My blog is not only page for posting my daily thoughts and experiences but all things that actually have happened. That’s why I am launching new line of posts “Hotelier night life”. Short posts about things that happens while we work overnight shifts at the hotel. Believe me or not but sometimes there is a lot of interesting things happening. Job you would think so easy and simple. Everyone is asleep, no walking and complaining guests, no thousands of phone calls per minute, no one is disturbing… mmmmmm so peaceful and quiet. So far my luck is that I am the only person that is train to cover overnight shift while night manager is away, and of course that means my shifts are coming on Fridays and Saturdays. That basically means no free weekends, while every one else are feeling Friday’s and Saturday’s nights vibes and craziness, I am going to sit behind my desk and I am about to log in to my computer. That’s how night shift starts.
If it comes to Saturday overnight, everything always starts the same way. I’m always coming to work at the same time, I welcome all associates on my way to the office where I pick up my water bottle. In cafeteria I fill up my bottle with mix of sparkling cold and still hot water with some lemon. This will be my hydration for the whole night. From cafeteria to the elevator and accounting offices to pick up my bank. I always check if main printer is filled with paper as there’s nothing worse than running out of paper in the middle of night audit reports printing. After that all ready with a smile on my face I am going to the front desk where I am getting the pass on from afternoon shift. At this point hotel is under my wings. I am the one that is responsible for the security and safety of the hotel. Off we go, last guests arrivals than reports, printing, typing numbers, marking signing. All system cooperated perfectly this night, it’s not always like that. At around 2 am hotel gets very quiet. Guests disappears in their rooms, my eyes look from time to time on cctv cameras, I have four of them, two for inside and two for outside. When you think that everything is ok, that’s where everything begins…
2:55 am, first attack attempt, male after 40, drunk as hell trying to get in through main entrance – I think to myself “probably guest” – I am observing him on cctv, male is barely walking towards the elevators but in an instant he changes direction and jump over to one of the sofas and trying to fall asleep. I get up from my desk, at the same time clock in the lobby make sound that it’s 3 am, I am approaching that male but he opens his eyes and starts running away. Instead of heading towards the main entrance he is going to the ball room so I am asking him “Sir, can I help you with something?” and if he is a hotel guest. He replied that he is so I show him the way to the elevators, but he enter and pushes buttons, so I ask him if he has his room key, because he will not be able to go up, so he replied that he doesn’t have it, so I ask him if he has an ID but he answered that no and he needs to leave. So I showed him main entrance, male left the hotel and have never returned.
I’m back to my desk and work continues.
3:15 am, second attack, young male, dirty white t-shirt, dreds on his head coming to the lobby. I am asking him if there is anything I can help him with but he just wanted to use bathroom, so standard denial extended as he was not a hotel guest. Young man asked if we have a water fountain, but unfortunately we don’t have anything like that in the lobby, but I gave him a bottle of water and he nicely left the hotel.
I’m back to my desk and work continues.
4 am, third attack, three males in age 25 to 45, looking like guys from countryside entering my lobby. So I go out to them, posing as a serious and angry night manager, my thoughts are mixed as I am outnumbered. So again question is asked how can I assist them, but they just like kids started to getting exciting about stunning lobby, and that they just wanted to look around and take some pictures. Kids played a little bit and they left the hotel peacefully. I must admit that at some point I was ready to take action like in one of Jean Claude Van Damme movies.
I’m back to my desk and this time until 7 am it is quiet
