Stupid Guest Tricks

Edited for space, quoted pertinent info re: my post

DisneyChick7 wrote:1. WALKS!!! The pure joy of telling a family who saved a lifetime to stay at one particular hotel that they can't stay there even though they booked a reservation 4 years ago for it (being slightly sarcastic, but you get the point). This process has had people scream, cry, threaten my job, and- my personal favorite - literally throw their luggage at me out of anger. LOVE the walks!! By far this was the worst thing I ever had to do as a CM - even worse than dealing with a family who had just lost a loved one - because I feel this is a completely avoidable situation that is unfair to put guests into.

Okay, so I have been searching threads everywhere to look at everything that is said about the resorts and came across this old gem of a thread!
About these *walks*...How can the Hotel do this? I assume it is due to overbooking, but also could be a number of other things, even on the guests part OR their TA who never confirmed or jumped through the proper hoops to get that dream Resort Hotel.

If someone has a ressie and it is confirmed, how can they not get their room? This kind of makes me a little trepidatious, although we are on the Platinum Package and so far we have always used this for WDW, it simplifies our trip in a huge way! We have had stellar service and give stellar comments and praise back. We treat our CMs like royalty, but you already know that we LOVE our CM's!!!! :D:

Can this happen to anyone? HOW does this happen? I am sure that it has to be one of the most humiliating, sorrowful, depressing things a CM can do. :( How do you tell a family of 5 they won't be staying in their dreamed of Deluxe at 3AM? How do you walk them to another Hotel and explain that someone else made a VERY BAD decision. I am sure since YOU are the only CM in listening distance as you walk them at 3AM, you are going to get an earful. (That would be not be right to blame you, unless you WERE the CM who made the snafu in the first place, but I doubt that, THAT CM is fast asleep in his/her nice warm bed, totally unaware of what they just did to a family of 5 from Kansas on their first trip to WDW that they saved forever to do, just so they could stay at the Contemporary or the Poly or GF. That CM is probably dreaming of doing indecent things with the Princesses and Goofy in a greased up waterbed.)

What happens to the poor guests? Do they get transferred to another Deluxe? If this were the case, I might be angry about the snafu, but as long as I were given equal accomodations, that would be good. If they downsized me, you better believe I would become a raving SG, or maybe that would not be an SGT at all, maybe I would have the right to rave if Disney screwed up a ressie that bad and put me at ASMu! NOT. A. CHANCE. IN. HELL.

I won't stay at the Values, not because I am a Hotel snob. (tho that may be a part of it. ;) ) I LOVE to stay in Hotels with great amenities and I am one who would go stay in a hotel right here in Downtown Denver (tho not when the DNC is here in town ) just to stay in a hotel and have the luxury of not making the bed and having room service. I LOVE room service! I love to be pampered on my vacations. With no kidlets of our own, we enjoy the adult amenties and like peace and quiet of the Deluixe Resort Hotels. (as much as can be had at a Disney destination, that is why I am not so sure about booking a Disney Cruise, I am afraid of too many kids on a boat...far away from land...too far to swim away from said kids... )

I just could not take the values, Too many children and I hear they are laid out like motels with all the doors on the outside where you can hear EVERYTHING. And I am not sure a giant Bowling pin is the nicest of veiws from my room...not my cup of tea for a vacation...I like swaying palm trees and coconut-pineapple drinks, no rum in mine but definitely rum in Ralph's! :p:

Give me Massages with a greek god masseur ;) hahahaha and steam rooms and towel animals on my bed ;) and well themed pools and a hammock by the lake and soft carpeted corridors with beautifully appointed rooms and stellar service from the most gracious CMs on earth. Give me the Concierge Lounge for snacks and drinks and a place to read the paper or just relax with a good book for a few hours away from the hustle and bustle of the Parks! Give me a whirlpool bathtub in my room and a view of Seven Seas Lagoon from the 14th floor of the Contemporary or the beach of the Poly. Ahhhhh....That is MY idea of a great stay ay a hotel. I also need to add excellent restaurants (with Tonga Toast...Mmmmm!!!) and a very good steak or salmon dish for dinner.
continued next post...
sues

Continued from previous post above^^^^^^^

*Walks.* What a term. When I think of that I see Ralphie and me holding hands, walking on a beach somewhere!!! (Hawaii would be nice with that purple sunset of Hobie's!)

