Top Five Embarrassing Hotel Moments – According to Hotel Employees

We do a lot of work in the hospitality industry and thought I’d share a couple of tidbits from things we’ve learned along the way.

I know, I know, when things go wrong in a hotel, they seem so much worse than the missteps that happen in “regular offices”. They are also a lot more comical – and far more embarrassing for all concerned.

The top 5 “Most Embarrassing Moments” as reported by hotel employees are listed below, along with suggestions on how to handle them.

Obviously the first thing you do is to apologize sincerely, profusely and even abjectly depending on the situation. Apologizing is such a given that it won’t be repeated in every answer below, but rest assured it’s there in BIG CAPITAL LETTERS.

Side note: What seems a little scary is that only 1 employee out of 150 surveyed indicated that losing a guest’s luggage, fax or other belongings was embarrassing. Most chalked it up to “stuff happens in a hotel” – obviously not a great customer service thought.


1.  Spilling something… on someone.  Interestingly, only very new waiters listed serving the wrong meal to a diner as an embarrassing moment (perhaps more experienced staff know there are things that are far worse). After clearing away the worst of the debris and fetching salt, soda water and clean napkins, you should a) provide the guest with your full name and card if you have one, b) give him or her the manager’s card, c) offer to pay to have the clothing item cleaned, and d) comp the dessert, drinks or meal depending on the severity of the spill.

2. Accidentally outing a guest.  Whether it's letting it slip that the person is gay, or that the guest has been to the hotel before with someone else, it can be very painful for all parties. Seasoned staffers suggest the best thing is to take your cue from your guest and respond accordingly. Follow your guest’s lead. You messed up, so it’s only right that you help fix things as best you can. If you can cover your mistake by suggesting that you simply made a mistake, this may be the best option. To read how one quick-thinking concierge handled, things, please go to: http://bit.ly/ha9d2y.

You can, however, avoid this situation altogether by changing your greeting to "Welcome; it's a pleasure to have you here" - without adding "again", when the person is travelling with someone. This is especially if you don't know the guest's travelling companion very well.

3. Walking in on a naked guest (or worse, one engaged in a “private” activity). After apologizing (okay, I couldn’t help but add it here), turn and leave (instead of the customary backing out) and don’t bring it up again.

Don’t talk about it and don’t indicate you saw anything when you see the guest the next time. Over 90% of guests who have been “caught” this way are embarrassed enough that they don’t want any reminders of what happened – and they don’t want to feel like they are the only ones to whom this has happened. Making it seem like a novel event compounds the situation for most guests.

4. Falling as you show a guest around a room (especially if you land on their luggage or bed). Usually humour is the best response. Also, unless you are seriously hurt, save checking on your bruises until you have left the room. Instead, let them see you check to ensure that their luggage was not damaged, and restore the room to its initial state (smooth the bedspread, pick up the chair, etc.).

5. It’s late and no room is available – despite the guest having confirmed a late arrival.

Although not a common occurrence, this rated the most ire among business travellers surveyed. Given the remarks of one executive, which echo the thoughts of most respondents, it’s not surprising that front desk people rate this situation in their top five most embarrassing moments, too.

Said the Sr. VP Sales, "There's nothing worse than being in meetings all day, catching a late flight and then finding out that the hotel has given away your room. And that they have not made arrangements for you elsewhere."

What to do?

• It's simple - if a guest confirms a late check-in, don't give away the room!

• Put the guest in a suite - at your charge - before sending him/her elsewhere.

• If there's been a screw-up, arrange transportation for the guest - at your cost. Don't leave him/her stranded.

Says one hotel manager: "On the few occasions when we have had to turn away a confirmed guest who has arrived in the middle of the night, we make sure the person is given a superior room - at the rate of the originally reserved room - and we arrange transportation to the other hotel (and back if the person's attending an event at our hotel) and we still award the frequent guest points. Yes, it costs us some - but it sure makes them come back again."

Whether it’s at home or on the road, life is filled with its share of embarrassing moments, but if you handle them with prevailing hotel standards of concern, courtesy and discretion, you and the guest should be able to surmount just about any obstacle “thrown” your way

Whether it’s at home or on the road, life is filled with its share of embarrassing moments, but if you handle them with prevailing hotel standards of concern, courtesy and discretion, you and the guest should be able to surmount just about any obstacle “thrown” your way

For more about handling hotel mishaps, please see: http://www.theqgroup.com/articles-b.php?ArtID=41.

In the meantime, I wish you and your colleagues a wonderful 2011 and “uneventful” travels as you get back to work.  Jane-Michele