Working in hotel reservations isn’t just about booking rooms and recommending the best ocean-view suite. No, it’s also about navigating the wild, unpredictable world of guest complaints. And nobody knew this better than Sarah, a seasoned reservations agent at the prestigious Grand Avalon Hotel.
One fateful afternoon, as Sarah was sipping her third coffee of the day and mentally preparing for another wave of guests who “forgot” about cancellation policies, her phone rang.
The Guest Complaint from the Depths of Chaos
“Reservations, this is Sarah speaking. How can I assist you today?” she answered, all professional and polite.
A deep breath on the other end. Never a good sign.
“Yes, hi, I just checked my credit card statement, and I see a charge from your hotel. It says it’s for ‘room damages,’ but that’s ridiculous. I didn’t damage anything!”
Sarah pulled up the guest’s profile. A quick scan revealed the dreaded note: $350 damage charge—excessive glitter and glue in room, required deep cleaning.
Ah. One of those guests.
“I’d be happy to look into this for you,” Sarah said, keeping her tone sweet despite knowing exactly where this was going. “It seems there was a deep cleaning fee applied due to—” she hesitated, double-checking the details, “—a, uh… significant amount of glitter and glue?”
Silence.
Then, the guest scoffed. “That’s ridiculous! I was only making a few party favors for my friend’s bachelorette weekend! Since when is a little glitter a crime?”
Sarah winced. She had personally seen housekeeping reports about glitter-related incidents. It wasn’t just some glitter—it was Glitterpocalypse 2025.
Still, the guest was indignant. “I didn’t even get a warning! You can’t just charge people for existing in a hotel room.”
Sarah inhaled. Exhaled. “Ma’am, the charge is due to the room requiring an extended cleaning process. The glitter had spread into the carpets, linens, and—” she checked the notes, “—somehow, even inside the mini-fridge?”
The guest went quiet, then muttered, “Oh. Yeah, that was for the, um, DIY glitter-dipped champagne bottles…”
Sarah rubbed her temples.
The Manager Steps In—And So Does the Drama...
Before Sarah could defuse the situation further, her manager, Greg, materialized out of nowhere. Greg had the uncanny ability to sense when a guest was even mildly upset and would swoop in, often making things much, much worse.
“What’s going on here?” Greg asked, crossing his arms.
Sarah kept her voice calm. “The guest is disputing a cleaning charge for, uh… excessive glitter.”
Greg sighed dramatically, then grabbed the phone. “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but per hotel policy, damages that require deep cleaning result in a charge. Glitter is nearly impossible to remove entirely, and it takes additional labor and resources.”
The guest, sensing her battle slipping away, changed tactics. “This is an outrage! I am a loyal guest! I’ve stayed at your hotel twice before! Is this how you treat your best customers? I demand a refund!”
Greg, who had all the patience of a caffeinated squirrel, snapped. “Ma’am, we do appreciate your business, but unfortunately, the charge stands. We’re not running a glitter factory.”
Sarah’s eyes widened. Greg. No.
Predictably, the guest lost it. “Oh, so now you’re insulting me? Unbelievable! I’ll be writing a review, AND I’m disputing this with my credit card company!”
Greg, ever the diplomat, muttered, “Good luck, the pictures are on file.”
Sarah slammed the mute button before things got any worse.
The Art of Damage Control...
Once Greg had stormed off to “handle” another guest (probably just to glare at his emails), Sarah took a deep breath and unmuted.
“Ma’am,” she said in her calmest, most I-can-still-save-this voice, “I completely understand your frustration. If I were in your position, I’d want answers, too. Here’s what I can do: I can’t remove the charge, but I can offer you a discount on a future stay and waive your resort fee for next time. That way, we can still ensure you have a great experience with us.”
The guest huffed, but Sarah could hear her resolve weakening. “A discount, huh?”
“Yes,” Sarah confirmed. “And I’ll even make a note on your profile that for your next visit, we can assign you a suite with easy-to-clean flooring if you plan on crafting again.”
A beat of silence. Then, surprisingly, laughter. “Okay, okay… I guess that’s fair. But next time, I’ll bring a glitter vacuum.”
Sarah smiled. “Excellent choice.”
The Aftermath...
As soon as Sarah hung up, Greg reappeared, sipping his energy drink like he’d just won a battle. “Told her off, huh?”
Sarah didn’t bother correcting him. She just went back to her desk, adjusted the guest’s profile note to read ‘Glitter Enthusiast – Handle with Care,’ and took a well-earned sip of her now-cold coffee.
Just another day in hospitality.
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