The Never-Ending Ring: Tales of Hotel Hold Music, Mobile Check-Ins, and Mystified Guests
If you’ve ever imagined the front desk of a hotel as a calm oasis, a place where weary travelers are gently welcomed and everything runs with clockwork precision—think again. Sometimes, it feels a lot more like working at a call center during a Black Friday sale. Phones ringing off the hook, guests with endless questions, and the ever-present threat of someone discovering—for the hundredth time—that “incidentals” isn’t just a fancy hotel word designed to annoy them.
Recently, u/Far_Okra_4107 shared their wild “welcome back” shift on Reddit’s r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk, and it’s the perfect snapshot of hospitality’s quirky, chaotic side. If you’ve ever wondered what really happens behind that polished desk, buckle up.
The Grand Return… to the Sound of Hold Music
After two glorious days off (spent mostly sleeping, which is the truest form of self-care), our storyteller returns to find the hotel’s phone system working overtime. Not one, but TWO hold lines are in use—a rarity in their three-month tenure at the property. If you’ve never worked front desk, let me translate: this is like DEFCON 1 in hospitality.
Hold 1 features a third-party booking agent, mystified by the concept of mobile check-in and the dreaded “incidentals.” Hold 2 is a high-tier loyalty member, equally baffled—except this time, they want all the perks of mobile check-in without actually... doing it.
Let’s break down the drama, call by call.
Call One: The Case of the Mysterious Incidentals
The third-party rep calls in, desperate to help a guest complete mobile check-in. Unfortunately, the guest’s reservation is through a third-party site, and—shocking, I know—they’re not a loyalty member. No app check-in for them. Even if they were, they’d still need to come to the desk to swipe a card for incidentals.
Cue the million-dollar question: “What are incidentals? Is it a fee or something?”
For those uninitiated, incidentals are the hotel’s way of making sure you don’t decide to raid the minibar, order a hundred dollars in room service, or, I don’t know, redecorate the suite. It’s a security deposit, usually $20 a night, and yes, almost every hotel in the U.S. does it. But apparently, this is news to many. (No shade—okay, maybe a little.)
Call Two: The High-Tier Member Who Forgot How Hotels Work
No rest for the weary! On to Hold 2, featuring a couple with a points reservation. The wife is the actual loyalty member, but it’s the husband on the phone, ready to flex their elite status. They want to check in—right now—but not through the app. Oh, and they really, really don’t want to stop at the front desk.
Despite having a card “on file,” policy says they must physically swipe one for incidentals. The husband is incensed. “We’re not just nobodys off the street!” he argues, as if platinum status should magically override decades of hotel credit card policy.
And when told their room preferences are already noted, there’s a moment of grudging acceptance. But the dread remains; anyone who’s worked in hospitality knows that if a call goes like this, the in-person encounter will be… memorable.
Why Is This So Relatable (and So Hilarious)?
Behind the humor and exasperation, this story is hospitality in a nutshell. Guests expect the seamless magic of modern tech—mobile check-ins, digital keys, loyalty perks—without always understanding the fine print. Third-party bookings add a whole new layer of confusion, and even seasoned travelers can forget the basics.
For hotel staff, it’s a master class in patience, multitasking, and explaining the same things over and over (and over) again. Incidentals? Yes, still required. Mobile check-in? Only if you use the app. Your loyalty status? Awesome, but not a universal skeleton key.
The Real Front Desk Superpower
What stands out most is the quiet resilience of front desk workers everywhere. They juggle policies, preferences, and personalities with a smile (or at least, with only a little internal screaming). They know, before you even walk in, whether you’ll be the “easy” guest or the one who makes their shift feel twice as long. And when the phone won’t stop ringing, they become the unsung heroes of hospitality—part tech support, part therapist, part magician.
So next time you check into a hotel and everything goes smoothly, spare a thought for the person at the desk. They’ve probably just survived a Hold 1 and Hold 2 situation of their own.
Share Your Story!
Are you a hotel warrior with a phone-ringing saga of your own? Or maybe you’re a guest who’s learned a thing or two (the hard way) about incidentals? Drop a comment below—because in hospitality, everyone’s got a story worth sharing.
*Inspired by this Reddit post by u/Far_Okra_4107.
Original Reddit Post: The Phone Won't Stop Ringing