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How To Handle A Scottsdale Hotel

October 19, 2007

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Your plane is late, you had to wait for the car rental shuttle, you get lost on your way to the hotel and by now you are one unhappy camper. You have been looking forward to this golf trip to Scottsdale with your buddies for some time now and it is not getting off to a very good start. So, you arrive at your destination and the hotel front desk clerk can't find your reservation – what do you do?

A. Stand there and yell bloody murder until you get what you want.

B. Cry

C. Throw your weight around with your hotel "honors" status.

D. Smile and say there must be a mistake, here is my confirmation.

My advice is to take a deep breath and choose option D. Here's why: if that front desk person is any good they will sense your frustration when you walk up to the counter, cheerfully offer apologies for the airline, the car rental company and even Mapquest! They will get you a bottle of water and make you comfortable while they figure things out. If you don't hold your temper in check you will not only get a headache and feel rotten about it later but you will be branded as a PG (problem guest) – no matter how nice you are later this stigma will follow you for the duration of your stay! You do not want this! Even the maids will know about the jerk in 211 and worse, the kitchen. Keep smiling- it lowers the blood pressure and you are more than likely to get a free upgrade for your trouble. Maybe even a suite!

Being Nice Won't Kill You

If you remain polite and understanding about how "these things will happen" you will get a lot more attention than waving your arms around and getting upset. Accepting a situation as a simple misunderstanding may get you rewards you would never expect or ask for, the hotel may even comp your 1st night, or buy you dinner in the restaurant. If the front desk can't seem to get things squared away, politely ask for the MOD (manager on duty), explain your situation calmly and let him or her figure it out. They want to help you and they will. Then after a good night's rest you will view your surroundings in a different light, hotel staff will greet you by name, apologize for any inconvenience they may have caused you, and offer any additional assistance you may require. They will go out of their way to see that the rest of your stay is A+ – All because you chose to be nice instead of a jerk. Works every time!