And boy, oh, boy, Disney would have to make it up to me with everything I wanted (to a point.) IF I were downsized to a moderate or worse, a Value... :mad: There would be some major butt to lip contact on this one. Disney kissing my big butt for screwing up something THAT BIG in a trip! A Hotel is the first thing we always check out and then decide on. It is a CRUCIAL choice in our vacation, for the amenties, pool choice and restaurants, etc...etc...to the stay for us, and for most other's, I would think.

If I were to end up at a Value instead, that would not be good. You would see thermonuclear heat emitting from my ears at that point. Actually, at that point, I would probably try to find an available room ANYWHERE at one of the offsite hotels for the night and would probably fly home the next day and rebook a trip with a stay at one of the nicer Deluxe OFF site hotels, or try to find a very good Hotel off site to stay at.

CM's, Any thoughts about this practice of *Walks*? And I would think they would have to put them in a resort Hotel of equal quality, right????....After all it is Disney and Magic and...and well...I guess not... :( we all know that bad things happen! :twisted:

Zazu, I think you might know, having worked at a Resort Hotel what this is all about and how it happens and what happens from there. Any other CMs from resorts, please add what you know and think.

Just for the record, I would NEVER, NEVER take it out on the poor CM who had to deliver the news. NEVER shoot the messenger, there is always the man behind the curtain who pulled this really heinous snafu and I would be gunning for the name of whoever made the mistake. Whether or not he is dreaming of a fivesome with the Princesses and Goofy, I would be after his nekked ass! I would want the name of the idiot who caused this to happen.
That is not acceptable in my book and I sure would be writing Disney about it.

Please Enlighten me all you CMs with Resort Hotel experience and knowledge. How does this happen and why? And what is done for the guests? I am very curious after reading of this. I had never heard of such a thing before.
sues

Not a Disney example…a different company…. but honestly, I never came across a time when our central reservation office made a mistake. Now, the problem would come when people would modify their reservations, but modify them wrong so that they made them a month later than what they wanted, etc. but actually bring in their original reservation and hold it in my face and say “Look here!” Then I would type that confirmation # into the computer and see the trail of modifications. All kinds of bad things happened and sometimes we had to turn people away if we were full, as we often were. It was a costly mistake for the Guests and I felt bad about it…but double-checking your work helped during middle school math tests and it helps with reservations.

Oh, the other bad one… when guests had other people make their reservations for them! Never never do this if you can help it! Lots of messes happened because of that. Make your own reservation, listen to the rules they tell you on the phone/send in email, and bring you confirmation with you! (You would be surprised how many people didn’t show up with a confirmation number or some evidence that they actually made a reservation.)

I felt bad for people that had spent the whole day traveling only to find out we didn’t have a place open during their entire stay or that we had no room for them at all, but it certainly happened and "ruined" many vacations... 99.9% of the time because of guest error. Our computers were physically incapable of overbooking and, while CRO people made infrequent mistakes, there's a reason they call it a "confirmation letter".

I'd like to hear a Resorts CM story though...
nick

I know that some people on another board would laugh, but I make all my own hotel reservations and dining reservations with the assist of the CM's, online at the e-mail for the resort planning. I even made delivery arrangements for some special gifts to the room, from the Disney flourist.

And I have never been disappointed. The truth is, it's not that hard. I like planning all the stuff (with DW's input of course)

I guess it comes from having to travel a lot for work, and making my own arrangements for flights, hotels, rental cars, etc., sometimes on the spur of the moment. (getting a hotel room while driving toward a city for example!)

And the fact that Disney sends you a confirmation to an e-mail of your choice eliminates the worry, as you can see everything (and make corrections if necessary)

The only suprise was on our last trip to WDW, we had a V&A reservation on our list, when we arrived, that we didn't make! Turns out there was another guest with the same name as mine, staying at Animal Kingdom that had made the reservations. They successfully transferred it to his conf. number!

