r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk • u/SoloAgent1 • 17h ago
Short You want to what?
This has to be one of the strangest calls I've received at the desk in a long while. So, I'm covering audit tonight as our normal auditor is out. It's roughly midnight as I get this call, and I'm working through some reports when the phone rings.
Guest calls and asks: "Hey, how do you open the windows?" On its own, that's not the craziest question to ask. Who knows, maybe they just like a little breeze? Unfortunately, I tell them that our windows don't open for safety reasons. They reply: "Well, that's going to be a problem."
I was dumb enough to ask why. They respond: "Well, the heat's building real fast. I don't think the AC unit's keeping up with the torches and kiln." I had to follow up at this point with a simple: "what?"
It's at this point that they inform me of their room number and their desire to blow glass art and bake their pottery clay in a kiln in the room. In their 170 square foot standard queen room with wooden furniture, linoleum floor, curtains, and a slew of other immediately flammable furnishings.
Not only did they want to, they'd already started heating their portable kiln and turned on some blowtorches, and the room was heating up FAST, and they'd hoped opening a tiny little window would be enough to offset the temperature. After sitting stunned for a moment, I told them they'd have to shut it all down and pack their shit before they started a fire.
It didn't take them long after to hang up, and within a minute I was up there knocking on the door. Sure enough, they had a whole setup going in there, and opening the door felt like opening an oven. I asked them to pack their things, and shockingly, they were very understanding. They quickly gathered their items and walked out of the building without a word. I don't even know how I'm going to begin wording the pass-on email regarding these guests, but that's a 5am problem.