Discriminating Customers Versus Difficult Customers

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good points... I must remember not to take criticism personally (brushing feelings off of sleeve)
 
Both good articles - I think most often guests can be labeled "difficult" when really the lodging property has not lived up to their realistic expectations. These folks are quite different from demanding guests.
 
good points... I must remember not to take criticism personally (brushing feelings off of sleeve).
greyswan said:
good points... I must remember not to take criticism personally (brushing feelings off of sleeve)
That took a long time to learn. Everything was personal when we started. Even now, some stuff still rankles. However, I keep telling myself it is more about them than me.
 
good points... I must remember not to take criticism personally (brushing feelings off of sleeve).
greyswan said:
good points... I must remember not to take criticism personally (brushing feelings off of sleeve)
That took a long time to learn. Everything was personal when we started. Even now, some stuff still rankles. However, I keep telling myself it is more about them than me.
.
Alibi Ike said:
I keep telling myself it is more about them than me.
I like that..... Will say this after I count to 10, 20 or when the steam stops streaming from my head... And then I will think of my next vacation and say 'be good, it will soon be about ME'
teeth_smile.gif

 
good points... I must remember not to take criticism personally (brushing feelings off of sleeve).
greyswan said:
good points... I must remember not to take criticism personally (brushing feelings off of sleeve)
That took a long time to learn. Everything was personal when we started. Even now, some stuff still rankles. However, I keep telling myself it is more about them than me.
.
Alibi Ike said:
I keep telling myself it is more about them than me.
I like that..... Will say this after I count to 10, 20 or when the steam stops streaming from my head... And then I will think of my next vacation and say 'be good, it will soon be about ME'
teeth_smile.gif

.
I actually meant that in a negative way...it's more about their attitude and their issues than it is about anything wrong with the inn. Or us.
 
Ya know, tho, sometimes guests are just difficult. With no provocation whatsoever we had a guy start arguing with us about paying. He insisted we were wrong to ask for payment on arrival and that if we expected him to pay 'in advance' he should have been informed BEFORE he arrived.
Well, quite clearly in all of our verbiage is that fact. You pay when you arrive. Website says it, online rez system says it, confirmation says it. He went so far as to pull up his confirmation on our computer to rub our noses in it. We said nothing and let him stew when his wife pointed it out to him. Right there. In black & white.
No way we could have managed his expectations any differently than we did. We can't make guests read.
We probably could have handled HIM differently, tho. And it was a lesson learned. Each innkeeper has a different flash point.
What I will never understand is why guests don't get that a hotel HAS their cc info on file, stored in their computer, to charge whenever they damn well feel like it, for however much they 'say' is on your bill. We are simply asking for the card to 'imprint', as the old fashioned language states.
 
Ya know, tho, sometimes guests are just difficult. With no provocation whatsoever we had a guy start arguing with us about paying. He insisted we were wrong to ask for payment on arrival and that if we expected him to pay 'in advance' he should have been informed BEFORE he arrived.
Well, quite clearly in all of our verbiage is that fact. You pay when you arrive. Website says it, online rez system says it, confirmation says it. He went so far as to pull up his confirmation on our computer to rub our noses in it. We said nothing and let him stew when his wife pointed it out to him. Right there. In black & white.
No way we could have managed his expectations any differently than we did. We can't make guests read.
We probably could have handled HIM differently, tho. And it was a lesson learned. Each innkeeper has a different flash point.
What I will never understand is why guests don't get that a hotel HAS their cc info on file, stored in their computer, to charge whenever they damn well feel like it, for however much they 'say' is on your bill. We are simply asking for the card to 'imprint', as the old fashioned language states..
It also thoroughly confuses me that people would be surprised that you ask for payment when they check-in. The first thing you do when you check into any hotel is whip out your credit card, because they imprint it, even if they already "have it on file".
I know it didn't help the situation at all but at least you had the satisfaction of letting him prove himself wrong. Don't you just feel so badly for the spouse in this situation? They not only pay for that particular interaction, but they are stuck with the other person when they leave.
 
Ya know, tho, sometimes guests are just difficult. With no provocation whatsoever we had a guy start arguing with us about paying. He insisted we were wrong to ask for payment on arrival and that if we expected him to pay 'in advance' he should have been informed BEFORE he arrived.
Well, quite clearly in all of our verbiage is that fact. You pay when you arrive. Website says it, online rez system says it, confirmation says it. He went so far as to pull up his confirmation on our computer to rub our noses in it. We said nothing and let him stew when his wife pointed it out to him. Right there. In black & white.
No way we could have managed his expectations any differently than we did. We can't make guests read.
We probably could have handled HIM differently, tho. And it was a lesson learned. Each innkeeper has a different flash point.
What I will never understand is why guests don't get that a hotel HAS their cc info on file, stored in their computer, to charge whenever they damn well feel like it, for however much they 'say' is on your bill. We are simply asking for the card to 'imprint', as the old fashioned language states..
It also thoroughly confuses me that people would be surprised that you ask for payment when they check-in. The first thing you do when you check into any hotel is whip out your credit card, because they imprint it, even if they already "have it on file".
I know it didn't help the situation at all but at least you had the satisfaction of letting him prove himself wrong. Don't you just feel so badly for the spouse in this situation? They not only pay for that particular interaction, but they are stuck with the other person when they leave.
.
Don Draper said:
It also thoroughly confuses me that people would be surprised that you ask for payment when they check-in. The first thing you do when you check into any hotel is whip out your credit card, because they imprint it, even if they already "have it on file".
And they have you sign as well - at least the ones I have gone to lately have. So they have your card on file, have swiped your card AND have your signature agreeing to their terms.... that is all they need to complete the transaction any time they feel the need. I recall at least one time when a hotel had charged our card every couple of days (think we were staying 5-6 nights).
 
I think in the Uk especially part of the problem is people think they have already paid when they have given their card so therefore are surprised to be asked on arrival.
 
I think in the Uk especially part of the problem is people think they have already paid when they have given their card so therefore are surprised to be asked on arrival..
I think in the Uk especially part of the problem is people think they have already paid when they have given their card so therefore are surprised to be asked on arrival.
Same here. You cannot make a rez anywhere without a cc. And we get that a lot, too. 'I already gave it to you.' Yeah, but I want to run it thru the machine to save money.
 
I think in the Uk especially part of the problem is people think they have already paid when they have given their card so therefore are surprised to be asked on arrival..
I think in the Uk especially part of the problem is people think they have already paid when they have given their card so therefore are surprised to be asked on arrival.
Same here. You cannot make a rez anywhere without a cc. And we get that a lot, too. 'I already gave it to you.' Yeah, but I want to run it thru the machine to save money.
.
I don't think most of them realise we are charged more for processing cards without a person or in some cases that we are charged for processing at all.
 
I think in the Uk especially part of the problem is people think they have already paid when they have given their card so therefore are surprised to be asked on arrival..
Ah, but you are in the same boat as I am, at least with the locals.... you can tell them that you need to process with Chip & Pin (EMV).
 
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