Guest Complaints – sometimes you have to see the funny side!

A Guest Complaint – sometimes you have to see the funny side!

Guest Complaints: The fact is, working in the hospitality industry, means you’ll be on the end of at least one guest complaint, demand or funny request during your career.

We asked our Your Hospitality Hub readers for some of their funniest or most bizarre guest complaints and stories.

I remember yung safety deposit box ginawang microwave ni guest tapos nag complain sya bakit di daw umiinit. Yung tatawa ka ba sa harap ni guest kung pano sasabihin. Buhay hotelier

I remember a guest thought a safety deposit box was a microwave oven and proceeded to complain, asking why their food wouldn’t heat up.  Are you going to laugh in front of the guest and come up with ways to tell them? Hotelier life!

Guest Complaint: “I need more ‘necklaces’ you don’t give enough”.

Front Office: “I’m sorry Ma’am, Necklaces?”

Guest:  “Yes necklaces … necklaces, I don’t know word”

So she drew it for me; the guest needed more coat hangers!

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Guest Complaint: “I was looking at your In-House Spa brochure in my room, and I have a question”

Front Office: “Yes Ma’am”

Guest: “Exactly how small must your face be to qualify for the mini-facial?”

Front Office: ?!

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Guest: “I’d like to Check-in please”

Front Office: “Certainly Sir.  Your reservation is under what name?”

Guest: “Mine” (but he doesn’t give me his name; it’s going to be one of those days!)

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Guest Complaint: “Bakit wala kayo bathmat?”

…pagtingin mo pinupunas sa buhok!!!

Guest Complaint: “Why don’t you have bathmats?”

…and when staff go and double check, they see the guest has been using it to dry her hair!!!

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Yung ng complain sya na nawala daw yung Nike shoes nya tapos pumunta sya sa information para magwala. Sino daw pumasok sa room nya. Pag review ng CCTV wala naman pumasok. Ang ending nandon lang naka lagay sa ilalim ng bag nya..haha SAKLAP.

We had a guest complain that their pair of Nike shoes are missing. The guest came to Front Desk and got mad, demanding to know who went in their room. We reviewed our CCTV and confirmed with the guest that nobody entered their room. In the end, they found their shoes just under their bag!

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(Late Arrival) Guest Complaint: “Ang dilim ng kwarto pag pasok namin!”

“The room was too dark when we entered!”

(Standard procedure to set room to Turn Down Service (dimmed lights, bed turned down, chocolate on the pillow) for guests checking in late at night)
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Nagwala si Guest dahil nawawala Iphone nya. Sure daw sya sa hotel lang naiwan. Nataranta na sila lahat kasi nakapag checkout na. Nagcheck sa Icloud last location talagang sa hotel. Si husband galit na humingi ulit ng key para i-check. Sabi ko mam baka napasok niyo lang sa maleta niyo o sa mga gamit niyo, talagang wala daw galit na? Tapos nakalipas ang ilang minuto…kaya pala nasa hotel yung location kasi yung maleta nya nasa hotel lang napasok nya lang sa ibang gamit nya! Panay sorry after. Galit na ako mam!

Guest went wild because their iPhone was missing. They were sure that it was left at the hotel. They were panicking because they had already checked out. They verified on iCloud that it was indeed in the hotel. The Husband was angrily demanding their old room key to check the room again.

I asked the wife if perhaps she put it in her luggage or with her things, the wife angrily says ‘No! it’s not there’. After a few minutes… no wonder the iphone was located in the hotel; her luggage was still at the hotel and she had placed the phone inside it! The guest kept saying sorry after. I’m already angry Ma’am!

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Guest: “We went to the Water Park you recommended today”

Front Office:  “Did you have a nice time Ma’am”

Guest:  “No, we didn’t actually”

Front Office: “I’m sorry to hear that.  Why didn’t you have a nice time”

Guest Complaint:  “Because we needed our swimming costumes to go in the pool and use the slides, and YOU didn’t tell us we’d need them”

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Yung guest na magcomplain na yung hotel namin lang ang may protocol na until 10:00pm lang ang visitors. First time nakapasok ng hotel bes.

