Entitled hotel guest refuses to accept reality, so employee takes her on a wild ride

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.

  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.