(no subject)
read the cut if you want, it's just a ahhhh. today was my favorite day of the year. that's right kids, today was the day of the motorola marathon.
the marathon that starts right out front of my hotel, and attracts well over 10,000 racers, shuts down all streets around my hotel (and all along the 26-mile route that ends downtown), creates an absolute mess of the whole area (you would not believe how messy these runners can be!), and is generally the most dreaded day in february of hoteliers in the nw austin arboretum area.
they were going to shut the streets off to the area around 6:00 a.m., according to the signs they had put up everywhere. we figured that if we got to the hotel around 5:30-5:45, then we would be ok and would be able to get in. wrong! i got to the area around 5:45, and it took me a whole hour and fifteen minutes to figure out how to get to my hotel and sit in traffic when i had figured out the way to go. i later found out that they had blocked the streets at 3:00 for the race that started at 7:00. bloody morons. i had to do some illegal maneuvers, as did every single one of my co-workers, just to get to work today. yay!
road rage really gets your energy going in the morning! ^_^V
i don't even normally get road rage, but my stars, i was pretty angry just sitting and waiting for an hour to move off the exit ramp and drive three blocks to my hotel. i blasted my music and smoked a lot, danced to some polysics and the rapture, drank my coffee and managed to work off most of my anger before i walked in the front door.
it's funny how people that run all the time to stay fit didn't notice when they were walking out in the street or in a lot and there were cars right behind them wanting to get through, and they just kept walking in the middle of the drive like nothing's going on. if you make a habit of walking in traffic like that, you might just end up as roadkill, and what good would all that running have done you then? sigh.
and holy god, where did people ever get this idea that if you need to check out late from a hotel, say ohhhhh 5 hours late, you won't be charged for it?! it's the same as last year, folks, check out at noon, or pay $50 and check out as late as 5:00 p.m. . . . it's really that simple. the policy is posted at the desk, it hasn't changed since last year, i'm very sorry sir, but it's the same policy for all guests and i really couldn't give a shit if you pull your business from all hilton hotels (i've never seen you or heard of your company in the 5 years i've been working at my hotel, and we're a franchise, anyway! but thanks for playing.) but that's the way it is. i believe in compassion and i believe that most rules can be bent in extreme cases, but not when the person who is asking for a little leeway is being a COMPLETE ASSHOLE to my front desk clerk. YES, i am the manager on duty, and NO, you may not stay 'til 4 at no charge. sorry, charlie.
so. many. idiots.
and i wasn't even supposed to be in today, except a couple front desk clerks requested off for valllentinnnes dayyyy. . . ooooh. . . gag me.
add to this the fact that my head housekeeper was being extremely uncooperative all day long. add to that the fact that we have an inspection TOMORROW by the huge mega-trust company that bought my management company. add to that the fact that no other managers even bothered to come in today, save for the lovely and talented jenn and diane, who came in from 5:30-7:00 for the rush. bless them. add to that the fact that i am pms'ing like a banshee. if banshees pms'ed.
i'm just glad they paid such high rates to stay. selling out last night with nothing but high-rated business is almost worth it all. :) saturdays are usually slow for our hotel, one that caters mostly to business travellers.
i couldn't wait for the work day to be over. . . after my shift at the desk, i went back to my office, lit some candles, had a nice big diet coke and spent a nice afternoon doing my real job. :) everything that i was too busy to do the week before.
then i came home and had a long nap. it was heaven.
thanks for reading. i don't normally complain about work so much, but there was so much that just wore me down today (yes, even more than i remembered to write down in this entry); i had to vent. we have crazy days all the time, but this one event just gets on my ever-lovin' nerves and slowly chips away at the love i have for my guests. ;)
well, this long day is almost over. now i need a nice bath and a cup of tea.
actually, psn is going to bring me home some dunkin' coffee. :) yay!
hmmm, the coyotes that live in the canyon behind my house are fighting. it sounds so strange. not even animal noises anymore. sounds like some otherworldly creatures down there. come to think of it, the sounds are moving awfully fast through the canyon. eep!