We had a Guest that complained about hotel protocol that visitors are only allowed until 10:00pm, saying we’re the only hotel that has such protocols. Is it their first time to stay in a hotel?!

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Guest: “Anong oras kaya ako aalis bukas miss, may flight ako to HK ng 6am?”

Front Office: “Hmm 3 hours before your flight po pag international. So mga 3am”

Guest: “Sobbbrang aga naman nyan miss! Parang ako magbubukas ng airport sa aga ah!”

Guest: “What time do I need to leave tomorrow Miss, I have a flight to Hong Kong at 6am?”

Front Office: “Hmm 3 hours before your flight Sir, since it’s International. So around 3am”

Guest: “That’s too early Miss! That’s so early that I feel like I’m the one who will be opening the airport!”

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Yung tinapay na binalik after 20 days kasi amoy gasolina daw

Guest returns bread after 20 days, complaining that it smells like gasoline

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Sa ilalim ng TV, meron sensor para sa remote ng TV and Digibox combined.

Guest: Miss, meron kasing bilog sa ilalim ng TV, ano to, CAMERA?
Me: ay hindi po sir, sensor po yan para sa TV.

He asked this a day after the Halik scandal episode of Ace and Jade!

Under the TV’s in our rooms there’s a combined sensor for the remotes of the TV and Digibox.

Guest: “Miss, there’s a circle under the TV, what is that? A CAMERA?!”
Me: “No sir, just a sensor for the TV”

He asked this a day after the ‘Scandal Episode’ in the TV Series Halik, where a hotel video of Ace and Jade is released!

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Guest: “Are there real peanuts in the peanut butter ice cream?  Because I’m allergic to peanuts”

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A guest approached Front Office at 8:30am in the morning:

Guest: “Hi, I’m here to check in”
Front Office: “Okay, I can check you in now and, if you want to go off sightseeing, we can store your luggage until your room is available at 2pm”
Guest: “But I need my room now, I’m going to a wedding at 11am and I need to shower and change”.
Front Office: “I’m really sorry Ma’am but check in is as at 2pm, as stated on our website and in the Booking Confirmation email”
Guest “But I need my room now, to shower and change”
Front Office: “Okay, what I can do is give you a pass for the gym and you can shower and dress in the changing rooms”
Guest: “no, that’s not acceptable, I need my room”
Front Office: “Ma’am, I am really sorry but your room is not available. We are fully booked and there is a guest in there who is still sleeping”
Guest: “I’m not showering and changing in a gym. I need a room”
Front Office: (Checking the system) “Okay, I have a vacant room from an early check-out this morning. I can offer you this but please understand that it has not been cleaned yet”
Guest: “Okay, give me that room”.
Front Office: “You understand that this is a temporary room so you can shower and change, and it hasn’t yet been cleaned? We’ll provide you with clean towels for your shower and we will check your bags in to your actual room later when it is vacant”
Guest: “Yes, Yes”

Pass the key, Guest leaves Front Desk. Not less than 3 minutes later I get a phone call from the ‘temporary’ room
Guest: (Yelling) “THIS ROOM IS ******* FILTHY!!!!”

I wish I hadn’t bothered and just told her at the start ‘If you needed the room before 2pm you should have booked it for two nights and arrived yesterday, or booked and paid for an early check-in’

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Guest:  “Does the Tuna Rice Bowl, come with Rice?”

(Ummm clue’s in the name of the dish Ma’am!)

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Wala daw makuhang signal ang guest nang WiFi. Pagtingin ko sa laptop niya naka off ang WiFi niya.

A Guest complained that there is no Wi-Fi signal. When I went to check in their room, I looked at their laptop and the Wi-Fi setting was switched off!

