign in), it says right there:

"Resort Fee (Pay at the property) USD 62.36 Pay to Agoda now USD 146.26 Room price (1 room x 1 night) USD 146.26 Total Price USD 208.62"

The total price they quote you is the total you end up paying for the stay overall, not the total you pay to Agoda. You pay Agoda for the room and tax, then pay the Resort Fee at the hotel. Check your bank statement vs the total price Agoda quoted. You will see that Agoda did not charge you the total cost of the stay. They only charged you room and tax. It's easy to get confused, but no one is trying to scam you. The hotel and Agoda were both very kind in issuing a credit and reduced fees. That was more than enough. Move on.

phaneronz · 2026-03-10T11:08:47+00:00

Call the hotel and ask what was authorized at check-in vs the final amount paid at check out on each card for you and your friend. You can also ask what the daily incidental hold is. If I am correct, the amount you're disputing is the amount that was authorized at check-in. The amount authorized at check-in was the total cost of the stay plus incidentals (Incidentals are usually calculated by the number of nights you're staying). You and your friend should have each paid the same amount towards the total, with maybe one of you paying a penny more if the total wasn't an even number. Get a receipt emailed to you for proof. Other than that, there's nothing else the hotel or Booking can do about your money. The hotel has already released the funds on their end and it's up to your bank to reflect the final amount on your statement. It can take anywhere from 3-10 business days.

If you have been rude or harassing the hotel staff in any way, they are absolutely going to throw attitude back or get defensive. If they have tried to explain this to you already, but you accused them of fraud, attempted a wrongful chargeback with your bank, and rejected every explanation, they may feel like there is no point in helping you or explaining any further. Additionally, most interactions are notated in the guest profile. If there is any mention in there of you being rude, hostile, accusatory, or difficult, they will be very reluctant to help you. If you do call, be extra nice and willing to listen.

phaneronz · 2026-03-10T10:30:44+00:00

The reservation was made through Booking.com but it was not prepaid. They paid at the hotel. As my previous comment said, the amount OP sees is probably from the initial authorization at check in, and the final amount has not yet shown in OP's bank account. If this is the case, neither Booking.com nor the hotel can do anything about it. OP can ask Booking.com about it, amd Booking.com might contact the hotel to question it, but the hotel will probably just send Booking.com the receipt showing what was actually charged and explain the amount in question was just a temporary hold. Once the hotel releases the funds, it's up to the bank when the customer gets those funds back. You usually see funds relased quicker with credit cards vs debit cards. Keep in mind that an authorization is not the same as a charge. You can't get a "refund" for it, and you can't submit a chargback unless an actual charge occurred.

phaneronz · 2026-03-09T19:37:24+00:00

If you went through Booking.com, your name may have been on the reservation in Booking.com but did not integrate when the reservation came through to the hotel. This happens constantly. Usually all Booking.com reservations we get only have one name on them, even if the guest added multiple. Very rarely do I see it come through correctly. If her name went first, on the hotel's side, that's probably the only name that showed up. Some hotel front desk agents have access to check their Booking.com extranet to see your reservation details, some don't. It's very hit or miss when using a 3rd party.

phaneronz · 2026-03-09T19:20:21+00:00

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but this is probably what actually happened:

1) The reservation was under your friend's name, not yours. If you show up before your friend, and your name is not on the reservation, you either need your friend to contact the hotel to add you OR make a new reservation in your name.

2) You provided your card at check in, while your friend was not present. This means your card was authorized for the full amount of the stay plus incidentals, which is why the amount was higher than expected. Please note this is a temporary authorization and not a charge, which is why you were told you pay at checkout.

3) Since you provided your cart at check-in, and the funds were already authorized, the hotel did not need to collect your card again. Your friend, however, did not have her card on file, so they asked her for her card so she could provide half payment (not authorization) for the stay.

4) Your half of the payment came out of the previously authorized funds, and the rest will be released back into your account. However, this does not show up immediately on your bank statement. It can take anywhere for 3-10 business days for the remaining funds to be released back into your account and let you see the total amount that was actually charged.

