Friday, August 24, 2007

My Faith In Humanity

In May, I posted about a couple who left their baby at home and took a baby monitor out with them whilst they had drinks in the hotel (one which wouldn't work due to the range). 3 months on, I feel an update is needed.


I have now seen people take baby monitors into the bar on 5 separate occasions. This is despite the high profile of the Madeleine McCann case, and the warnings/advice that has come up as a result.

I'm forced to ask, do people really think taking a baby monitor with them into the bar whilst they leave their child at home/in their room, is a sound precaution? Is this seen as the new, economic and effective way to ensure a child's safety, whilst the parents are away?


Appalled as I am by everyone who brings a baby monitor into the bar, I was especially disgusted at the guests who were in last night.


I was walking past one of the bar's closed off seating areas when I heard what sounded like a TV. Knowing we don't have a television in that room, I entered to investigate.

The room was deserted, but I could still hear this slight static noise.

As I stood still and tried to pin-point its origin, I heard a sob.

The sob turned into a wail.

It was then that I found a baby monitor sat on the floor next to one of the sofas.


Taking a baby monitor out with you instead of hiring a babysitter is one thing, but to then abandon the baby monitor?!


I returned to the bar and announced to the crowd that I had found a baby monitor next door, and that the baby was crying - Admittedly, I was trying to shame the parents

However, what destroyed my faith in humanity was not that people had taken a baby monitor out with them and then abandoned it, but instead:-


The reaction I got from the crowd


No one cared. No one! Everyone listened to my announcement, realised it didn't relate to them, and then continued their conversations!

I'm sorry, but that just makes me feel sick...

Saturday, August 18, 2007

My Crying Guests

I'm sure every barman has at some point or another had a customer cry in their bar.

I was reading Manuel's blog 'Well Done Fillet', and was appalled by his story of the mother and daughter birthday duo, where the daughter abandons her mother to hang out with her friends (HAS to be read!!)

I'm not sure where people break down in tears more, restaurants or bars, though I would be interested in opinions - Having worked only in bars, not restaurants, I have no comparison


It's always a challenge to know what to do when a guest starts crying in the bar. Harsh as this sounds, being a hotel bar we have the added problem of whether or not the guest is actually staying at the hotel or just 'visiting the bar'. If they're staying in the hotel we can't kick them out as we have no closing time, so they could theoretically sit in the bar all night - one guest stayed till 5am, when I eventually managed to convince her to go to bed


If a crying guest is sitting at the back of the bar, I take it that chances are they don't want to be talked to.

If a crying guest is sat at the bar, I figure they may want someone to talk to. However, at the same time, they may just want to have someone close to them, they may not in fact want to be spoken to.

Dilemmas!!


My first step is usually to approach the guest with a tissue. Depending on their reaction, I can then decide whether or not to attempt to speak with them. If they start talking to me, I'll have a chat with them. If not, I'll ask if they're alright, and then leave them alone.

If I am very busy, I sadly do not have the time to check on crying guests, let alone go over their problems with them. In these cases, I usually direct a manager towards them.

With some guests though, it's difficult to determine if they are genuinely upset or just somewhat loopy...


My most 'entertaining' crying guest sat at the bar sobbing for 5 minutes, and then burst into laughter, giggling to herself for another 5 minutes, before lapsing back into sobs. This continued for about 4 hours.

She chatted to me for the duration of this episode, telling me her tears were tears of joy, and that she was just really happy! Hmm...

By the time I finally managed to convince her to go to bed she could barely walk, so I offered to help her. Before we set off she insisted on hugging me, and when we got to her room she hugged me again... She then kissed me and tried to pull me into her room!

I gently explained to her that I couldn't come in, and left her. However, the night manager told me the next day that he had 4 calls from her, asking if the barman was still around and requesting room service.


Crying Guests, not something I was ever trained in how to deal with...

Sunday, August 12, 2007

My Complaint

Again, sorry about the lack of posts. The hotel is still ridiculously understaffed and we seem to be losing people on a daily basis. This means that I am working on average, 14 hours a day, and 6 days a week.

Anyway, I thought I'd give some guidelines on how to complain, so as to get the most out of the hotel, in terms of complimentary gifts.


1) DO NOT complain about petty things - It just makes you seem petty and the hotel will gently try to appease you, but not go out of its way. Additionally, they will take serious complaints less seriously if you complain about everything

2) AVOID getting angry - There is a time and a place for you to raise your voice, and that is when you have complained and nothing has been done. If you get angry straight away, it may mean your problem is resolved more quickly, but the staff will dislike you and will try to avoid you

3) DO NOT try to be clever, patronising, or demeaning - This one really needs an example, but I'll leave that to the end.

4) BE polite - There is no need to be rude or swear whilst making a complaint. Entertainingly, I watched someone make a complaint to a manager, only to be told that if he swore again whilst they were talking in a public area, the manager wouldn't care about the complaint and would just throw him out.

5) BE good humoured - There is a limit to this I admit, especially if the establishment is making really big, stupid, mistakes. However, if you joke with the staff member who you are lodging the complaint with they'll tend to work much harder for you, not just in the short term whilst dealing with the complaint, but also throughout the rest of the evening


I mentioned that I would include an example. This was a complaint I received recently, where the guest did none of the above.


The guest called me over by snapping his fingers at me. Having arrived at his table, he presented me with the bar menu and told me to read out loud the description for the 'Chicken Caesar Salad', which he was eating.

I read it out and it finishes with '....topped with hot chicken'. He then basically yelled at me, that his chicken was not hot and clearly had not been hot for a long time (this was due to a new chef who did not realise the chicken should be hot). He went on to reel off a list of complaints, including a running joke within his company about how long it takes to check into the hotel when they stay, and the tone of my voice when I said 'no' answering an earlier question!

I apologised profusely, refunded the meal, and offered him anything off the menu complimentary.

However, this guest had in my eyes shown me absolutely no respect and treated me like a child. He would have received much better service from me throughout the rest of the evening if he had actually been polite, good-humoured, and calm. Additionally, he wouldn't have had the rest of the staff deliberately avoiding him.


Oh, additionally, never snap your fingers at a waiter. It's demeaning and I tend to deliberately ignore people who do it at me unless I'm looking right at them when they do it.