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Guest Complaint: “Maghapong walang nag linis ng room ko”
Front Office: “naka on yung Do Not Disturb”

Guest: “My room was not cleaned all day.”
Front Office: “Sir, you put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. We do not clean if you put out the sign asking us not to disturb you”

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Cruise Guest seated on ‘The Captains Table’: “Captain? How far above Sea Level are we right now?”
Captain: ?! “6 Decks”

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Counter Staff:  “Good Morning, what would you like to order”
Customer: “Can I have a Chocolate Soy Milkshake please, with extra ice cream”
Counter Staff: “Oh I’m sorry, we don’t have soy or vegan ice cream here, only dairy ice cream”
Customer: “That’s okay I can have a little bit of dairy”

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A Cruise Guest telephoned the Pursers Desk from inside her room, she was really panicking.
Guest: “I can’t work out how to get out of my room!”
Purser: “Have you accidentally turned the lock on the door?”
Guest: (Panicked voice) “Which one? I have two doors; one is the bathroom and I’ve just come out of there”
Purser: “Did you lock the other door by accident?”
Guest: “I can’t use that door, it has a Do Not Disturb sign on the door handle”.
Purser: “Ma’am, that is your cabin door.  The sign is placed on the handle on the back of the door, inside your room, for you to use should you not want to be disturbed during your voyage”
Guest: “Oh….. oops!”

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Front Office: Sir, since you will be staying with us for nth nights, we will collect an Incidental Deposit of ****. It is refundable upon check-out.

Guest: But I’ve booked through a Travel Agency, and I’ve checked-in many times at different hotels through the same travel agency and they don’t collect deposits from ME (DUH!! All hotels have their different policies)

Front Office: Sir, But it is a Refundable Deposit, in case you want to Order something from the Hotel you may charge the bill to your room.

Guest: Kayo lang ang unang Hotel na nag collect ng deposit sakin. Eto oh $100. Pakilagay mo din sa resibo ang serial number. If you don’t trust me, i don’t trust you.

(Guest: You are the first hotel that ever collected a deposit from me. Here’s $100. Please put the serial number on the receipt. If you don’t trust me, I don’t trust you.)

Pa check-in check-in pa tapos nagagalit sa mga policies. Pag walang Policy/Rules Mam and Sir, walang Regulations

(You like checking-in but you get mad at the policies. If there are no Policy/Rules Mam and Sir, there will be no regulations)

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Guest Complaint: Miss bakit hindi lumalamig yung AC sa room namin. Pa check naman please.”

Front Office: “Okay po Sir. Check nalang po namin. BTW Sir, na try na po ba nating i adjust yung temp ng AC?”

Guest: “Yes Miss, na adjust na namin siya. Naka full na nga hanggang 30 kasi idol namin si Du30”

Guest Complaint: “Miss why is the AC in my room not getting cold? Please check this.”

Front Office: “Okay, Sir we will check it. By the way, have you tried adjusting the temperature of the AC?”

Guest: “Yes Miss, we have adjusted it. It’s on full already at 30 degrees because DU30 is our idol”

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During check out, room attendant checks the mini bar for consumption. Ubos lahat. Sinisingil ko si guest. Akala libre daw (andun na nga price list eh hehe). Isosoli na lang daw niya, nasa maleta pala ung iba. Hehe. Yung naconsume binayaran na lang ni ate.

Di ko alam kung maaawa ako o matatawa.

During check out, one of our room attendants checks the guests room mini bar, for consumption. Everything was cleared out. So I added the mini bar charge to the final bill. The Guest said they thought the items were free (even though there was a price list right there). The Guest says they’ll just return the items, which were packed in their luggage. They paid for what was consumed at least.

I don’t know whether to feel sorry or laugh.

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I used to work for a budget hotel who happened na walang hygiene kit. Ayuun, nagwala si guest ng bonggang bongga at idedemanda nya daw kami.

I used to work for a budget hotel and, as with most budget hotels it didn’t include complementary toiletries. One Guest went wild about it and said she’d sue us!

Check out our article: Ditching Plastic: Managing Guest Expectations – is it time to move away from complementary toiletries?

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Yung sabi ng guest di daw gumagana keycard sa elevator. Yun pala tinatap nya mismo dun sa numbers ng floor hindi dun sa censor tapos sya pa galit.

A guest complained that their key card did not work in the elevator. It then became apparent the guest was tapping the floor numbers with the key card, instead of waving it in front of the sensor.  And the guest had the nerve to be angry at me.

