Sorry, Sir, This Is a Hotel—Not Tinder: Tales From the Front Desk
When you work the front desk at a hotel, you expect to deal with the odd late check-in, a few lost keys, and maybe the occasional towel-related emergency. But what you don’t expect is for a guest to treat your workplace like a dating app—especially when the only “swipe right” involved is to get into their room. Yet that’s exactly what happened to one hotel worker, who recently shared their jaw-dropping story on Reddit’s r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk.
Get ready for a wild ride through the world of discounted rates, construction crews, and a cringe-worthy attempt at romance that had everyone in the comments shaking their heads—and sometimes laughing out loud.
Construction Crews, Discounted Rates, and a Policy as Clear as Day
The setting: A hotel that’s become a weekday home-away-from-home for a rotating cast of construction workers. As the OP (u/Big_Air3392) explained, the hotel offered a special discounted rate—but only for Sunday through Thursday nights. Every guest was made aware of this rule at check-in. Easy, right?
Apparently not for one particular guest, who checked in for his usual Monday-to-Friday stay. When Friday rolled around, housekeeping noticed his stuff was still in the room past checkout. Cue the call from the front desk: “If you’re staying another night, you have to pay the (slightly higher) Friday rate.”
Seems simple. But instead of handing over his card, the guest decided to try his luck at the world’s worst negotiation tactic.
“I’ll Only Pay If You Go Out With Me”: The Hotel Front Desk Meets Bad Romance
Here’s where things took a turn from mildly annoying to absolutely absurd. The man, apparently twice the age of the front desk staffer, replied: “I’ll only pay if you go out with me.”
Let’s pause for a moment to let the collective “Ew!” from the comment section sink in. As u/SkwrlTail so perfectly put it: “Ew. Ew. Ew. EW.”
The OP didn’t miss a beat, responding with ice-cold professionalism: “Ok, so you are leaving then?” Click—the guest hung up. Because if you can’t get a free date with your discounted room, why bother?
The community was quick to rally around the OP. As u/JabroniKnows joked, “Ummmm... even tinder doesn't work like that...” And, in what might be the best burn of the thread, OP added, “He would never get my swipe lol 😂”—to which another commenter, u/khismyass, quipped, “Sounds like a real As Swipe to me.”
The Community Reacts: Policy, Petty Comebacks, and How to Handle Creeps
Beyond the obvious “ick” factor, commenters had thoughts on how management should handle this kind of guest. Many, like u/cometview, suggested contacting the guest’s employer: “That sounds like a perfect opportunity to contact his foreman to clarify that corporate guests are expected to behave appropriately or the group will lose its preferential status.” Others echoed this, with u/Live-Okra-9868 sharing that reporting inappropriate behavior directly to the higher-ups is often “super effective,” especially when corporate rates are on the line.
Unfortunately, this hotel didn’t have a contract with the guest’s company, so the OP couldn’t escalate in that way. Instead, they followed policy: charging the guest’s card for the overstay, since “he had a lot of stuff” left in the room. As u/Rypien_37 noted, it’s surprising the hotel didn’t do a pre-authorization, but sometimes these things slip through the cracks when guests are extending stays night by night.
Other commenters took a more humorous approach. u/TobblyWobbly suggested better mirrors in the rooms, “so the creeps might finally realise they're not as hot as they think they are.” The OP replied with a zing: “Dude didn’t even have teeth anymore but still thought he is a catch😆.”
And for anyone wondering if this sort of thing is a one-off, u/DisasterTraining5861 chimed in with a tale from the bar side of hotel life: “One night two [construction workers] sat down at my bar... one starts complaining about his pregnant wife always nagging him and in nearly the next breath was trying to get me to come to his room. I guess some things never change.” Apparently, the intersection of hotels and unwanted advances is a tale as old as time.
When the Guest Crosses the Line: Drawing Boundaries, Hotel-Style
So, what’s the takeaway for hotels dealing with guests who mistake the check-in desk for a dating service? The consensus is clear: draw a hard line. As u/PlatypusDream suggested, “I understand you have chosen to leave immediately & never return. We will contact your employer so they know to arrange for different accommodations for you going forward.” And u/RoyallyOakie summed it up with: “Yuck. Dnr him for that.” (For the uninitiated, “DNR” = “Do Not Rent.”)
There were also important reminders about workplace safety and respect. Some commenters noted that management should always support staff when harassment occurs, even if it means losing a customer. As u/Impressive-Tart-8460 pointed out, “That is inappropriate sexual harassment and your manager is supposed to have your back. The customer is not always right when it comes to harassment.”
In the end, the OP handled it like a pro: policy enforced, payment secured, dignity intact. And one more would-be Casanova reminded that, no, you can’t swipe right for a free night at the Holiday Inn.
The Final Word: Hotel Isn’t Tinder—Let’s Keep It That Way
To all the hotel workers out there: may your guests be respectful, your policies be clear, and your comebacks ready for the next cringe-worthy proposition. And to the rest of us? Maybe just stick to the apps for dating—and pay your bill on time.
Have you ever had a weird hotel encounter, either as a guest or a staffer? Share your stories (the cringier, the better) in the comments below! Don’t forget to tip your front desk staff with kindness—and, please, keep your pickup lines at home.
Original Reddit Post: This is hotel not Tinder