Even though good customer service is one of the main conditions for success in any business, it is particularly important in the hotel industry where guests are looking to staff to help them make their stay as relaxing and comfortable as possible. And staff in hotels all over the world really does go out of their way to meet various requests of their guests, even some unusual ones. It is not easy to shock a hotel worker, especially those veteran professionals who have served the strangest of oddballs. But some guest requests are strange enough to leave even the most seasoned staffers shaking their heads.
Compared to some of the weirdest hotel requests and complaints compiled by global travel search site Skyscanner, “I need to hire a belly dancer”, “Build me a bonfire”, and “Can you arrange a horse show for me?” sound like normal, everyday requests of a hotel guest. To find the oddest of guest requests and complaints, Skyscanner has surveyed 400 international hotel staff from 49 countries and has come up with following results.
Top 10 most unusual hotel requests include:
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One glass of water on the hour every hour, throughout the night -
15 cucumbers a day
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Toilet to be filled with mineral water
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Bath of honey
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Sound of goats bells to aid sleep
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Only the right legs of a chicken
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A dead mouse
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Bath of chocolate milk
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16 pillows (for single guest)
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Crocodile soup
The survey also revealed the most unusual complaints that staff have been subjected to, with top ten being:
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The sheets are too white -
The sea was too blue
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Ice cream too cold
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Bath was too big
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Girlfriend’s snoring kept guest awake (discount requested)
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Guest’s dog didn’t enjoy his stay (refund requested)
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Hotel had no ocean view (in Mayfair, London and Italy, 80km from coast)
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There was no steak on vegetarian menu
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Waiter was too handsome
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Mother of Groom wasn’t given the honeymoon suite
The world is full of examples like the ones listed above. Great Hotels of The World report on one particularly demanding guest who has asked staff at Hotel Ranga in Iceland to organize a private helicopter tour to a nearby glacier where an 18-hole golf course had to be created just for him.
Another demanding guest requested a room where the sun sets at an angle of precisely 45 degrees to the right of the room window. Among other unusual requests, hotel staff was asked find some sun for a guest on a rainy day, to guarantee that no birds would be singing in the morning, and to stop the sound of the sea that was simply too irritating.
Travelodge, one of the UK’s largest budget hotel brands, has also compiled a list of most bizarre requests for 2013, during a survey conducted in its 513 hotels. These include:
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Can I have your best sun facing room as I have to soak in the sunbeams first thing in the morning to boost my aura for the day?
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Can you get me a real stag for my friend’s stag night?
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Can you transfer my room outside as I want to treat my wife to a night under the stars?
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Do you offer a sleep sitting service, as I need someone to watch over me whilst I am sleeping, as I tend to sleep walk.
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Where is the square at Trafalgar Square?
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How are the seven rivers joined together that run under the Severn Bridge?
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Does your pet policy include my two pet llamas?
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Can you send someone to warm my bed up?
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Can I borrow your wedding ring, as my best man has lost the rings and I am getting married this morning?
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Can you fill my bath with fresh milk?
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Can my hen Gladys stay with us- as we will only eat fresh eggs laid by her and for that reason she always travels with us?
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Can you arrange for a local hairdresser to come to the hotel and style my Afghan hound’s hair?
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Can we trick and treat in the hotel?
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How do I close the curtains in my room?
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My dog has got married, so can I book him a doggie-moon?
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How can I get a signal on this phone? (the customer was holding a TV remote control)
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Can you stop the snow as I need to get to the hotel?
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Before I book a room, can you let me know which way you have to turn your key to unlock the door?
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Do you have a blanket for my car as it is cold outside?
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Where do I go to meet a footballer? (in Liverpool)
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What tube will take me to the Eiffel Tower? (in London)
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Can you do my son’s math homework?
And this last one definitely upsets me when I think of all the sleepless nights spent doing homework for my MBA, instead of just going to any hotel in Monte Carlo. Lesson learnt.