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Wala daw power sa loob ng room, yun pala di naka insert keycard

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Nag clog yung toilet so si guest galit na galit kasi umaapaw na yung toilet so todo responde si engineering. After an hour tumawag si engineering sa FO, madam kaya pala barado kasi may pustiso at tooth brush sa toilet bowl ayun yung bumara… Hay!!! Made my day.

One Guest complained that their toilet was clogged and they were really upset because it was already overflowing. We sent up Engineering immediately. An hour later Engineering calls the Front Office to explain that the reason the toilet was clogged was because there were dentures and a tooth brush in the bowl. That made my day!

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Nawala ni guest ang ring para sa fiancé nya and ang sabi nasa room lang talaga daw. Pinahanap talaga ng todo ni guest, tumulong pa sa pag hahanap sa trash bag. In the end nasa bagahe lang pala.

A Guest lost the engagement ring for his fiancé and kept insisting it was in the room. He demanded a thorough search for it and even helped by looking in the trash bags. In the end, it was in his luggage all along.

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Guest Complaint: “My AC is not working.  I’m really not happy!”
Me: “Did you open your window?”
Guest : “Ah … okay” (yes it is)
Malamang buksan mo ba naman ang bintana di hindi nga lalamig ang kwarto!

Of course the room won’t be cold, if you open the window!

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Nag dine si guest. Pagtapos nila kumain, hinanap niya pustiso niya, nilagay nya lang daw sa baso na may water. Eh dinish-out na ni waiter. Nagalit, bakit daw dinish out eh andun nga daw pustiso nya. Hinanap kay steward. Wala. Kinalkal sa basurahan. Wala. Buti nlng napansin nung misis niya nasa bibig nya lang pala.

Lol. Natawa nlng si misis nya at natahimik siya sa hiya.

We had a dine in Guest. After eating he was looking for his dentures, claiming he put them in a glass of water. However, the waiter had already cleared the table (dished out). The Guest got mad, asking why the glass was removed when his dentures were in it. The Steward couldn’t find them. The trash was rummaged through but nothing was found. It’s a good thing the guest’s wife noticed that it he already had his dentures in, in his mouth!

The wife just ends up laughing while her husband was embarrassed into silence.

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Fruit placed inside the safety deposit box – what the?!

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Early Check-in:

Front Desk: “Okay, Please be back at 3pm for the room key”
Guest: “Ok”
Front Desk: (Hands receipt of payment to guest)
Guest: (Immediately asks) “Where is my room key?”

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Guest: “I will be giving the room to my sibling”
Front Office: “OK, under what name?”
Guest: “Ughhh, let me check on that”

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Miss may iniwan na keyk para sa akin….hanap sa concierge wala, wala din sa back office, binalikan si guest

me: mam ano po flavor?
guest: ha? keyyyyyy

me: susi mam susi nalang, wag na mag english, key yey yey ka dyan

(Guest: “Hi Miss, someone left a cake for me”… We looked for it at Concierge and Back Office, couldn’t find a cake anywhere. We ask the guest “Mam what flavor?”

Guest: “What?! Keyyyyyyy”

Me: Susi Ma’am just say susi, no need to say it in English, key yey yey)
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Guest Complaint: This Moscato is too sweet. Do you have a dry Moscato?

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Guest Complaint: I shouldn’t have to empty this vacuum cleaner bin

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Anytime a guest complains to you about the weather.

“Yeah, Sharon! Like I can do something about that!”

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Guest Complaint: “The mushroom risotto was too mushroomy”

Check out our article 10 Things Front Desk Agents wish they could tell you

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We had a guest make a booking, specifically requesting an outside table. She then complained that it was too hot outside and her guests weren’t prepared for it to be so hot. She told me that WE should have had hats and sunscreen available, for her guests, if they required it.

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One customer ordered 2 coffees at $8.50. She paid with $10 cash at the counter and I gave her $1.50 change. She then proceeded to walk off with someone else’s receipt that they left on the counter.  She sat down at a table and was studying it. She then comes back to the counter to tell me I’ve made an error because “$14.10 is too expensive for 2 coffees”   ?!

