Working in the hotel business can be hard, demanding and hilarious. Yes, you read it right – hilarious and at times even bizarre. When you work in the hospitality industry, there are certain rules you have to respect, like the customer is always right. When it comes to hotels, this means that you have to fulfill every request your guests may have, if it’s within your abilities and sometimes even if it’s not! To show you how awkward hotel guest requests can be, we have created the list of most bizarre ones which were actually granted.
Photos of famous actors
Some people are big jokers. Seth Freedland, for example, asked for a few framed photos of Jeff Goldblum from the staff at the Huntley Hotel in California, just for fun. But when he arrived at his room he was welcomed with several, high-quality photos of famous Hollywood actor, although he didn’t believe that the hotel would grant this wish to him. Something similar was done by the guest of the Hotel Indigo in San Antonio. Asked if she needs anything else, the guest was bored and asked for a few pictures of Nicholas Cage in the movie Con Air. She was absolutely charmed by the staff when she saw her request fulfilled with the note “Sweet dreams! Enjoy.”
Goat’s milk bath
It is said that Cleopatra maintained her beauty by bathing in the goat’s milk, though some tell the story with the donkey milk. Be as it may, apparently believing in its benefits, one guest asked from the head butler at the Savoy in London to fill the tub with wild goat’s milk. Although this milk is expensive by itself, the expense was increased by the fact it had to be transported from Wales in a taxi. The guest didn’t mind that nor to add 30 bottles of Evian water to the bill to wash off the milk after the bath.
Ice for the penguins
Lauri Howe from the Seaport Hotel in Boston told a story about the strangest request she experienced. Namely, a guest asked for the considerable amount of ice for his penguins. These animals were part of the exhibit at the Boston Globe Travel Show, and when they weren’t in front of the audience, they stayed in the bathtub. Mrs. Howe later told the portal Independent Traveler that it wasn’t too much trouble since they have ice machines in the hotel, and the needed ice fitted in only four bags.
Some guests see it as tradition
Sean Fitzsimons, a businessman from Denver, has made a tradition out of bizarre requests. Regularly traveling to Salt Lake City on business what started as means to kill the boredom turned into the tradition. He asked for a framed photo of a dog dressed in the boat captain uniform, printed pictures of Jeremy Jackson and Alfonso Ribeiro placed on the bed facing each other, a fort made of pillows, three printed pictures of confused Donald Tramp and picture of Grandma Winslow from Family Matters, to name just a few.
But the most bizarre thing he asked for was the drawing of what he looked like. He says that it was the weirdest thing he asked for not only for the hotel staff but also for himself. Other than that, Mr. Fitzsimons claims that hotel staff likes his requests and considers them fun.
Only in hotels
Accommodations like serviced apartments Chatswood district has to offer apparently don’t have such bizarre request like hotels. The concierge at the five-star hotel Crown Towers Melbourne said that the staff there does everything they can to grant every desire to their guests, but some things can be a little bizarre. During Australian Open, Roger Federer requested a piano to be brought to his room so he can sing Happy Birthday to one of his friends. At the time of a request, the piano rental stores were closed, and they had to reach to go over their heads to make this happen. But in the end they did, and the video Roger Federer posted online of them singing to their friend went viral.
Weird requests from 6,000 British hotels
Survey of almost 6,000 British hotels showed some really funny and strange requests. A guest at Rylstone Manor Hotel in Shanklin requested a wig, and another at Thornley House in Northumberland asked to check in with his two pet hawks. A receptionist at Cirencester’s The Bathurst Arms was left baffled when requested to decorate the bed with rose petals in the shape of a penis. And when it comes to food, there were also some out of the ordinary requests. For example, a guest at Weymouth’s The Beach House asked for another fridge to store butter, while at Sportsman’s Lodge in Wales wanted spaghetti for breakfast.
In the end
Hospitality industry was in theory always focused to please the customers and guests, but you’ll often hear conflicting stories about bad service and not getting the money’s worth. But these experiences told by the guests and employees at the hotels all over the world some even having 5-star designation show that hospitality isn’t just accommodating on paper. All these strange, bizarre and abnormal requests by the guests whether made as a joke or for real were tasks the hotel staff actually performed to grant their wishes. So, maybe next time you visit a hotel, you’ll look at its staff differently and with more respect, or maybe you’ll decide to make a request of your own.
