Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

It has been said that the customer is always right, but customers always seem determined to be the exception. Front desk workers deal with all kinds of guests, from the polite and understanding to the entitled and irrational. While most complaints are routine, some customers take things to an entirely new level. One hotel receptionist shared a particularly absurd encounter on Reddit’s r/MaliciousCompliance, detailing how a guest insisted she had a reservation for a floor that didn’t even exist—and demanded to be taken there.

A guest insists on a nonexistent reservation

The Reddit user, whose post has since been deleted, explained that they worked at a hotel that used to be a Days Inn. The hotel only had three floors, and reservations were only taken at the front desk—there were no online or third-party bookings. On a busy weekend when the hotel was fully booked, an elevator went out of service, making things even more chaotic for the staff.


A hotel, notably with just three floors. You can stay on the fourth floor, but you'll want to bring a tent. Jeffrey Czum

Late that night, when the receptionist wasn’t expecting any more guests, a woman walked in and placed a piece of paper on the front desk before grabbing her luggage. The document was a reservation confirmation for the same night at the hotel’s address but listed at a fraction of the price the hotel had been charging. The employee immediately recognized the problem.

“I regret to inform you that we do not accept third-party reservations, and we are unfortunately already booked for the night,” the receptionist explained. But the woman was not having it.

"I have a reservation. It’s right there. I paid good money for it."

Deleted User

The receptionist calmly explained that because the hotel didn’t accept third-party bookings, the woman’s reservation had been made fraudulently. But rather than understanding, she became enraged.

“You’re just trying to steal my money!” she shouted. “I have a confirmation number right there. I handed it to you!”

That wasn’t even the strangest part. The woman’s reservation claimed she had booked a room on the fourth floor. The problem? The hotel only had three floors.

Taking compliance to a whole new level—literally

When the receptionist pointed out that the hotel didn’t have a fourth floor, the woman doubled down. “I stayed at this Days Inn last year on the fourth floor!” she insisted. At this point, her anger escalated into outright demands.

“I don’t respond, I just stare at her with a blank face until she slaps the desk and screams ‘Now!’” the Redditor recounted.

Tired of arguing, the receptionist decided to give the woman exactly what she was asking for. They grabbed the key ring, loaded up her luggage, and led her up the stairs.

They stopped at the third floor, where the employee gestured at the floor number on the wall. But the guest wasn’t paying attention—she was still determined to reach her imaginary fourth floor. So, the receptionist took things up a notch. They unlocked the maintenance stairs and kept climbing, eventually pushing open the door to the rooftop.

"And here is the fourth floor. I hope it is as nice as the last time you stayed here."

Deleted User

Without another word, the receptionist dropped the woman’s luggage and walked back down to the front desk.

No sympathy for rude behavior

The receptionist admitted that if the woman had been polite, they would have helped her find another hotel. But given her behavior, they felt no obligation. When they returned to the roof during their midnight rounds, the woman was gone. She had either found another way down or simply left.

Before it was deleted, the Reddit post quickly went viral, earning over 10,000 upvotes and countless comments from people who applauded the employee’s patience and quick thinking.

"Bravo! There is no way I could have handled that situation without completely losing my cool - my hat is off to you."

u/a-rovinglgo

Some commenters, however, sympathized with the woman, pointing out the dangers of booking through third-party websites.

“This is the exact reason I don’t book on 3rd party websites,” wrote u/eboom011. “I may use their site to see what options are in the area and filter by different amenities, but once I’ve made my choice, I will always go to that hotel's website or call directly to book.”

While the situation was frustrating for everyone involved, one thing was clear: when faced with an impossible customer, sometimes a little malicious compliance is the best solution.

More For You

Nasa's Crew-8 finally lands but can’t sit comfortably. Here’s why.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts from right to left NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps, Matthew Dominick, and Michael Barratt, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenki.

Nasa's Crew-8 finally lands but can’t sit comfortably. Here’s why.

In late October 2024, SpaceX Crew-8 completed NASA’s latest commercial crew rotation mission to the International Space Station with a splashdown near Pensacola. But rather than an easy transition back to normal life, three of the returning astronauts landed briefly in the hospital. Once discharged, they faced reporters and described the unexpected difficulties of reacclimating to Earth after 235 days in space.

Photographers at NASA capture the night sky Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, on a beach near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Photo by NASA/Glenn Benson via KSC

Keep ReadingShow less
A hotel room door, ajar.

Representative Image: It's important to keep safety in mind when checking into a hotel.

This viral post exposes a scary hotel security flaw, but there’s a simple way to stay safe

A TikTok video once raised alarms about hotel room security after demonstrating a device that could open doors from the outside. User braccozz posted a clip showing how a simple twisted wire could be inserted under a door, looped around the handle, and pulled to open the door. The video gained over 13.4 million views before being deleted, but not before sparking widespread concern.

"If you ever see this come under the door, run IMMEDIATELY."

— @braccozz

One woman’s real-life encounter with the hotel door hack

Before the original video disappeared, it reached TikTok user josiebowers10, who shared a terrifying experience from her teenage years. Bowers, from Canada, recalled how someone tried to break into her hotel room using the same method when she was 15 years old and on vacation in Ocean City, Maryland.

Keep ReadingShow less
woman reading book in tent

Ah, reading!

Photo by Lê Tân on Unsplash

People share the 46 books that helped them get through really hard times

Books have the power to heal. Reading stories that expand your mind and introduce new ideas can be a powerful tool to help you overcome hard times in life. So when a woman struggling opened up to complete strangers for book recommendations to help her through, they delivered.

"Looking for a book that can help me through a really hard time in life right now," she shared. "I’m going though a lot of changes and grief in my life right now. Getting very depressed and it’s hard for me to keep positive. I’m looking for a book that changed your life? Something that helps with perspective and makes you think." These are 46 of the best books that have helped people get through hard times.

Keep ReadingShow less
wedding, wedding surprise, wedding speech

Bride surprises husband with student messages at wedding reception.

Euphoria Films/Instagram

Bride surprises groom with sweet recorded messages from his students at their wedding reception

Wedding reception speeches are always tearjerkers. And for Australian newlyweds Ryan and Chelsea Cox, their reception speech had the entire wedding crying. In a touching Instagram video shared by Euphoria Films, bride Chelsea surprises her new groom Ryan with a heartwarming surprise from his students.

"You are exactly in the career you're meant to be. Making a real difference. You should be so proud of the love, the care and support you bring to their lives," Chelsea says in the beginning of the speech. "I know how much you wanted them here today, so I'm just sharing a little love from your Class 5 Red."

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman’s job interview takes a turn when she shares her love for sci-fi
Cover image source: Pexels | Pixabay; Reddit

Woman’s job interview takes a turn when she shares her love for sci-fi

Job interviews are nerve-wracking experiences, and even the most prepared candidates can face rejection for unexpected reasons. While some employers turn applicants away for valid concerns, others seem to base their decisions on trivial factors. One Reddit user, u/Alikona_05, shared a frustrating hiring experience where a highly qualified candidate was rejected simply because of her hobbies.

The post, which has received over 1.9K upvotes and 211 comments, described how their boss was looking for a temporary employee to fill in during a medical leave. Since the boss had a scheduling conflict, the Reddit user was asked to sit in on the interview alongside a senior coworker—whom they described as a "boomer."

Keep ReadingShow less