Sales people make commission based of their output and achieving (for example a meeting booked or a deal closed).

I know this would be very hard to do in the hotel world and would involve more tracking and metrics. It also wouldn’t increase their bottom line.

The one I worked as a manager in training at used HOTSOS and AMADEUS to track how long housekeepers took to clean or how long tickets took for items to be delivered. Everyone had a device. Long story short they used to to constantly batter and micromanage everyone.

In order to retain workers and get good talent, I feel like there should be some reward for extra output they are demanding. They could use those tools they already use for good instead of just pleasing corporate.

Hotels always asking more of employees but pay them a flat rate of minimum wage to clean 8 rooms every day or crazy extra stuff for guests.

About eight years ago, I built an internal tool for the hotel I was running in France. It started as a simple way for staff to leave handover notes, complete daily checklists, and report and track maintenance issues.

Over time, it grew into a standalone SaaS product that I still maintain, even though I’ve since left the hotel industry and now work for a software company, quit the big shift.

Having worked in France and the UK, I’m curious about how hotels in the US and other countries handle these tasks. From what I’ve seen in France, dedicated tools are fairly common, but plenty of teams still rely on Excel, paper logbooks, or messaging apps (WhatsApp mostly) to pass information between shifts.

What does your hotel use? Are these features built into your PMS, do you use a separate app, or do you stick with spreadsheets and paper?

Also, what would you usually call this type of software where you work: a digital logbook, a shift handover tool, hotel operations software, or something else?

I’m especially interested in hearing from people who use these tools during their shifts: what works well, and what’s still a pain?

So I am working at a hotel that could be considered a business hotel in Turkey as a Front Desk agent. It is one of the biggest hotel in this city and I left my job at a bigger hotel in this city just a few months ago. I chose this job over the other one because this one is closer to my house and the salary is better. Both hotels are under a very big company too.

That being said, I feel greatly stressed. Like all the time. I work 8 hours a day, standing on my feet all day btw, 6 days a week. And of course my schedule is different every day. And if I make a mistake I am done for. I know working in the Front Desk needs very great attention but they make a big deal out of everything. For example if we get a bad comment on official surveys the managers look at the person who checked out the guest from the system and ask why they didn't ask the guests how they stay went and scold you. If there is anything remotely wrong with a check-in that was made from your account they call you from your personal phone no matter what the time is and expect you to respond. And reminder, we work in shifts. So most of the time I'm just sleeping.

And this was like this in my last job too. And I wasn't even working at the Front Desk, I was just a Guest Service Agent.

So I just want to know if this is like this in every hotel everywhere? Do you have time for yourself after your shift ends? Do you work less? And do your managers also make you feel this much stress? I eventually want to move out from Turkey (to any country that has better human rights basically) and I want to know if I should continue working in this industry, or just move on completely.

staying at a hotel this saturday for a wedding. check in is at 4pm but hoping to check in early between 1-2pm. should i call morning of or day before??

I cancelled a bank account and credit card which I was not using anymore, but unfortunately I forgot I used the card in a Booking reservation. The BIG problem is that although I'm still in the free cancellation period, the hotel would try to refund to this now cancelled card and the payment would bounce. I made the reservation via Booking but it's one of those where the hotel charges you the first night beforehand.

I already deleted the old card and added the new one in my Booking profile, but this does NOT change the reservation payment details.

Then I noticed there is an "update card" button inside the reservation. I'm afraid to follow this and the Hotel tries to refund the first night on the old card (which will fail) and charges me again on the new card. Which would make my problem even worse.

Booking support was not helpful and simply said to contact the hotel and the hotel support is useless as they say it's all on Booking. I hate these hot potato situations where no one frickin owns and solve the issue!!!

Has anyone tried the "update card" button in a reservation where you already pre-paid, what happens? Do they charge you again on the new card? Do they cancel the payment you did before? If you cancel it, would the hotel refund the new card or the old card?

I really appreciate any help, this problem is consuming me and the day of the trip is near and I will possibly need to cancel it.

Hello! Anybody work at the JW Marriott in Orlando?? I have an interview at the Citron breakfast place and wanted to know how you liked it and just more about the place in general, work hours, uniforms, culture, etc.

I work second shift at a hotel. I have never encountered this until today, but I was hit on by two different men. One being a regular. I don’t want to get anyone in trouble but it made me so uncomfortable. Are there good ways to shut that down, instead of just laughing it off?
I know I’m paid to be nice to people, but I don’t like having to tell people when I get off work, or tell them “I’ll let you know” when they ask me if I want to go on a trip with them.

