2006-06-13
It's the 53 cents that really makes the difference
ok, entires that are time stamped are written about the days indicated in the stamp. Non-timestamped entries are background, stories that have already happened or random ruminations on the resort business in general or my resort in particular.
So today I'm working from 2pm until 10pm which is the usual shift for when we have alot of check-ins. Check in is at 4. Today we had like 12 check-ins, super easy. Apperently later in the summer the shifts are going to change to a more regular hotel schedule of 7-3 and 3-11 but for not the shifts are all over the place.
I got a memo on our booking system outlawing the downloading of msn or any such chatting programs from the woman whos ID comes up on every single computer when you open said program. I think I'm ok though, I always wipe the computer when I'm done my shift, lest they find my blogging exploits and therefore I think I'll compose the blog entries in the body of an email and just send it to myself for assembly and posting when I get home.
Not much has happened today at all, a woman had me map quest then print out directions for her to Montreal. It's not like I'm doing anything else except going through a list of websites belonging to building associations and copying and pasting their contact information but it was a little presumptuous, I thought. It is this sort of thing that I am prety much the only employee who works at the resort would do. The other employees, particularly the older ones, would either bitch about it for a long time and then do a half-assed job or just not do it because they weren't working when the guest checked out anyway.
I have made 0$ in commission so far today. I did however get paid and will enjoy the 610.53$ that I will be putting into my bank account shortly. I make 9$ an hour, incase anyone is wondering, which is about 2/3 of what I would make doing half the tasks I do now if I were working a hotel in Toronto. Here my job is basically to answer the phone and deal with whatever is on the other end. If someone needs to be transfered then I'm the switchboard operator. If they want to make a reservation then I'm in reservations. If they want information about things going on in the area, I'm the concierge. I think I like this part the best.
I had the staff meal of a grilled chicken sandwhich and salad for dinner, paid for by the lovely Krista and her "Hill Bills", fake money given for doing night service at the resort that you can redeem for food or room charges. I like working with her because she buys my food. At last count she had over 1000$ Hill Bills. They are really called something else, but that name is way more clever. Staff meals of salad with chicken;grilled chicken sandwhich;breaded chicken sandwhich; cheeseburger or the lunch specials are available for 3.50 cash or 5 "hill bills" or we get whatever we want from the regular menu with a 20% staff discount.
Today's situation:
A while ago we were running a special where any room we had was 99$. We were really empty. So this man calls to book a room, we explain the cancelation policy (less than 14 days out and you forfit your deposit, etc). His wife then calls to cancel the day before they are due in because her father has gone to the hospital. I feel bad for them. Instead of just taking their money we agree to hold their deposit as credit for a future stay but I am very clear to explain to them that the room will be more than 99$ if they rebook for the summer.
The man called today and was really mean to me, despite my suggestions that he could book for a time of year when it was less expensive or wait for a special, etc etc.
So he'll be paying 229$ plus an extra 60$ a night because he's putting 4 adults and 2 kids in a room.
I really hope I'm not working that day.
***edit*** Clearly I tempted fate by speaking too soon. Around 9pm the phone rings and it's a guest whose wife I have saddled with the nickname "the nervous mother" (in the hotel business every guest out of the ordinary gets a nick name). They are tring to give their son (maybe...6 years old) a bath and they have no water pressure. So Krista goes down to check out the situation and determines that they indeed have zero water pressure. Krista's ex Jonny is the maitenance man on call and so we call the cell phone that they take when they are on call. Repeatedly. There's no answer. We call his home number, no answer. So we start going down the list of maintenance guys and finally get in touch with someone who says "well, move them to another room". By this time of night it's 10pm and I'm supposed to be off but Krista is letting her issues with Jonny get in the way of rational thinking and problem solving so I just decide that we are going to offer them the keys to a room upstairs so that they can use the bathroom up there for bathing needs and hope that maintenance can fix the problem in the morning. Thankfully, the guy is ok with this. So I drive over on my way home to drop off the keys for the room/bathroom upstairs and the nervous mother is sitting in a chair watching her kid sleep...in the creepiest way possible. He invited/made me come in and look at their water pressure problems. The mom was really freaking me out. They were all in their robes, ready for bed but were brewing a pot of coffee. Creepy, times alot. I apologized like a zillion times and got the rock out of there.
moi at
0 comments so far