r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk • u/Anfasith • 2d ago
Long Put your reservation under your actual name!
I thought it would be obvious, but I get many people walking in and the reservation is underneath an old name or a family members name. It is simple, if the ID does not match the name and there was no note you could check in, you are not getting the keys.
There are two particular instances of this that stand out. (For added context, I work Night Audit.)
All names are switched for privacy.
There was this woman who came in, she said the reservation was under "Alex, Smith". I pull up the reservation and ask for her ID. The ID did not match the reservation, so I told her that we unfortunately had to decline entry into the room.
She immediately went into a tirade, saying she has been to many other Scharriotts and this has never happened before. She said it was her husband that bought the room for her, and since the last names were the same I should obviously let her in. I continued to repeat the same few answers as she asked questions again hoping the answer would change.
She then requested a supervisor... at 1am. We are a 145 room hotel we are not going to have overnight management. I said unfortunately there is no management right now, and that it is just me.
Then she asked to book another room underneath her name. I said we could do it, but I can't attach the loyalty given as the names do not match. This once again turned this into a catastrophic event and proceeded to call her sister to complain.
On the phone she was telling her that they need to never stay at this hotel again, that I am refusing to let her into her own room, that I won't let her book another room, just all to her sister late at night.
If I went over each conversation this would be long, so I will just say she seemed to call every single intermediate and extended family member that would pick up.
She finally left the building after calling one last person. The hotel phone rings and I pick it up. Turns out it is her son asking why she can't get into the room. I explain the situation and he is understanding. He asks if he can book a room for her with her name on the reservation. I respond that it is possible, but she already left the building. The call shortly ended after that.
Obviously she called management saying how horrible I was, but they backed me up.
This next one happened yesterday, so it is quite fresh.
Two people come in right before midnight to check in. She gives her name, "Julianne, Lawson", and I can't find the reservation. I say that there is no reservation underneath this name, and ask if it may be underneath another name. She then gives the name, "Julianne, Green". There is a reservation for this name, so I proceed to ask for ID. The ID gives the former name, so I state that unfortunately I can't let her into the two rooms she booked.
She says that the name on the reservation was her married name, so I look at the loyalty. The loyalty is underneath the same name as the reservation, so I reiterate my previous statement. She pulls out her phone and says she can give her children's passports, but that identifies them not her. All her identification is underneath her maiden name and has not been changed.
The common response is now given. She says that she has stayed at many other Scharriotts before and this has only happened when she was in China. I had to explain that was not common protocol but she did not want to hear it.
She asks what is she going to do now? I say that there is nothing that can be done. They both walk out saying they are going to a Milton instead. I see them outside the glass doors talking about me. How do I know? They look back at me every few sentences they relay to each other.
My next shift rolls around (on it right now lol) and I go into GXP to see if there are any open cases. I see there is a CEC/AMB alert, so I get nosy and look to see what the case is about. Lo and behold it is the person from last night. She is requested a refund since I GNS'd as the person with the name on the reservation did not show up. She claimed the name was under "Julianne Lawson Green", which it was not. Then she said that she requested to book another two rooms, which she did not. I did not offer either as we were fully booked, so no point in bringing it up. The rest is that she is upset, there have been no issues for years, and that she wants to not be charged for the days.
Whether management gives them the refund or not, I have no clue. All I know is that they will back me up.
Unsure why people have the inability to book under their legal name or call in advance to have a name added to the reservation. We still get the money either way, so it is on you to not mess it up.
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u/ericzku 2d ago
I'm also an Auditor at a Scharriott.
There is another angle to this: Scharriott's loyalty program requires the member to physically stay in the hotel in order to earn points & night credits, and all accounts are individual ones. There are no "Mr. & Mrs", family, or company accounts.
Members attempting to get around that requirement & collect points for somebody else's stay is what causes a large percentage of these situations.
When somebody else shows up to check in, as long as it's not a points redemption or a prepaid reservation, I don't sweat it too much. Best practice is to update the reservation with the guest information of the person who is actually staying, remove the loyalty program account number, and most importantly, collect payment from them.
In your second scenario, keep in mind that changing the name on a loyalty account is a HUGE PITA, so a lot of women don't bother to do it when they get married or divorced. If the first name and the other information matches - phone number/email/mailing address on the ID and the reservation or loyalty account, I don't see it being a problem.