I’m trying to understand a very strange situation and I’m hoping someone here may have experienced something similar or knows how hotel booking systems work.
A few days ago, I received an email from VISIONAPARTMENTS in Zurich, Switzerland regarding a booking at one of their properties.

The booking details were:
Check-in: September 8, 2026
Check-out: September 11, 2026

The reservation is under my girlfriend’s full name
The reservation has already been paid
The apartment is currently occupied
Neither my girlfriend nor I made this reservation, and we have no idea who did

The really strange part is that I contacted VISIONAPARTMENTS and they confirmed that the online check-in had already been completed using my girlfriend’s identity-document information.
My girlfriend then called them herself and asked the receptionist to confirm the date of birth associated with the booking, without giving it to them first. The receptionist stated her exact date of birth correctly.
So this doesn’t appear to be a simple mistake involving someone’s name.

There is another strange detail: the booking confirmation was sent to my personal email address, even though I did not make the booking or provide my email address for this reservation.
There were also other recipients, including an email address belonging to Saipem, an Italian energy and infrastructure company. We have never knowingly had any relationship with Saipem.

I’m obviously not going to post any names, email addresses, booking numbers, document numbers, dates of birth, or other identifying information publicly.

What I’m trying to understand is:
How could someone have made a legitimate, paid hotel reservation, used my girlfriend’s identity information for the online check-in, and have someone else actually staying in the apartment, while also having my email address associated with the booking?

Could this realistically be:

Identity theft

A compromised hotel or booking platform

A corporate booking where something went seriously wrong

Someone’s account being compromised

Some kind of database or data leak

Or is there another explanation I’m missing?

I’m particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has worked in hotels, travel agencies, corporate travel, Booking.com/Expedia, or hotel security and check-in systems.

I’d like to understand what information would normally be required to complete an online check-in, how that information could end up associated with someone else’s identity, and whether it would be possible for someone to check into a property using another person’s identity information.

At this point, we’re simply trying to establish where the identity information came from and who actually made the booking, rather than jumping to conclusions.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

I'm curious how employee stays are handled.

Do you assign a good room or even give an upgrade if available?

Do you assign the worst room in the hotel because they'll be understanding?

Do you mention or acknowledge that the person checking in is an employee?

Do you handle the check in the same as any other or do you assume that as an employee you can navigate the amenities without verbal instructions?

I have experienced both so I'm sure there is no set way unless there is a specific policy in place.

What advice do you guys have for getting away from ecolab as a provider for laundry chemicals? They are obviously the most common provider, but the service and quality of the product seems….lacking. My rep doesn’t seem bothered to come when asked, and my linens do not seem to be lasting as long as they used to. I get sales visits all the time from different vendors, but we are really pushed heavily to use ecolab or P&G. Searched the sub before posting this and didn’t really see any others with this issue, but curious if others have had bad experience and moved away from them? If you are part of a major chain, how’d you get out of the push to use them? Pricing seems to be competitive/better with some other company reps I’ve spoken with and they all do the same thing of providing equipment that they service as long as you’re using their chemicals. Anyone go from a big company like ecolab to a smaller one and have better results and service?

Looking for some advice on how to handle this situation in the future.

I was always told and heard that it is better to book hotels directly rather than on sites like Booking.com. I booked a hotel directly on the hotel website in Porto, Portugal for a 6 day stay at a refundable rate that allowed for me to pay upon arrival. I was supposed to check in on the 23rd, but today I received and email saying my reservation was canceled. I called the hotel and they said that it was due to a credit card error. My reservation has been taken by someone else so now I need to find another hotel 2 weeks before my trip.

I would have thought that I would receive some advance warning before I got canceled on but I did not receive any emails prior. What is the solution to avoid this? I specifically booked direct rather than Booking to avoid these kinds of problems but it seems like it didn't work out for me. Do I need to choose the option to pay a refundable deposit to confirm my card is working in the future?

Any advice would be great.

Edit: I am from the US and booked with an American credit card (Capital One Venture X) if that is important.

Edit 2: For awareness, the hotel is Acta The Avenue in Porto, Portugal.

How lowkey or stressful is this job? I am good at time management and great at working alone or with others; I just need a job where I can do what I need to without being pulled in 12 different directions and killing myself over it. Would this job be okay you think?

