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After more than fourteen years in the hospitality trenches I’ve seen and experienced more than my feeble mind can process.
And Life keeps chucking psychological grenades at me.
The latest?
I was yelled at by a deaf woman.
It just sounds funny, right? I have nothing against the deaf, well (except for this one!), I mean, but it just goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover. By the way, this lady’s book cover would read, “WARNING! If You Choose to Approach, Count Your Fingers After !”
The hotel was extremely busy and we were waaay behind schedule, but when I finally arrived at her room, my guest was in no mood to hear about my problems, no pun intended!
It just would have been nice to be able to explain that the hotel had allowed three buses to schedule their bag retrieval and departure time at the same time! Or that we had five calls at once and three bellmen! Or that we had a conference of deaf women to contend with as well, which she definitely should have taken into account.
But she didn’t.
Instead, she yelled at me, which was incredibly unsettling considering just how unusual a deaf person’s voice actually sounds when they lack the ability to form coherent sentences. I persevered though, and her colleagues were more understanding when we arrived at the conference rooms.
Still, I made it out alive (minus a tip,of course!) and lived to fight again, which turned out to be at 1:10 pm, when I was sent to retrieve luggage from what turned out to be an empty room. The luggage and various items were scattered about the room, and I made the decision to retreat until the guest returned. An hour later, we received another call from the same room and I returned only to discover I had walked into another minefield.
This time three deaf ladies with a baby were pissed off at me.
One pointed at her watch angrily but refused to hear my explanation. However, once I had finished loading the cart I wrote her a note explaining the situation. The note also served as a reminder to all three ladies that no one would hear them scream!
They laughed and became pussy cats after we had reached an understanding. They then left the room, followed me to the guest elevators and after a moment or two, remembered they had left the baby in the room.
Seriously.
In the end, I had to hit the conference rooms for them, load up another cart and a giant viewing screen, load their van, and eat a little more garbage.
But at least I utilized the memory for another post, because after all that, they still didn’t tip me.
It’s good to be The Hook, right?
You've Been Hooked! 
Yelled at by deaf women?
Next thing you know blind men will be giving you the evil eye.
Probably!
It’s a good story.
Thanks once again, young lady!
How does your blog always have something so bizarre? Every time? Lol. Crazy crazy story!
Try living it!
I can think of one very sweet, very sad exception, but this does seem to be the general rule! And I love it. That’s not to say I love The Hook’s misery, but I do so love the way he recounts these experiences. 🙂
Thanks, I think!
I don’t understand how they are unhappy with how long it took you to arrive and you don’t get a tip….Did you still take the bags? That is what the tip for right no how long it takes you to arrive to the room. That would be an hotel issue not your issue. Just thinking out load, I don’t really know how it works. If you do your service you should get a tip. And to get yelled at without being able to explain or appologize is so crazy. Sounds like another fun day!
It certainly was!
ARe the death…I mean deaf… and disabled, immmune from tipping? Because their dour circumstances are deemed worse than your humble circumstances of really depending on tips to pay your bills and fed your family????
SHit. That’s just bullshit. No sympathy is required, no empathy, for the f’n non-tippers of this world. Screw them. They DO know better, hide behind their disability to save a few bucks, and then, to top it all off, are so self-important – they forget a helpless baby!
They are, perhaps, so used to being the medical victims, they seem to have trouble identifying a truly helpless being. The baby no doubt, threatens them. It offers the possibility of upstaging their disability, creating a more profound, emotional interest in others of the little helpless one. WHo is not “THEM”. They sound like a bunch of self-centered adult babies, to me.
You said it! In a very intelligent manner, to boot!
I forget to tip on a regular basis in North America.
I don’t know what to say….
Tipping is generally frowned upon in most of the rural parts of China. I don’t spend a lot of time in Beijing or Guangzhou or Hongkong or cities of the like where Chinese have come to expect it due to foreigners dolling out tips. When I first arrived in China it was not permitted to tip. Most of the Chinese people I encounter beleive that when a person tips, it is because you feel pity for they don’t make as much as you do. And now, most of those Chinese I meet and we get on the topic of tipping, they basically laugh at foreigners saying that if we are stupid enough to throw around our money, who are they to say no?
