All seasoned road warriors know the drill. At check-in, to ensure a blissful stay, ask for a room away from ice-makers, elevators, party people and the newlyweds.
But too often, the staff who check us in don’t seem to know anything about the layout of their own property. I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve arrived in a hotel, usually during the wee hours of the morning, 15 time zones away from home, after a long-delayed flight finally arrived, to find that’s true.
Needless to say, I’m spent. However, in spite of being semi-comatose, I always follow the time-tested script and ask for a room using the aforementioned criteria … with one additional request: “No connecting door, puleeeze!”
The scenario usually goes something like this:
Me: (Bloodshot eyes half-shut, slumped shoulders, rumpled and coffee-stained clothing). “I’d like a really quiet room. I repeat, quiet is my priority. In fact, I don’t even need a bed, just a q-u-i-e-t room. You know, not near elevators and icemakers.
Front Desk Guy: “Not a problem, sir. I see you are a premium member, so we’ll put you on our executive level. ”
Me: “You can put me in the basement, just make sure my room is quiet. Oh, one more thing, please make sure it doesn’t have a connecting door to another room … you know how sound travels through those doors, right?”
Front Desk Guy: “Of course, you are all taken care of, enjoy your stay.”
We all know what happens next: Arrive at our room … looks safe, miles away from the nearest ice-maker or elevator, but … upon entering the room … there it is: the connecting door. Grrrrr!
So, here’s a challenge to all hotel managers: How about including an accurate schematic of your rooms in the training packets of all front desk personnel? Load it onto their computers, glue it to office bulletin boards. What ever it takes, just do it!
For those managers who think this is too difficult a task, copy this fine little saying and share it with your team:
The greater danger for most if us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.
Doug Lipp is the author of Stuck in the Middle Seat.
