From Sales Hideout to Hotel Ringmaster: My Wild Promotion and First Write-Up Fiasco
Let’s face it: Most of us dream of a promotion for the money, the title, the chance to order the good pens. But rarely do we picture ourselves wrangling shuttle drivers, soothing a frazzled general manager, and nervously clutching our first-ever write-up form, all before our morning coffee. Welcome to hotel management, where the lobby is a minefield and the donuts are cold by the time the drama settles.
Meet our hero: a newly-minted Director of Sales turned Assistant General Manager (AGM), who just wanted to hide in their office, but instead found themselves orchestrating a circus worthy of its own HBO series. Buckle up—this is one wild ride through power, pettiness, and the perils of mandatory meetings.
The Accidental Boss: How Hiding from People Backfired
You know how they say, “Be careful what you wish for”? Turns out, being Director of Sales at this particular hotel was the ultimate introvert’s dream—no direct reports, just you, your office, and a fortress of spreadsheets. But then the General Manager (GM) started showing cracks. Imagine supervising every single department, dealing with employees who squabble like unsupervised toddlers, and threatening to quit so often it’s practically a punchline. Not ideal.
Our intrepid narrator, sensing a looming apocalypse (and not wanting to inherit the whole clown car), nobly volunteered to take the shuttle drivers off the GM’s hands. Easy, right? Well, sort of. Shuttle drivers are a unique breed, and while things are “okay”—not great—the GM can’t quite let go, and her meddling keeps stirring the pot. Still, progress is progress.
The Promotion Nobody Saw Coming
What started as a tactical move to save their own sanity soon snowballed. The front desk staff, apparently unimpressed by business cards and a real office, refused to acknowledge the new manager’s authority. It didn’t really bother our narrator—until the GM and hotel owner got wind of it. Their solution? Slap on the title of Assistant General Manager, out of pure spite. There’s something delicious about a spite promotion, isn’t there?
And so began the new reign—one that would be inaugurated by a mandatory front desk meeting. The goal? To break the curse of “oh no, what did we do wrong?” meetings and actually make it worthwhile. The preparation was top-notch: a shiny new employee handbook, a PowerPoint with all the bells and whistles, links, pictures, and—most crucially—donuts. This was going to be legendary.
When “Mandatory” Doesn’t Mean Much
But, as anyone who’s ever tried to herd cats (or hotel employees) knows, the best-laid plans often go awry. Enter Portia, one of the desk agents. On the day of the meeting, her mom showed up, but she didn’t. Was she running late? Caught in traffic? Nope—she was out of state. The real kicker? She’d read the reminder message but didn’t bother replying. Classic.
Cue our narrator “short-circuiting” in front of a room full of staff, everyone watching to see what the new boss would do. Cancel the meeting? Reschedule? Nope. That wouldn’t be fair to everyone who dragged themselves in on their day off (and for the record, yes, they get paid for meeting time). Instead, Portia would be the recipient of our hero’s first-ever write-up—a rite of passage for any manager, preferably done with shaky hands and a forced smile.
The Unglamorous Reality of Leadership
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to move from office hermit to department overlord, this story sums it up: a blend of unexpected responsibility, staff who test your boundaries, and the constant threat of inheriting a full-blown circus. Leadership isn’t about wielding power—it’s about surviving the daily chaos, learning on the fly, and, sometimes, writing up your first AWOL employee while running on zero sleep.
Final Thoughts: Embrace the Chaos
To all the future AGMs out there: your PowerPoints will get ignored, someone will always miss the meeting, and your “promotion” might come via a petty act of upper management. But if you can laugh, learn, and keep the donuts coming, you just might thrive.
Have your own hotel horror story or management mishap? Drop your favorite tales in the comments below—because, as this saga proves, misery (and management) loves company!
Original Reddit Post: Well F*** Me I Guess