10 Hotel Workers Share Stories That Are Too Weird to Be True

Beneath the polished smiles and flawless service of a hotel, there’s a hidden world full of untold stories. Each one reveals unique challenges, unexpected encounters, and surprising adventures that could easily be the basis for a binge-worthy show. Prepare to check in and uncover the drama, humor, and humanity that unfold behind the scenes of hotel life.

• Two charming ladies stayed at our hotel for a month. Every day, they kindly requested extra bottles of shampoo and soap. Since these were included in the room rate, we happily provided them. On their last day, I visited them with small souvenirs to thank them for their extended stay. When I opened their room, I was shocked to find 40 bottles of shampoo and shower gel neatly packed in bags!

• I worked the night shift and was the only employee in the entire hotel from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Around 3 a.m., I got a few calls about a fight in an upstairs hallway. I made my way upstairs to see what was going on. When I got there, two guys were having a full-on brawl.
  I'm 6'2" and very broad-shouldered, but these guys were taller and super ripped. As I approached, a third guy — just as large as the other two — came out of a room yelling, "Get off him!" I stopped a ways away and just shouted at them. They all stopped immediately and looked at me.
  I was getting ready to run for it when they all just deflated. The two let go of each other, and one mumbled, "I'm sorry," under his breath. They looked like a bunch of toddlers who had just gotten caught stealing cookies. I have never seen a situation go from 100 to 0 so fast. © Vypernorad / Reddit
• I worked at a luxury, 5-star hotel. A couple in their 50s were regular guests. One day, the husband came in with a gorgeous blonde — not his wife. Our manager gave them the couple’s usual suite. But while they were out, the manager quietly went up to the suite and took photos of their belongings, which she then sent to the wife.
  It turned out the wife had suspected her husband was cheating and had asked the manager to gather proof to help her with the divorce settlement. Unfortunately, this landed our manager in serious trouble, and she was fired not long after.

• I used to work the front desk of a 1,200-room upscale hotel in San Francisco with a restaurant on the top floor. Our garage only held 300 cars, and on weekends it was often full. We’d put out a sign saying, "Parking for Hotel Guests Only." A valet would take the guests' cars to a nearby public garage.
  About 11 p.m. on a Friday night, a Ferrari drives up, and the guy wants his car parked, saying he’s going to the restaurant. The valet says, "Sorry, we’re full — hotel guests only." The guy tells the valet he’ll be right back.
  He comes up to the front desk, demands a room, and I check him in. When I go to hand him the room key, he snaps at me to forget the key and just park his car. © ChuckinTucson / Reddit
• I worked the front desk at a hotel next to an airport. A bunch of flights were canceled, so we were sold out.
  A guy came in looking for a room. He didn’t believe that we were full, so as a joke, I told him, “Unless you want to sleep in a closet, we’re sold out.” He paid me $50 and took our storage closet. © ulyn / Reddit
• I was a front office manager (ran the front desk), and a lady came up and asked for everything complimentary we offered — literally. She wanted tampons, extra soap, razors, deodorant, mouthwash, toothbrush, floss, and even the loaner bathroom scale. Then she proceeded to dump the entire bowl of Starlite mints into her purse. She was clearly out of her mind. © katduffy / Reddit
• I was working at a luxury hotel, and we had a fairly big-name band staying with us. There were no noise complaints, and they seemed to be perfect tenants.
  When they left, and we went to clean the room, every single piece of furniture was nailed to the ceiling in roughly the same configuration as it was on the floor. I found it quite amusing. Management didn’t. © EyesWid****pid / Reddit

• I was working at the front desk one night. It was 11:25 p.m., and I had 5 minutes left in my shift. I was dying to go home. I got a call from a room on the 3rd floor, and it was a woman sounding very worried and scared, near tears. She started screaming and said she needed help because she couldn’t turn her light on and didn’t know what to do.
  It was impossible to talk to her on the phone, so I ran upstairs to help since she sounded very distressed. When I arrived at her room, I noticed the door was slightly open. I knocked and leaned in. She called out, "HELLO, HELLO, please turn the light on!"
  The room was in darkness, and I couldn’t see where she was. I turned the light on (simply hitting the switch — it was just turned off) and noticed the guest was in bed with all her clothes on. I politely said, "Is everything okay? The light is on now. Is there anything else I can help you with?" She replied in a much calmer tone, "Could you please turn the light off? I’m going to bed." © themanfromthedam / Reddit
• I work at a 5-star hotel. There is a couple who are regular guests. One time, after they checked in, the husband secretly approached the front desk. He asked our manager to send a bouquet of red roses to an address with the note: "Happy 23rd birthday, baby."
  The manager gladly did what he said, but instead of sending them to the lover, she sent them to the couple's hotel room. The wife initially thought the flowers were a sweet romantic gesture, but then she realized her husband was seeing a younger woman. She caused a huge scene in the middle of the hotel lobby, yelling and fighting with her husband.
  My manager, who had recently handed in her resignation, started laughing and said it was the perfect farewell memory as she was leaving her hotel management career to focus on motherhood. To this day, we still laugh about it, and we’ve never seen the couple again.

• I work at a hotel, and a guest approached to return his room keys and settle his bill. I informed him that I needed his credit card for payment. He nodded, saying, 'I'll give it to you right away.' But then, I noticed him hesitating. Suddenly, he looked up at me with innocent eyes, pulled his shirt out of his pants, and slipped his hand inside. In a moment, he retrieved a small purse on a string, where he kept all his cash.

Frequent business travelers have perfected the art of adjusting to new environments while still enjoying their creature comforts. We've gathered a collection of helpful tips to ensure your next hotel stay is smooth and stress-free.