After ten years living under these thoughts, I just forget to tip. Although in my purse I still have many “Canada” items/Western fun objects to gift to those who deal with customers/patrons who go above and beyond their jobs. And those, are more greatly appreciated than tips. Or something that is even more greatly appreciated than these gifts? Spending a few minutes chatting with them in English giving them practice.
I don’t spend enough time in Western countries to think much on it. And besides. The few times this summer I’ve spent in hotels so far, the bell hop man (I was on crutches at the time mind you) didn’t even offer to assist us with our luggage, and held out his hand at the elevator expecting a tip for pressing a button.
It all boils down to culture. And I am at a cross roads between what I live with on a daily basis and where I vacation.
Mister The Hook; from what you say you do at your hotel, yes I might forget to tip you. But if you do half of what you have said you have done, when I remember, I do go out of my way to find the person/people who has helped me and thank them in various ways. I write letters to the hotel managers to express my gratitude, personal notes to those that have helped me… but these I do if I forget to tip.
Okay, you’re off the hook (so to speak!), Woman!
Almost sounds like a Monty Python sketch, doesn’t it?
There was an episode of Fawlty Towers, starring John Cleese, that centered around a hearing impared hotel guest. I wonder if The Hook is really Mr. Cleese?
Great story once again, John, er, I mean Hook!
I WISH I was Mr. Cleese!
I’d settle for half his talent!
At least those guys got paid!
At least those guys got paid!
Very funny post!!! Although it does sound like a sketch from a comedy like Saturday Night Live before they became such a silly program.
Thanks for the chuckle!
You’re welcome, Woman!
Obviously they were deaf to your circumstances….
Well said!
LOL!! I don’t even know what to say to that!! You really meet ’em all, don’t you?!
Absolutely!
Man, I wonder how much your lack of tips would add up to over the years? I bet alot huh?
I don’t want to think about it…
Wow! Yelled at by a deaf woman and have 3 pissed at you, awesome!!
Didn’t feel awesome…
Now that’s a day that’ll go in the books. I can’t believe they left the baby in the room. Priceless!!!
At least they didn’t throw the baby out with the bath water!
I seriously think you have the perfect job for you…and hell, it is awesome blog fodder…
I’m intrigued…
One day you’ll get a break and have a nice easy guest like Dominique Strauss-Kahn to deal with.
If I’m lucky!
About the baby…really? So when exactly did they manage to remember the baby wasn’t with them? Aaargh !
Hahaha ! You really meet /encounter all sorts of people at work, huh. have you met any Hollywood celebrties yet? That would be an awesome tale to read ! !
If only I could tell it; I’m worried about getting sued!
@_@ Aha ! So you do get to meet celebrities ! So ,okay, nothing nasty… whos’ the nicest one? I read somewhere ben Affleck is the nicest celebrity, according to hotel staff and plane stewards all over the world..
I’ll tell you who is not so nice; D.J Jazzy Jeff! He completely ignored me in the room and of course he didn’t tip me! There have been others, but maybe I’ll get to them in the future.
I know its not PC – but I laughed out loud when you said a deaf woman yelled at you – and then it got worse, or better, I mean the post, was hilarious, though you have my never ending sympathy.
And I need it badly!
Douche bags can come in all shapes and sizes…Not ALL Deaf people are rude, believe me, because my brother is deaf and he’s a really nice guy and not just saying that cause he is my brother….his wife(my sister-in-law) can be a B**** sometimes, though….
Anyways, I respect the fact you didn’t make fun of all deaf people in general or assume they were all this way….you just happened to run into some deaf woman who WERE rude.
I sure did!
Dang… you even got the baby angry with you? Nice. 😉
I have a gift, it’s true!
I agree, definitely good to be the Hook, who else would’ve coped I ask you?… Had me smiling then laughing from the start, good job you have that underlying sense of humour., right? 😀 xPenx
It’s my Tony Stark armor, that’s for sure!
Another funny day in the life of The Hook! I laughed out loud at the vision of you being yelled at by a deaf woman. I know, that isn’t PC, who fng cares?!
That’s why I wrote it!