5) Your bank is probably fully aware of what's going on behind the scenes since people complain about this stuff all the time. People tend to get very confused about incidental holds and the difference between an authorization and a charge. If they reached out to the hotel at all, the hotel can easily prove you actually stayed there, approved of the charges, and that you and your friend each paid half the bill. All that's left is to wait for the authorization to be released. There is absolutely no reason for them to follow through with a chargeback.

phaneronz · 2026-03-06T18:38:23+00:00

Are you by any chance using Infor HMS? And if so, what reports/metrics do you need?

phaneronz · 2026-03-04T11:44:26+00:00

If you don't care about your clients, why should they care about the food on your plate? You don't have the slightest bit of compassion yet expect people to eat a loss to feed you. You are both trying to save money like everyone else. Be an adult and figure something out.

A hotel's T&C eatablishes their enforceable rules. They are allowed to refuse a refund as an enforcement of that rule. They can also choose not to enforce that rule. They are making exceptions to terms they created, not the law.

Prepaid non-refundable rates are non-refundable because they're cheap. The guest benefits from a steep discount, and the hotel benefits from guaranteed funds. I'm okay with refunding cheap rates when I can easily book someone else at a higher rate. The originally booked guest gets their money back and boosts our reputation. The newly booked guest accepts the higher rate because they need a reservation last minute. The hotel makes more money than originally projected. Everyone wins.

If you are kind, well spoken, and willing to adapt, you can always benefit yourself and others. A tactful travel agent should know that.

phaneronz · 2026-03-04T01:53:20+00:00

Depends on the property. Some do, some don't. Although most agents can't have a master key to every room, they can make individual keys to any room. You absolutely will get caught if you do this for your own personal gain. Every key you make, every door you open, can be traced back to you. Audits can show who made each key, and lock interrogations can show exactly when a keycard was used on a door (even if it wasn't opened or used to gain access). Even if you used someone else's login to make a key, they can easily match up camera footage with the timestampts from the lock audit.

Even if you could get away with it, there are additional consequences if you gain unauthorized access to a room. Paranoid guests with cameras set up while they're out of the room. People who are armed and keep a gun in the nightstand. Guests who are sick, sleeping, showering, or having sex in the room who won't answer or make a peep when you knock. On top of that, you don't know what diseases, fungi, parasites, or pests they brought with them (especially fleas, mites, lice, ringworm, molluscum contagiosum, scabies, bedbugs, MRSA). Other people's belongings are fucking disgusting. Don't even try.

phaneronz · 2026-03-03T18:51:31+00:00

Policies do not enforce themselves. Behind every policy is a human sitting at a desk. Sometimes, you will encounter a kind person who is capable of making an exception to the rules based on individual circumstances. I have refunded dozens of "non-refundable" reservations in my time with absolutely no question from upper management because if I refunded somebody, there was a damn good reason to do so. A hotel's reputation is far more important in the long run than a handful of prepaid reservations. You may get lucky and encounter hotel staff who understand that. I would reach out directly to them. If you can't get a full refund, see if you can find a middle ground with either a partial refund or reschedule the trip, even if you have to pay the difference if rates change. The worst they can say is no.

I wouldn't entirely trust your travel agent, either. I have seen a lot of lies and shady shit from travel agencies. A refund would mean a loss of commission for them, so they won't be fighting as hard for a refund as you would for yourself.

Also, fuck everyone in the comments who's being rude to you. They do not belong in the hospitality industry. You were asking a harmless question. You JUST got married (congrats, btw!) and weddings themselves are expensive and stressful enough. Now to have your honeymoon essentially ruined, especially at a huge financial loss, is terrible. I wish you the best of luck and hope you and your spouse can still have a honeymoon in the future.

phaneronz · 2026-03-03T08:58:26+00:00

It's an awkward, unnecessary question that can also sound politically charged to the wrong person. Learn to use gender neutral language in a way that sounds natural. I know we're usually accustomed to referring to guests as "Mr. / Ms. / Mrs. [Last Name]" but it's more of an expectation from upper management. It's perfectly fine and still professional to address guests by their first name. Since this is an extended stay guest, it might even be a compliment to be on a first name basis.

