Employee Rate

There are two kinds of people that use the employee/family and friends rate. Some are actual employees. They usually go out of their way to be as little trouble as possible. I once had someone call from the next county over, on a highway that I'm not really familiar with. I got on Google Maps to try and help, and the entire time the woman was asking if I needed to go, very understanding about being put on hold, and just so nice. I marveled at these people, and when they arrived I realized the reason behind it.

The second type are the exact opposite. Pain in the ass, no knowledge about hotels (which confuses me), and generally just very time-consuming. I worked New Year's Eve, and for some reason there were a lot of people staying with the employee/friends and family rate. One guy in particular kept me on the phone for 10 minutes asking stupid questions. He called to confirm his reservation, two queen beds, and after I confirmed for him he said he had some questions.

Question 1: The parking, is there parking?
Me: Yes, there's parking. (He starts to speak and I cut in to add) Free parking.
Him: Okay, but does it matter how many cars I have?
Me: No, it doesn't.
Question #2: Okay, so I'm leaving early tomorrow morning, but the rest of my family is going to stay in the room later. Will I be charged a fee if I don't come check out myself?
Me: No, sir. You'll give us a credit card when you check in, and they'll put the bill under your door tonight. You can just leave the keys in the room.
Him: So I won't be charged a fee?
Me: (Isn't that what I just said?) No, you won't.
Him: And I wanted to pay with cash, not a credit card.
Me: Okay, well that's fine. You can pay with cash when you check in.
Question #3: But how much of a deposit do I have to leave?
Me: Fifty dollars.
Him: Really? I called before and they told me $250.
Me: Umm, no, it's fifty dollars.
Him: Really? Then why would they tell me that before? You guys all say different things!
Me: Well, if you like you can give us a credit card as a deposit and it'll place a small hold on that, which will be returned to you after you check out.
Him: Maybe I'll do that. So it will take a deposit and then I can come get that when I check out?
Me: No, it's a hold on your credit card. It'll come off in three to five business days.

And so on. He arrived, I checked him in, and he requests to not have neighbors and to be near a door. The second one I could do, the first, denied. Then his wife calls down with a request for a rollaway. We don't have them, so, denied. Then he calls down and the other front desk person picks up, this time to tell him that no, we don't have any rollaways, Nor do we have a room with two queens and a pullout sofa.

Then there was the travel agent who called five times, and the various people who tried to throw parties in the hotel. I guess I'll find out today if their attempts were successful.