*closes the blinds, as if that would keep demon coyotes at bay*
the marathon that starts right out front of my hotel, and attracts well over 10,000 racers, shuts down all streets around my hotel (and all along the 26-mile route that ends downtown), creates an absolute mess of the whole area (you would not believe how messy these runners can be!), and is generally the most dreaded day in february of hoteliers in the nw austin arboretum area.
they were going to shut the streets off to the area around 6:00 a.m., according to the signs they had put up everywhere. we figured that if we got to the hotel around 5:30-5:45, then we would be ok and would be able to get in. wrong! i got to the area around 5:45, and it took me a whole hour and fifteen minutes to figure out how to get to my hotel and sit in traffic when i had figured out the way to go. i later found out that they had blocked the streets at 3:00 for the race that started at 7:00. bloody morons. i had to do some illegal maneuvers, as did every single one of my co-workers, just to get to work today. yay!
road rage really gets your energy going in the morning! ^_^V
i don't even normally get road rage, but my stars, i was pretty angry just sitting and waiting for an hour to move off the exit ramp and drive three blocks to my hotel. i blasted my music and smoked a lot, danced to some polysics and the rapture, drank my coffee and managed to work off most of my anger before i walked in the front door.
it's funny how people that run all the time to stay fit didn't notice when they were walking out in the street or in a lot and there were cars right behind them wanting to get through, and they just kept walking in the middle of the drive like nothing's going on. if you make a habit of walking in traffic like that, you might just end up as roadkill, and what good would all that running have done you then? sigh.
and holy god, where did people ever get this idea that if you need to check out late from a hotel, say ohhhhh 5 hours late, you won't be charged for it?! it's the same as last year, folks, check out at noon, or pay $50 and check out as late as 5:00 p.m. . . . it's really that simple. the policy is posted at the desk, it hasn't changed since last year, i'm very sorry sir, but it's the same policy for all guests and i really couldn't give a shit if you pull your business from all hilton hotels (i've never seen you or heard of your company in the 5 years i've been working at my hotel, and we're a franchise, anyway! but thanks for playing.) but that's the way it is. i believe in compassion and i believe that most rules can be bent in extreme cases, but not when the person who is asking for a little leeway is being a COMPLETE ASSHOLE to my front desk clerk. YES, i am the manager on duty, and NO, you may not stay 'til 4 at no charge. sorry, charlie.
so. many. idiots.
and i wasn't even supposed to be in today, except a couple front desk clerks requested off for valllentinnnes dayyyy. . . ooooh. . . gag me.
add to this the fact that my head housekeeper was being extremely uncooperative all day long. add to that the fact that we have an inspection TOMORROW by the huge mega-trust company that bought my management company. add to that the fact that no other managers even bothered to come in today, save for the lovely and talented jenn and diane, who came in from 5:30-7:00 for the rush. bless them. add to that the fact that i am pms'ing like a banshee. if banshees pms'ed.
i'm just glad they paid such high rates to stay. selling out last night with nothing but high-rated business is almost worth it all. :) saturdays are usually slow for our hotel, one that caters mostly to business travellers.
i couldn't wait for the work day to be over. . . after my shift at the desk, i went back to my office, lit some candles, had a nice big diet coke and spent a nice afternoon doing my real job. :) everything that i was too busy to do the week before.
then i came home and had a long nap. it was heaven.
thanks for reading. i don't normally complain about work so much, but there was so much that just wore me down today (yes, even more than i remembered to write down in this entry); i had to vent. we have crazy days all the time, but this one event just gets on my ever-lovin' nerves and slowly chips away at the love i have for my guests. ;)
well, this long day is almost over. now i need a nice bath and a cup of tea.
actually, psn is going to bring me home some dunkin' coffee. :) yay!
hmmm, the coyotes that live in the canyon behind my house are fighting. it sounds so strange. not even animal noises anymore. sounds like some otherworldly creatures down there. come to think of it, the sounds are moving awfully fast through the canyon. eep!
*closes the blinds, as if that would keep demon coyotes at bay*