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I had someone screaming at me to put the ‘footie’ (football/soccer) on the television, at our bar. We don’t have any TV’s. I spent 15 minutes trying to explain to them we had no ‘tellies’, even pointing out the fact their are no TV’s anywhere. The customer demanded I rectify it immediately.

Yeah, right mate!

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As I’m putting a very hot plate in front of a customer, I say “be careful of the plate, it’s hot”
The customer instantly grabs the plate
Customer: “OUCH! That’s hot! Why didn’t you tell me?!”
Me: “I did. I just told you it was hot!”
Customer: “But you didn’t tell me it was THAT hot”

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Guest Complaint: “My sorbet is too cold! Perhaps you could mention to the chef’s that if they serve it on a plate, and not in a small bowl, it won’t be as cold as it’s not contained in this little thing”

I told the chef’s… they laughed.. so did I.

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I was working at a cafe. We had a small store room that was known among the staff as “the gimp room.”

We had two female customers one day, who really enjoyed their lunch. They enjoyed it so much they were joking with one of my team about wanting to live in the cafe. The girl, they were joking with didn’t know what a ‘gimp’ was; she just thought “gimp room” was another name for Store Room.

So she suggests to the ladies they could “just set up bunks in the gimp room” and laughs.

The look on their faces was priceless!

They awkwardly left, and then I explained to my colleague what a ‘gimp’ actually was. We were in hysterics!

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I had a customer tell me that they thought the Beef Tartare they’d just eaten was “a bit ordinary” and kindly suggested that I tell the chef that “he should consider cooking it a bit more next time”?!

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Guest Complaint: “How dare you sell me the last glass out of that bottle! Get me a new one now!”

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Customer: “Sorry, I spilt my beer all over the table. Can I have a new one for free?”
Me: “No sorry”
Customer: “Well that’s a bit rude”

No Sharon, what’s rude is you spilling your drink all over my table, and then demanding a new one for free.

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I had a guest who asked the hotel if they could turn off the NATURAL stream outside in the grounds, because it was keeping them awake (I thought it was tranquil!)

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Cruise:

Guest Complaint: “I’m getting really angry now, I need my sleep and it’s too noisy in my cabin.”

Purser:  “Oh, I’m really sorry to hear that, do you have noisy neighbours?”

Guest:  “No! It’s the damned Engines; can you stop them at night so I can sleep”

Purser: “I’m sorry Ma’am but that’s not possible”  (not unless you don’t want to visit the destinations on our itinerary, and have the ship drift off to god knows where!)

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Guest Comment: This is the only place where I’ve seen Front Desk receptionists who are short and who wear ribbons on their heads.

Okay then!

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Our Website has clear information. Our Rooms and Rates page lists what amenities and facilities are available in each room type, including bed size and room dimensions.

We had a guest who complained about the room sizes, on TripAdvisor after their stay. If the room wasn’t large enough for you, why did you book it?!

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The guest complained na naitan sila and we should have provided umbrellas while nag island hopping sila….

A hotel guest complained that they got hot on an island hopping tour (they’d booked with a tour agency), and we should have provided them with umbrella’s. 

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Guest Complaint: “It’s too hot on Boracay”.

Yes, a tropical beach destination tends to be hot Sharon, would you like us to turn down the settings on the Sun?

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Guest Demand: There’s a Storm coming.  The Guest wants us to change the weather forecast?!

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Guest Demand: A Storm’s coming; The guest wants us to find them another route so they won’t have to face the storm

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I had a guest who booked a Non-overlooking Room. During Check-in he said he wanted me to transfer him to a Lake View Room, which is more expensive, adding that he didn’t want to pay additional charges. I told him that we were not able to accommodate his request on this occasion. Makulit si guest.

So the guest leaves the desk and he and his girlfriend go to their room. A few minutes later the guy comes rushing out from his room complaining about a ‘poooop on the toilet’. I apologize, even though I knew the room had just been cleaned and cleared ready for his check-in.

