Travel etiquette isn’t always clear, so one TikToker has taken it upon herself to educate her followers on the dos and don’ts of staying in a hotel. MamafromArkansas (@mamafromarkansas) shared her insights in a video that has garnered over 284,000 views since it was uploaded on July 23.
“I work at the front desk of a hotel and I’m going to read out a list of things not to do as a hotel guest,” MamafromArkansas began.
Then she immediately ran through her list. Here are 8 things to (please, please) avoid in hotels, according to someone who should know.
Do not be late for your reservation
The first item on MamaFromArkansas’ list is delays. In some cases, arriving the day after your reservation date means a room is no longer available.
“First, don’t show up the day after your reservation thinking you can already check in with a reservation,” she warned.
“A no-show event has occurred and we no longer have this reservation because you did not show up for the reservation on the specified date.”
Do not use third-party booking websites
The second item on MamaFromArkansas’ list was using popular travel booking sites.
“Don’t book through third-party booking sites. Don’t book with Expedia,” she warned.
According to MamaFromArkansas, the hotel cannot help if there is a problem with the reservation.
“Your reservation gets lost. You need a refund. You need to cancel… something is going to happen and we can’t change the reservation because you booked through a third party. You have to call the third party. It’s the same as if you ordered through DoorDash and the restaurant messes up your order. They tell you, ‘Hey, we can’t change that. You have to call DoorDash,'” she explained.
We have asked Expedia for a response on this matter.
Do not ignore the confirmation email
A small mistake, like choosing the wrong date, can result in you not getting a room. This problem is more common than you think.
“Don’t get mad at a staff member for booking the wrong dates for the reservation. It’s not our fault and we will email you a confirmation, so it’s your fault for not booking the correct dates and not double-checking yourself.”
No means no
“If you call and ask if we have free appointments on a particular date and we tell you we don’t, please don’t ask four more times when I’m sure we do.”
MamafromArkansas assures the audience that she is not mistaken. If she said no, then it is definitely a no.
“I look directly at the screen and I don’t see any inventory for this data,” she clarified.
Don’t let your children run around while you’re drunk
Another item on their “don’t do” list: Drunk parents leaving their children unsupervised.
“Please do not bring your children to an event (be it a sporting event, school, or whatever) and then let them run around the hotel and destroy everything while you get drunk at the bar.”
Don’t rush into anything and don’t write a bad review
In the next point, she describes her frustration with guests who leave negative reviews without first giving the hotel a chance to fix the problems.
“Please don’t leave the hotel if you had problems and you don’t let us know and then leave a bad review. You didn’t give us a chance to fix your problems, so why are you writing a bad review?” she asked.
Don’t make assumptions about amenities
Next, MamaFromArkansas advises guests to thoroughly research the hotel and its amenities before making a reservation to ensure that the hotel will meet their specific needs.
“Don’t book a room at a hotel without first checking out what amenities the hotel has to offer,” she explained.
“If you want a free breakfast, you might want to make sure the hotel offers a free breakfast.”
Don’t wait until the last minute if you need to cancel
She concludes her list with a quick reminder of what happens if you wait too long to cancel your reservation.
“And last but not least, please don’t be the one who thinks the policy doesn’t apply to you. We have a 24-hour cancellation policy, which means if you call the day of your reservation, you will be charged a late cancellation fee. At my property, it’s the full price of the first night. That’s all. That’s all.”
At the end, MamafromArkansas makes a playful announcement: “Now that I’ve given you some guidance on how to behave in a hotel and what not to do, I expect to interact better with all of you.”
“It obviously backfired”
When the Daily Dot contacted MamaFromArkansas, she shared her thoughts on how her video went viral.
“I originally started making the videos because I get yelled at a lot and guests often get upset with us simply because they don’t understand how hotels work… policies and stuff. I thought maybe it would help people understand why certain situations happen and even try to prevent them. It would make our job at the front desk easier and make guests (their stay) more pleasant,” she wrote.
@mamafromarkansas Someone had to tell y’all how to behave #hotelworker #frontdeskchronicles #frontdesklife #fyp #MamaFromArkansas ♬ Original sound – MamaFromArkansas
However, there were some people who did not receive the video as she intended.
“Of course, that backfired. I got a lot of backlash from people who don’t work in hotels. So, from the discerning ones. Some people were grateful for the information. Some people didn’t like the way I delivered the information and so the message didn’t resonate with them. However, I gained quite a lot of followers, many of whom also work in hotels and are therefore understanding.”
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