Unfortunately, I find that 98% of the time it is for negative reasons. Have you ever dealt with an upset guest/customer?  Of course you have- you’re in hospitality! I guarantee everyone has their own horror story…or many of them.  I often think…wouldn’t this make a good reality show? Do you remember the show Punk’d with Ashton Kutcher? Sometimes I feel like Ashton is going to jump out from behind the palm tree and then I realize…. No, this person is actually serious.  You would think after 2 decades in hospitality/customer service I would be used to a guest’s behavior and their crazy issues, but I absolutely get shocked every day. How can some people act like this???  From a guest wanting me to go and shoot the frogs in the pond because they were too loud and he couldn’t sleep, to guests wanting a full refund because it rained and they couldn’t go to the beach, to a guest trying to come over the counter to fight a manager because he didn’t like his room. It would be like going to a ski resort in July and complaining there’s no snow.  Yes, there are things that happen out of anyone’s control, and reasons to get upset but not to take it out on that server, front desk agent, housekeeper, etc. It’s not always their fault. I truly believe in putting yourself in your guest shoes and taking care of them, but also it can be done in a respectful way no matter how upset you are.  The other 2% of those people are the ones with positive experiences. The people who want to commend an employee who went above and beyond, the people that hand write a Thank You note, or have their child draw you a picture. These I love and give me faith in people again! I strongly encourage you to do this more often when you receive wonderful service- it really does go a long way and can make someone’s day!  The goal always is to turn the 98% of negative ones into positive experiences. The feeling you get when someone tells you “You saved my vacation” or “The memories made here will last a lifetime”, are the reasons why we stay in hospitality.  We are so excited about HUG 2019 this year! We have more in depth departmental “horror story” sessions lined up to cover lodging division, reservations, IT, accounting, and more! These training sessions will help you connect with people in similar roles and get insight and helpful tips on how to respond to that dreaded question. If you are interested in leading one of these sessions please reach out to me at kyoung@smshug.org or Justin Davis at jdavis@smshug.org.