Hotel Heels and Backstabbers: Surviving Sabotage at the Front Desk
When you work the front desk at a hotel, you expect a little drama. Maybe a guest who thinks their expired coupon entitles them to a penthouse, or a late-night fire alarm courtesy of a midnight microwave popcorn mishap. But sometimes, the real plot twist comes from your own coworkers. One Redditor, u/cvtharsis, recently spilled the tea on r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk about a new hire with a suspiciously shiny resume and a penchant for stirring the pot. If you’ve ever worked with an “I was a GM 20 years ago” type, get ready to say, “Same, bestie.”
This is a tale of promotions, impostor syndrome, scheming colleagues, and the fine art of keeping your cool when someone’s clearly gunning for your job. Grab your virtual room key—let’s check in to this hospitality soap opera.
The Promotion Nobody Warned You About
Our protagonist didn’t set out to become the front desk supervisor, but four years in and a less-than-adequate training later, they found themselves holding the keys to the kingdom. “Imposter syndrome? Oh, absolutely,” they admit, echoing the silent scream of many suddenly-promoted workers everywhere. Despite shaky beginnings, they learned on the fly, got their bearings with help from a supportive former manager, and built a tight-knit, communicative team.
But as any hotelier knows, the only thing more unpredictable than the WiFi is management turnover. When the old manager left, our brave supervisor was offered the top job. They (wisely) declined, sensing both a lack of readiness and a whiff of unfairness to career hoteliers. Enter the new GM—laid-back, supportive, but laser-focused on the owners’ bottom line.
Enter: The “Experienced” New Guy
If you’ve ever been short-staffed, you know desperation hires can be a gamble. In this case, the new GM found “A”—let’s call him “Captain Resume”—who insisted on starting weeks later than needed. When he finally arrived, he brought “two decades of experience” (from the era of dial-up internet, apparently), a barrage of questions, and a habit of offering unsolicited advice before he even learned where the bathroom was.
Training Captain Resume became an exercise in patience and diplomacy. Our supervisor, ever the team player, bent over backward to accommodate his quirks, answer his questions (relevant or not), and help him navigate the post-maintenance-crew chaos. The team’s open communication style was their superpower—until A started using it for gossip.
Backstabbing and Gossip: Hotel Edition
Here’s where the real plot thickens. Captain Resume started talking behind the supervisor’s back, painting them as inconsiderate and inept to anyone who’d listen—including teammates who, ironically, liked and respected their supervisor. The “plan to take my position” vibe was strong, and the gossiping so blatant that coworkers started warning the OP to keep their guard up.
As u/Overtlytired-_- pointed out in the comments, “These types of people reap what they sow... based off of the fact your other FD agents come to you and tell you about A and his gossiping. They trust you and respect you.” That’s the real litmus test in hospitality: if your team has your back, you’re doing something right—even if you sometimes doubt yourself.
And let’s not overlook A’s less-than-stellar guest interactions: being rude to Spanish-speaking guests and delivery drivers, finishing with snide remarks to staff, and even requesting time off before his first day. As u/Docrato dryly observed, “To respond to message with ‘uwu’ tells me he’s not mature enough for an adult.” Hard agree.
Survival Tips from the Front Desk Trenches
So what’s a supervisor to do when ambushed by a would-be usurper? The Reddit hive mind had some sage advice:
- Document Everything: Multiple commenters, including u/RedDazzlr and u/Overtlytired-_-, stressed the importance of keeping receipts. If Captain Resume ever tries to escalate or throw someone under the bus, a paper trail is your best defense.
- Stay Professional: As tempting as it is to clap back, professionalism is your shield. “Just keep your head up and stay professional... DOCUMENT! DOCUMENT! DOCUMENT!” urged one commenter.
- Don’t Suffer in Silence: If the sabotage escalates, consider going to your GM. As u/FCCSWF shared, sometimes it’s a matter of “him or me.” A united front from the desk staff can make management listen.
- Remember: Teamwork Wins: The fact that OP’s coworkers immediately shared A’s gossip is telling. As u/RoyallyOakie put it, “It doesn’t sound like he’s making any friends, so there’s that.”
- Trust the Process: Toxic coworkers often dig their own graves. “Don’t expect him to be there for at max maybe a year... They just barely met the guy too. He’ll be the cause of his own problems. Just you wait,” predicted u/Docrato.
The Final Room Key: Keep Calm and Carry On
In the hospitality world, you can’t always choose your coworkers. But you can choose how you respond to their antics. This story is a reminder that genuine leadership isn’t about power grabs or padded resumes; it’s about building trust, supporting your team, and keeping your cool when things get spicy. As the OP said, “What I will not do is let a bully, bully his way to the top simply because of his past leaderships.”
So if you find yourself facing a Captain Resume of your own, remember: document, stay professional, and lean on your crew. And if you have a wild front desk story, share it below—let’s swap tales from the trenches!
Have you ever survived a workplace backstabber? Drop your story in the comments—let’s commiserate and celebrate the unsung heroes of hospitality!
Original Reddit Post: Trying to be the bigger person, but I am so close to losing it!!