The only "walk" I have heard of on another board X was that someone got upgraded to another hotel, but I have never heard of Disney "downgrading" someone.

GRUMPY PIRATE wrote:I know that some people on another board would laugh, but I make all my own hotel reservations and dining reservations with the assist of the CM's, online at the e-mail for the resort planning. I even made delivery arrangements for some special gifts to the room, from the Disney flourist.

And I have never been disappointed. The truth is, it's not that hard. I like planning all the stuff (with DW's input of course)

I guess it comes from having to travel a lot for work, and making my own arrangements for flights, hotels, rental cars, etc., sometimes on the spur of the moment. (gettinghotel room while driving toward a city for example!) a

And the fact that Disney sends you a confirmation to an e-mail of your choice eliminates the worry, as you can see everything (and make corrections if necessary)

The only suprise was on our last trip to WDW, we had a V&A reservation on our list, when we arrived, that we didn't make! Turns out there was another guest with the same name as mine, staying at Animal Kingdom that had made the reservations. They successfully transferred it to his conf. number!

The only "walk" I have heard of on another board X was that someone got upgraded to another hotel, but I have never heard of Disney "downgrading" someone.

Just HAD to highlight that one GP. YOU? Talk on the telephone while at the wheel of a car? Oh the shame......

Back to your regularly scheduled thread on Hotel *Walks*
Zazu where are you? YOu are a fount of information and have worked at Resorts. I KNOW you could answer this one. :)

Princess Susi wrote:Just HAD to highlight that one GP. YOU? Talk on the telephone while at the wheel of a car? Oh the shame......

Back to your regularly scheduled thread on Hotel *Walks*
Zazu where are you? YOu are a fount of information and have worked at Resorts. I KNOW you could answer this one. :)

Umm, it that instance I was a passenger. Another employee working for me was driving. (and I do have a hands free module when I need it!)

GRUMPY PIRATE wrote:Umm, it that instance I was a passenger. Another employee working for me was driving. (and I do have a hands free module when I need it!)

Okay, you scallywag! You're off the hook...for now...But we will catch you doing something you aren't supposed to be...after all you are a pirate now, aren't you?

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...... :pirate2:


;)

Princess Susi wrote:Okay, you scallywag! You're off the hook...for now...But we will catch you doing something you aren't supposed to be...after all you are a pirate now, aren't you?

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...... :pirate2:


;)

Hmm, the trick is to always know where the cameras are!! and how to pull the video if you need it!!

subbing to find out the answer on the "walks"

Princess Susi wrote:About these *walks*...How can the Hotel do this? I assume it is due to overbooking, but also could be a number of other things, even on the guests part OR their TA who never confirmed or jumped through the proper hoops to get that dream Resort Hotel.

It happens. We don't like it, but there's generally nothing the front desk staff can do about it.

Why? Two reasons, in my experience. The first is a screw up by CRO. Some days, the sillies just sell more rooms than we have. Oh sure, some GSM gets on the blower and reams somebody a new one, but at least we get a few days to prepare for it.

The other reason why we might have to walk a guest is because of defective rooms. Usually the result of guest damage, but things can break, and it's not always possible to fix them immediately.

We try *never* to downgrade when we walk a guest. The Big Toaster generally walks guests to the Village People or the Red Roof Inn so they're still on the monorail. If their new room costs less, they get the difference refunded, and often a free meal as an apology.

It often happens at 3 a.m. because there are occasional no-shows, and unless they're concierge or DME, we don't know when they're due to arrive. With luck, that last guest never arrives.

When we do know that trouble is on the way (and CRO never seems to screw up by just one room), we start asking arriving guests if they'd like a complimentary "upgrade" to the GF. (One assumes the GF offers "upgrades" to us, too.) Often this will move enough guests to resolve the issue. When it doesn't, the last guest in loses.

We sometimes use the term "walking" when a guest takes one look at their room and decides it Just Won't Do. We then try to get somebody else to take them. This can be difficult, because the other hotels know in advance this guest will be a PITA.

As for it being the worst thing I can tell a guest, forget it. It's not even in the top ten.