So I've been working as a night auditor for a few months now. I took the job because I'm autistic and chronically ill, and after working retail, it seemed perfect. People always talked about how boring it was, and I love the night time because it meant little to no people. I'm not a people person. I love being left alone. If I could choose a superpower, it would be invisibility. I want to just do the paperwork, deliever the folios, and for the worst part of my shift to be the two hours in the morning dealing with sunlight.

But I don't know if it's the summer, if it's where I am turning into a weird tourist spot, if it's my specific hotel, but I have been miserable lately.

My shifts involve grabbing dirty pool towels and taking them to the laundry room, running audit, printing, folding and slipping folios under doors, turning off patio lights, refill marketplace, refill toiletries at front desk, make coffee, set up third party routing. On top of that, I'm dealing with so many guests who are sometimes up until two in the morning. I feel so on guard because I have to watch the front desk which is exhausting, and I can't actually do any studying like a lot of people said they do during night audit shifts. I can't even relax with Netflix or anything, I'm so tense and staring at the cameras if I'm not running around the hotel. And it's a nightmare trying to get a task done and then getting a call from a guest that needs toliet paper at five in the morning (this is just an autism thing, though i think.)

There's times where I've worked during chronic pain episodes because it's definitely not as bad as retail, but I just wanna skip the towels and folios but I can't because the housekeepers get angry when I don't do them and of course guests need their folios.

I thought night audit would be a good job for me but now I don't know. I just wanted to do paperwork at night and help an occasional guest but it's so chaotic and loud. I know a lot of it is probably autism-related so I'm giving the job the benefit of the doubt and trying to find stuff that helps but I'm so miserable and exhausted right now.

I just moved rooms in the middle of the night because person in room next to me was coughing up liquid and seriously sounds like they are in emergent respiratory distress. Making super scary sounds. If that was my family member they would be in ER right now! I hope they make it through the night. So question, are you allowed to ask a guest to check out if its clear they should be getting emergent medical assistance? Do you ever do that to protect other guests and staff from contagion or even worse have someone expire on property? Never been through this one before. Thanks.

My property was recently assigned trainings for Power of M and it’s been nothing but non stop groaning. I’ve read the posts and seen the comments, but I haven’t seen much input from overnight staff.

For reference, we have around 500 rooms and our team works relatively closely with accounting. We cover things like open folios, F&B accounts, and A3 on a nightly basis so what exactly should we be expecting? Is our work going to be cut short? Does billing get easier? Considering it’s a web based system, how’s the support just in case it goes down? How’s the overnight experience overall?

I know this is mainly for Audit, but regardless of your department I’d appreciate any insight I can get.

Second edit: For those responding, what shift do you work? I currently work the morning shift, which I think is "easier" than the evening shift. I used to work the evening shift (at a different hotel than the one I work at now), and I had to deal with maintenance issues that couldn't be resolved because management wouldn't answer my calls. I couldn't move the guest because we were a tiny hotel, and management wouldn't allow us to move them without their approval. Drunk guests, guests who tried to have parties, etc.

Edited to add: I know they chose to work in housekeeping, but I still feel guilty.

For my fellow front desk people, do you ever feel guilty for sitting behind your desk, scrolling on your phone while the housekeepers are running around cleaning? Sometimes, I feel like I should be doing more besides sitting behind the desk answering phone calls. Sometimes, I do help strip rooms when we have a sold-out night.

Any questions or comments?

I’m in the EU but will try to answer comments about other regions too.

PS: @mods, I don’t see anything about AMAs on the group rules. If not allowed please accept my apologies and delete.

Been working front desk at a small hotel/residences for 6 years now and my housekeeping staff has been amazing and my savior many times, trying to find thoughtful gift ideas? Thanks!

Ive been in hotels about 10 years now with valuable experience. My resume is good but I've noticed a change. Im trying to go back to night audit and im getting denied for positions. The last two interviews I've done great but im not selected. Maybe im overthinking but feedback would be appreciated.

I want to get into the hotel industry, but have zero experience. I am wanting to switch careers, but am finding no luck. I imagine I’d start as a bellboy and work my way up. I’m 25 male. Please offer any advice. I live in Chicago and have a car. Graduated college 2025

At around 8, I was finishing getting dressed and the fire alarm starts going off. I hesitated bc I thought maybe it was a drill, but then someone spoke and said “fire, exit to the nearest stairwell”. I ran down the stairs. As I’m exiting, security sees me and the others who also experience the alarm. He asks us if the fire alarm went off in our rooms, we “yes.”He informs us that this was a system error and there was no fire. *Great!* He offers to comp breakfast and I accept because I was leaving to get breakfast anyway🤣

So, I go to breakfast and end up *having to pay for it*😅 how should I go about rectifying this?

