PART OF AN ONGOING SERIES EXPLORING THE (SOMETIMES) LIGHTER SIDE OF A LIFE SPENT WORKING IN A HOTEL. READ EARLIER INSTALLMENTS HERE
by DEVEN MATTHEWS
“I know it’s really early, but is there any way we could check into our room now? The reservation is under ‘Martin.’”
It was 9 a.m. on a bright Saturday morning in June at my select-service, 140-room hotel. The couple standing before me seemed anxious and eager to be granted the early check-in they were requesting.
Early check-ins often can be a thorn in the side of a front desk agent. If the hotel has vacant-ready rooms that didn’t sell the previous night, allowing a guest early admission to their room is not an issue. In fact, it’s almost encouraged as it eliminates one more guest on the arrival list from bombarding the desk at the appointed check-in hour.
On the other hand, if the property was sold-out the evening before an early check-in is requested, there’s a probability none of the guest rooms will have been vacated, let alone serviced by housekeeping and ready for a new guest to occupy prior to early afternoon. Guests anticipating early access to their room often are disappointed – and equally upset – when their plans for an early check-in are thwarted.
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
Such was the case for the Martins inquiring this morning at the desk. I looked at the hotel’s availability screen, which showed the property had indeed been sold out the night before, and not one guest had yet to check out of their room that morning. I sensed this wouldn’t be welcomed news to the Martin’s.
“I’m really sorry for the inconvenience,” I began, “but we have no rooms available for an early check-in at this time.”
The Martin’s stared at me as if I had spoken in a foreign language.
“Excuse me?” asked Mrs. Martin, shaking her head.
“You see,” I continued, “the hotel was completely sold-out last night, and I don’t have a clean room to check you into.”
The Martin’s expression didn’t change. I must have still been speaking a foreign tongue.
“In fact,” I further explained, “Nobody has even checked out of the hotel yet this morning.”
There was a brief moment of silence as my words hung in the air, slowly being processed by the couple.
“What are you telling us?” Mrs. Martin asked.
I decided to explain it in the most elementary terms possible.
“If you were to go and open every door to every room on this property, you’d find a guest still in their room,” I said. “You’re going to have to wait for someone to check out, then wait for housekeeping to clean the room, and THEN you may check-in to the hotel.”
I couldn’t spell it out any clearer.
“But we requested an early check-in,” Mr. Martin lamented. “I even put in my reservation we’d be here at 9.”
“I can see that,” I replied. “And I do apologize. But regardless of any request you made, I don’t have a vacant room ready at this time.”
“This is ridiculous!” cried Mr. Martin. “Why didn’t you keep a room empty last night if you knew we’d be here early today?”
Had he thought about what he had asked, Mr. Martin would have understood how ridiculous his statement sounded. Why would the hotel deliberately turn away profit to accommodate an early arrival the following day? Although I would have loved to vocalize my question, I kept it safely tucked away in my mind.
“Look,” Mrs. Martin said, “We have been driving for the last three hours. We have a wedding we need to attend at 11 o’clock, so we need to get into our room so we can shower and change. So, would you kindly let us check in now?”
I understood the Martins’ dilemma, but regardless of their individual circumstances, I simply did not have a vacant-ready room available.
“Ma’am” I replied, “If I had a vacant-ready room I’d be more than happy to give it to you right now. It doesn’t benefit me to refuse your request. But unfortunately, there are no empty rooms in this hotel at the moment, clean or dirty. I’m going to have to wait until someone checks out of the room type your reserved, and then have it cleaned before I can check you in.”
They both rolled their eyes and looked at each other in desperation.
“But when will that be?” Mrs. Martin cried.
I shrugged my shoulders. “Check-out time is noon, but it’s likely a guest will check out before then.”
“NOON?!” Mr. Martin repeated loudly, his voice growing louder with each word he spoke. “That’s unacceptable! I requested an early check-in, and I demand my room NOW.”
“Sir,” I said, trying to maintain a professional demeanor, “I’ve already stated that if I had a room to check you into right now, I would. But this isn’t a case of not wanting to meet your request. I simply can’t meet your request. There isn’t one vacant-ready room in this hotel available for an early check-in.”
“Maybe you’re not understanding our dilemma,” Mr. Martin began.
“No,” I replied. “I understand perfectly. You need to get into a room so you can prepare for any event you have in two hours. I am telling you I do not have a room to check you into.”
“But I made my request when I BOOKED MY ROOM!” The volume of Mr. Martin’s voice quickly escalated to shouting. His eyes stared into my soul and I could feel his anger.
THE RECKONING
As tempting as it was to shout my retort, I kept my cool and quietly said, “Yes, Mr. Martin. Just as you said: ‘your request’… the early check-in was never guaranteed.”
His eyes opened wide and I could tell by the look on his face I had caught him using his own words.
“Now,” I continued, “I will do everything in my power to get you into your room as soon as possible, but you’re going to have to wait for someone to check out, and then for housekeeping to service the room before you can check in. You two are certainly welcome to wait here in the lobby until that happens. Or, if you’d like, you could leave your phone number and I’ll call you as soon as your room is ready.” Then with a big smile, I added, “which do you prefer?”
The situation finally registered with the Martins. They knew they were going to have to wait for a guest to vacate their room before an early check-in would be possible. Quietly, Mr. Marin said, “We’ll wait here in the lobby.”
“But, Sean…” the woman said, following the man to a sofa in the lobby. I’m sure she pled their case to him, but fortunately for me, Mr. Martin seemed to understand they were trying to get water out of a stone.
About 30 minutes later, the guest in room 522 checked out of his suite. I made a quick call to housekeeping, and approximately 30 minutes after that, the housekeeper called the front desk to notify me that the room was ready to occupy.
I then called the Martins over to the desk and completed the check-in process. There was very little small-talk or congeniality. It was strictly a business transaction with much anxiety on their part.
Some items in a hotel simply cannot be guaranteed because of the variables – both seen and unforeseen – which impact the property. Scenic views, floor levels, connecting rooms and even bed-types are requests often met by the front desk staff – but aren’t always feasible.
Despite the stress and frustration, though, it does often feel good to accommodate a request, but it’s never a guarantee.
In the end, the Martin’s request was met. They were allowed access to their room almost five-hours before the appointed check-in hour – quite an early check-in indeed.
Deven Matthews is a hotelier who has worked in the hotel industry for more than 23 years. A professor of hotel management at the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas, Deven enjoys instructing the future managers of Las Vegas hotels. He holds a master’s degree in business management and is fascinated by all things hospitality. When not immersed in hotels, Deven enjoys playing the piano and spending time with his wife and their six children.