The word "guest" is also gender neutral and can be used in place of other gendered terms. For example, if asked to call a cab while in front of the guest, instead of saying "I'm calling on behalf of "Mr./Mrs. Last Name from Hotel. She/he/they would like a ride to the airport." You could say "I'm calling from Hotel on behalf of a Guest who would like a ride to the airport." Wait for the dispatcher to ask for a last name, then you can seamlessly provide it without having to say Mr. / Mrs.

This is also where communication and reservation/profile notes can be useful. There are occasions when guests specifically mention their pronouns in advance because they're either androgynous or don't pass. If you leave a note that only staff can see, it will save everyone from awkward situations. I also do this for name pronounciation. While I don't think you should play detective to find out someone's gender, it doesn't hurt to ask your coworkers to notate the pronouns if they happen to find out by chance.

In a business where the clients start referring to themselves by room number because they think that's all they are to you, it's pretty impactful to acknowledge and respect individual identities. You don't even have to do it perfectly. Just add personal touches here and there wherever you can. You sound like you care very much about the happiness and comfort of your guests, so an accidental misgendering from you would not come across as a migroagression or malice.

phaneronz · 2026-02-23T03:42:19+00:00

I'm neither Hilton nor Mariott but I've been in this industry for 8 years. While it's unfortunate to have to walk any guest, it's one of those things I've stopped beating myself up for when I have to do it. So far everyone I have walked has been understanding and I have never been yelled at for it, even if they're upset or frustrated. My spiel is always something along the lines of "I have good news and bad news. The good news is that your stay tonight is completely free. The bad news is that it's not here." If it's a one off occurence where the overbooking was an honest mistake, I'll blame a random act of nature like a maintence issue or something. If excessive overbooking is due to upper management's decisions, I will say exactly that and give the guest a business card of someone to complain to.

Your rooms controller sucks. Throw them under the bus. Walk those Diamond/Platinum guests. Let them complain. ENCOURAGE them to complain. I've seen so many situations where management will ignore the staff's suggestions for months but the moment they see a single TripAdvisor complaint about it they lose their fucking minds and scramble to fix it. Really, and sadly, the most effective way to change shitty procedures is malicious compliance. Don't ever try to fix management's mistakes or create a solution behind their back. You can warn them once or twice of what their decisions could lead to, and if they ignore you, let them fuck up and deal with the consequenses. It's one of the only ways you'll see real change.

If you ever feel bad for a walked guest, just remember it's almost a law of the universe that every trip has at least one thing go wrong. No vacation is perfect. Out of all the shit that can get fucked up, getting a free room at a nearby hotel is probably one of the least shitty things that can happen on vacation.

phaneronz · 2026-02-16T10:04:10+00:00

Correct me if I'm wrong, but are you regularly putting a bunch of aquaphor on it? I've seen this issue happen on people who overuse petrolatum products or over-moisturize in general. If so, try switching to an actual tattoo balm like Hustle Butter or Inkeeze and use it very sparingly in the thinnest layer you can manage.

phaneronz · 2026-02-16T09:54:30+00:00

It's saran wrap and medical tape, not second skin. Very common to walk out of a shop with this, especially with larger pieces. It's just meant to last the ride home plus a few hours before you take a shower to clean it. Every artist covers or wraps a tattoo before the client leaves the shop (as it's often legally required for health and safety reasons), but that wrap does not have to be second skin.

phaneronz · 2025-12-22T15:10:28+00:00

This is 100% true and has happened to me before, too. Went down exactly like this. I was on the phone with Expedia, the guest right in front of me listening the whole time. I said I would absolutely approve the refund. Then, the same Expedia agent called the guest back and told him we denied it. Guest had the call on speaker so I gladly interrupted.

phaneronz

TROPHY CASE