I arranged for them to be transferred …. to the room next door, which is the same type as his original booking. The guest insists that they should be given a Lake View Room because of the inconvenience. At the end of the day, they had to accept the room next door to their original room because our Lake View Rooms were all fully booked. Binigyan padin nmin sya ngvfree wine. Pam palubag loob hehe. Pero sa totoo free nmn tlga yun. It was very funny because when I entered the original room afterwards it was really smelly, like a freshly planted poop bomb.

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Guest Demand:  A Guest requested a Pool Access Room but said it also had to be on the 2nd floor ?? ayaw nila sa first kase nadadaanan daw and mainga

(They don’t want to be on the first floor as it is a walkway, and is noisy.)

Well, I guess if you’re willing to dive off your balcony, that can still count as a Pool Access Room!

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I had a Guest who had requested a Sea View Room but the next day he asked to be moved because they ‘felt like they were drowning’

Paki explain guys kung ano ang purpose ng plastic na i cover yung lamp Please explain the purpose of the plastic cover on the lamp.
(Sorry we don’t know sir, you put it there)

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“Do you really have ghosts here? Have you seen one?”

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Guest Complaint: “The room smells like wood”.

Yes Sharon, when you book in to a hotel with the word “Cabin” in its name, it’s usually because it’s made of wood, and therefore it will smell like wood!

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I had a couple who booked a Native Fan Room, the cheapest budget room at 500PHP, on Boracay. Then they complained sa RA. Dapat daw may ref and mini bar. Knowing nasa boracay pa sila niyan ha.

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So, I had one guest who’d already checked out but came rushing back 5 minutes later, asking for the key because she’d forgotten something. It does happen, so I gave her the key, thinking maybe she’d forgotten her passport in the safe, or her flight ticket.

I was so shocked when she came to the desk to return the key to me …….. carrying a sleeping baby! She’d forgotten her baby!!

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I had a couple arrive in the lobby, ready to check in. I took their names and details so I could bring up their reservation on the system. But I couldn’t locate their reservation. I start to panic, knowing we were fully booked, and my fear was that the Reservation Team had maybe missed entering the booking in the system.

I kept my cool and politely asked the guest for more information, to assist me to find their booking; a copy of the reservation confirmation perhaps, or an email conversation between the reservation agent and the guest?

The guest starts to get angry, he starts to yell and was very upset, suspecting that we don’t have his reservation logged. Suddenly his eyes go over my head and fix on something behind me. “This is Two Seasons?” he asks me.  And I said “Yes Sir, I’m so sorry for the delay in checking you in” and he replied, with dismay and embarrassment “Ohhh! We’re at the wrong hotel! Where is Sur then??”

Hotel in Morrocco (French Speaking location)

English Guest comes to Front Desk and asks “puis-je avoir une chambre pour deux poissons?” (Can I have a room for two fish?)
Then she starts laughing immediately.

“I meant to say ‘puis-je avoir une chambre pour deux personnes’ (can I have a room for two people?) but used the wrong pronunciation and asked for two fish, didn’t I?”

Yes dear, you did, but it was quite funny!

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Little known fact: People who strictly follow the Jewish Faith, are not allowed to operate electrical buttons during Sabbat (Friday Evening through to Saturday). This can complicate things for Jewish guests staying in hotels during Sabbat, especially if they’re not booked in to a ground floor room. Some hotels have found ingenious ways to assist their Jewish guests during Sabbat:-

With one of our regular Jewish guests, he would pre-arrange a time with our Manager, who would go up to the guests floor to meet him at the Elevator. Our Manager would then operate the buttons to bring the elevator down to the lobby.

With another Jewish guest, he was even stricter and wouldn’t use the elevator at all during Sabbat. He was on the 30th floor and said he would just use the stairs. 30 floors!! But to access the floor from the stairs you have to use alarmed doors. I explained that I’d need to check with the Manager, if we could let him use the stairs and ignore the alarm alert. The guest asked if I could check and tell him within 10 minutes because after 6pm he wouldn’t be allowed to answer the phone. Thankfully, our Manager agreed quickly and I called the guest straight away to tell him it was okay

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20 Astonishing Holiday Complaints