The King of Diamonds: When Hotel Loyalty Status Goes to Your Head
Picture this: You’re running a massive hotel during a sold-out conference week. Every room is booked, the lobby is buzzing, and the front desk is a battleground of rolling suitcases and weary travelers. Suddenly, through the revolving doors, strides a man who believes he is not just a guest—but the King of Diamonds. Armed with elite status and a sense of entitlement that could fill your entire ballroom, he’s here to claim his throne… and possibly a suite upgrade.
If you’ve ever worked in hospitality, you know exactly where this is going. But even if you haven’t, grab some popcorn (whether you want it or not—more on that later) because nothing prepares you for the spectacle of a loyalty member who thinks the rules simply don’t apply to him.
The Early Bird (Who Wants the Entire Worm Buffet)
Our story’s regal subject, henceforth dubbed Mr. KD (King of Diamonds), arrived bright and early—8:30AM, to be precise—expecting his room to be ready despite a very clear 3PM check-in policy. Sure, he’d had a long flight. Sure, he’s racked up enough stays to score diamond-tier status. But as u/SkwrlTail cleverly pointed out, “This was the Ritz. People were paying a lot of money to never be wrong at the top luxury hotel on the planet. Now everyone thinks that they deserve that level of service at every business.”
It’s not that the hotel didn’t want to help; they offered to take his number and reach out if his room opened up early. But when the actual check-in time rolled around—with a long line of equally exhausted guests—Mr. KD sauntered right past everyone and demanded immediate attention. “He walks right past the line and starts complaining about how he shouldn’t have had to wait so long!” wrote the OP, u/Straight-Bowler1467.
As u/DaneAlaskaCruz mused, “Not sure how people got so entitled. Maybe from seeing it in the movies?” That’s one theory. Another, as u/FoxtrotSierraTango observed, is that “complaining works. Service and hospitality managers have been placating Karens to avoid 1 star reviews since Yelp was founded 20 years ago.” The cycle is self-perpetuating: the louder the complaint, the more likely someone will cave and throw in a freebie.
The Manager Summons and the Myth of 24/7 Royal Service
Not satisfied with mere mortal apologies, Mr. KD demanded to speak to the General Manager—because surely the GM of a 3,000-room hotel complex has nothing better to do than drop everything to handle one dissatisfied diamond. As the OP dryly noted, “Does he think this is the 90s when the GM lived at the hotel?! People have families, people have kids, and people have to go home some time!”
This is where things get truly farcical. Later that evening—at 9PM, no less—Mr. KD fired off a message demanding a personal email response from the GM. “He ended the message saying that he expects to be reached out to in the morning and I wanted to laugh. Who the hell is this guy and why does he feel so entitled that he’s still seething about this?! He got his room and he had to wait like everyone else, oh no!”
u/City_Girl_at_heart chimed in with some practical wisdom: their GM’s email has an out-of-hours autoreply stating responses resume after 9am, with the duty manager handling emergencies. Spoiler: that duty manager is rarely a fairy godmother with a magic key to the diamond suite.
Why Does Entitlement Work? (And Why It Needs to Stop)
One of the post’s most upvoted comments offered a simple answer: “People are entitled because complaining works… We’ve been conditioning people to complain in an attempt to get favorable treatment for at least the last 30 years, it isn’t going away anytime soon...” (u/FoxtrotSierraTango). As u/spidernole bluntly put it, “Senor Asshole is going to get paid for it. Which will embolden him to do it again.”
It’s a cycle familiar to anyone in hospitality. The “customer is always right” mantra, as several commenters dissected, was never meant for every situation—certainly not for guests who expect a champagne-and-jacuzzi suite when they paid for a standard double. As u/Poldaran quipped, “I prefer 'The Customer is King.' Because bad kings get deposed. Sometimes, if they're really bad, they get… emphatically deposed.”
But it’s not just the guests who perpetuate the myth. As u/SmellsLikeASteak pointed out, “hotel chains... tell members they get perks like early check-in, late checkout, upgrades, etc. and then in the fine print saying 'when available.'” The result? A mismatch between expectation and reality, with front desk staff caught in the crossfire.
The Unsung Heroes (and the Guests We Love)
For every Mr. KD, there’s a u/iamsage1: “I'm happy to announce that my membership level is... diddly-squat!! I expect no extras, no free breakfast, and no concierge!! If I ever get to DK level of pissiness, please kick me out!” These are the guests that make the job worthwhile—the ones who appreciate a clean bed, a bottle of water, and a smile.
And while the original poster lamented that “someone is going to have to kiss Mr. KD's ass and give him something to placate him,” the comment section offered some catharsis. u/G-Knit dreamed of simply saying, “I apologize for our facility being unable to accommodate you... you are free to find accommodations at another facility that can better cater to you.” If only it were that easy.
The truth is, hospitality staff go to incredible lengths to keep the show running—juggling requests, calming egos, and, occasionally, fighting the urge to hand out crowns at check-in. But perhaps, as u/Langager90 noted, “nobody has to kiss anything.” Maybe, just maybe, we can draw a line and leave the throne room closed for cleaning.
Conclusion: The Kingdom Needs New Rules
So the next time you’re tempted to flex your loyalty status at the front desk, remember: behind those smiles are real people, with real limits, and they’ve seen it all before. Maybe the real diamond-tier perk is just being a decent human being—and realizing that sometimes, waiting your turn is the most royal thing you can do.
Have you ever witnessed a guest try to claim the crown? Do you have your own tales from the front desk—or the check-in line? Share your stories, your “kingly” moments, or your best hotel hacks in the comments below! Let’s give the true heroes of hospitality their due—and keep the thrones in the lobby strictly decorative.
Original Reddit Post: The King of Diamonds