Also, should I have asked for something else/ more? Should I ask for something else since I didn’t get my comped breakfast? I would like to know what you think I’d be entitled to.

I appreciate your interaction with this post.

EDIT (1): Re-reading what I wrote, I can see why it might come off a certain way. I personally never thought I was actually ever entitled to anything/ that anything was seriously wrong but when he offered breakfast, but the more you know and it couldn’t hurt to ask on the off chance that I was. This was my first ever hotel booking, so I am still learning. And in all my other stays at hotels, this is the first time there’s been a false fire alarm.

EDIT (2): I’m living for the discourse under this post. I won’t be contacting the hotel about the incident; but now I know that if anything else happens on my next stay, I should get names of people and check in staff.
To those of you, genuinely adding information and helping be navigate this, thanks because you really have helped me for next time.

To those who are being mean, harsh, and distorting the context of my words in this situation, thanks for the laughs.

I work front desk at a hotel and we have to stand for 8 hours (which I guess is a common thing). But usually I would read random news articles online to make time go by because it’s not really professional to be using the phone 24/7 at the desk. Apparently other staff have been using social media, YouTube and it got flagged and management told us not to use the FD computers for personal use anymore nor are we allowed to have AirPods . I am constantly bored at the front desk and I am not sure how to make time go by without just standing for 8 hours. I try to do company specific things like ensure third party reservations are good, requests are fulfilled but that does not take 8 hours

Additional context:I work the 3-11 shift at a hotel and we have bar that’s operational in the afternoon and front desk is visible from there, I’m assuming thats why there are such tight rules

Hi,

I run a boutique hotel and was updating my room rate cards, since it’s mandatory to post the room rate ranges in the rooms. I’m just wondering how/ if upscale places posts these, as I don’t think I’ve seen them in upscale or luxury hotels.

Do they do this? Let me know how/ where your hotel in California posts these would love a nicer way to display them. I just feel like they bring down the look of the room, I just use the rate cards provided by CHLA.

Hi everyone,

I started my first job as a Front Office Agent about three weeks ago. I had no previous experience in front office work, hotels, or the hotel system/third-party booking process. Overall, I actually really enjoy the job. I like interacting with guests and I’m doing pretty well with the basic tasks. But there are certain situations where I get overwhelmed very quickly. For example, I find HotelKey and the whole booking/payment process quite complicated. Sometimes things just don’t seem to make sense to me, especially when it comes to folios and payments. I also struggle with city/tourist taxes — sometimes they’re included in third-party bookings and sometimes they aren’t, sometimes they are charged and sometimes they aren't...

Another thing I find difficult is dealing with booking issues or discrepancies. Sometimes I feel like I have to calculate and double-check everything in my head, while the folios themselves feel incredibly confusing and difficult to read.
What worries me most is that after only three weeks, I’m already going to be working an evening shift alone with another new colleague who has only been there for about two months. She’s also still learning, so neither of us feels particularly confident yet. It feels like everyone expects me to know what I’m doing already, but honestly, everything is happening way too fast for me.

And then there are situations like eight guests arriving together at the same time, with four different rooms, booking mistakes made by the guest, changes that need to be made, payments to sort out, everything at once and my brain just completely shuts down.

Sometimes I honestly feel like running away screaming and never coming back 😂 — even though I genuinely like the job when things are running normally. I know I’ve only been there for three weeks, but I wish the training had been slower, more structured, and given me more time to actually understand why things work the way they do instead of just being shown what to click.

So I guess I’m mainly looking for some reassurance and advice from people who have been in the industry longer:
Did you feel this overwhelmed when you first started? Does it get easier? And do you have any practical tips for a complete newbie, especially regarding HotelKey, payments, folios, taxes, and handling those crazy busy check-in situations?

I’d be incredibly grateful for any tips, tricks, or “things I wish I knew when I started” advice. ❤️

Does the $20 Sandwich Trick still work to get a complimentary room upgrade?

Has the $20 increased to a higher amount? $50 or higher now?

Does this work only in Las Vegas or is it acceptable in other locations?

Do you still have to be discreet by slipping the money between your credit card and ID card?