‘Don’t book Expedia’: Hotel worker issues 8 things you should never do when visiting a hotel
Travel etiquette isn't always clear-cut, so one TikToker took it upon herself to educate her followers on the dos and don’ts of staying at a hotel. MamafromArkansas (@mamafromarkansas) shared her insights in a video that has garnered over 284,000 views since its upload on July 23.
“I work a front desk at a hotel and I’m gonna read off a list of things you should not do as someone who is coming to visit a hotel,” MamafromArkansas started.
She then promptly went through her list. Here are 8 things to (pretty please) avoid doing at hotels, according to someone who would know.
Don’t show up late for your reservation
MamaFromArkansas’s first point on her list is on lateness. In some cases, arriving the day after the reservation date means a room will no longer be available.
“The first one: do not show up the day after your reservation thinking you’re gonna check in to a reservation,” she warned.
“It has gone into no-show and we no longer have that reservation because you did not show up for the reservation on the date you said you were going to show up.”
Don’t use third-party booking websites
The second point on MamaFromArkansas's list addressed using popular travel booking sites.
“Do not book [with] third-party [booking sites]. Don’t book with Expedia,” she warned.
According to MamaFromArkansas, if there's a problem with the reservation, the hotel won't be able to assist.
“What’s gonna happen is your reservation’s gonna get lost. You need a refund. You need to cancel... something’s gonna happen and we cannot touch that reservation because you booked third-party; you have to call the third party. It’s the same as if you ordered DoorDash and the restaurant messes up your order, they tell you ‘Hey, we can’t fix that. You have to call DoorDash,’” she explained.
We've reached out to Expedia about this for a response.
Don’t ignore the confirmation email
A minor mistake, such as choosing the wrong dates, can result in not having a room. This problem happens more often than one might think.
“Do not get mad at an employee because you booked the wrong dates for the reservation. It’s not our fault and we send you a confirmation via email so that’s your fault for not booking the correct dates and not double-checking yourself.”
No means no
“If you call and ask if we have availability on a certain date and we tell you no, please don’t ask four more times if I’m sure that we have availability.”
MamafromArkansas assures the audience she’s not mistaken. If she said no, it’s a definite no.
“I’m looking right at the screen and it’s not giving me any inventory for those dates,” she clarified.
Don’t let your kids run wild while you're drunk
Another item on her "do not do" list: Inebriated parents leaving their children unsupervised.
“Please do not bring your kids to an event whether it be sporting, school, whatever, and let them run amuck in the hotel and tear things up while you’re at the bar getting drunk.”
Don’t rush to a bad review
In the next point, she explains her frustration with guests who leave negative reviews without first giving the hotel the chance to remedy the problems.
“Please do not leave the hotel if you’ve had issues, and you do not let us know, and then leave and give us a bad review. You did not give us an opportunity to fix your issues so why would you write a bad review?” she asked.
Don’t make assumptions about amenities
Next, MamaFromArkansas advises patrons to thoroughly research the hotel and its amenities before making a reservation to ensure that the hotel can meet their specific needs.
“Do not book a reservation at a hotel before you’ve [...] looked and see what amenities that hotel has to offer,” she explained.
“If you want free breakfast, maybe make sure that [the] hotel offers free breakfast.”
Don’t wait until the last minute if you need to cancel
She wraps up her list with a quick reminder about what happens if you wait too long to cancel your reservation.
“And last, but not least, please do not be the person that thinks that policies do not apply to you. We have a 24-hour cancellation policy which means if you call the day of your reservation, you’re gonna get charged the late cancellation fee and at my property, it is for the entire rate for the first night. That is it. That is all.”
At the finale, MamafromArkansas makes a playful announcement: “Now that I’ve given you a tutorial on how to act and things not to do at a hotel, I do expect to have better interactions with y’all.”
'It backfired obviously'
When the Daily Dot contacted MamaFromArkansas, she shared her thoughts on the experience of her video going viral.
“So I originally started making the videos because I get yelled at a lot and guests get upset with us a lot simply because they don’t understand how hotels work… policies and such. I thought it would maybe help people understand why certain situations happen and even try to prevent them from happening. Making our jobs at the front desk easier and making guests [stay] more pleasant,” she wrote.
@mamafromarkansas Somebody had to tell y’all how to act #hotelworker #frontdeskchronicles #frontdesklife #fyp #MamaFromArkansas ♬ original sound - MamaFromArkansas
There were, however, some people who did not receive the video as she intended.
“It backfired obviously. I got tons of backlash from people who don’t work at hotels. Well, the entitled people. Some people were appreciative of the information. Some people didn’t like [the] way I delivered the information so they didn’t receive the message well. However[,] I gained quite a few followers, a lot of them also work at hotels so they understand.”
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