The Night Auditor’s Nightmare: When “Reservation Calls” Get Creepy
If you think working the front desk at a hotel is all about crisp uniforms, polite greetings, and handing out room keys, think again. For many night auditors and front desk staff, the real thrill comes after midnight—and not in a good way. Enter the world of the late-night creep call. One Redditor, u/SadPartyPony, recently shared their first uncomfortable brush with a phone pervert at 5AM—proving that when the phone rings before dawn, it’s not always a guest with a lost toothbrush.
Imagine you’re barely caffeinated, working the graveyard shift, and the phone rings. It’s a potential guest, asking about room rates and availability. Routine stuff—until you notice odd noises in the background. Heavy breathing, strange giggles, and suspicious pauses that make your skin crawl. And just when you’re weighing whether to politely hang up or call for backup, the noises escalate. That’s when you realize you’re not just booking a room—you’re unwittingly part of someone’s… let’s call it “DIY entertainment.” Yikes.
The Not-So-Glamorous Side of Hospitality
Let’s face it: working the front desk isn’t always about offering five-star service. Sometimes, you’re on the front lines of humanity’s weirdest impulses. As u/SadPartyPony recounted, a simple call about room rates devolved into a symphony of heavy breathing and, ultimately, a moan so suspicious that they had to fake a bad connection and hang up. “HE DIDN’T CALL BACK, and now I feel disgusted at the possibility he was possibly getting off while I was on the phone,” they wrote. It’s the kind of story that makes you want to bathe your ears in hand sanitizer.
And they’re not alone. The post quickly racked up nearly a hundred upvotes and a flood of commiserating commenters, each with their own horror stories. u/witchforhire113 recalled, “I use to get it all the time when I was working as a night auditor at a huge hotel... After 4 years there, I don't wait anymore; if I hear any heavy breathing or moaning it's an immediate hang-up.” Apparently, this isn’t a rare occupational hazard—it’s practically a rite of passage for anyone working the night shift.
No, Sir, We Don’t Have That Channel
If you thought phone creeps were creative, you’re right—and not in a good way. As u/FreshSpeed7738 shared, “Some dude called me, and asked me to tell him the adult movie titles that were available. As I told him, he would say ‘slow down, say that again.’” It’s enough to make anyone want to replace their cheerful greeting with a dial tone.
But the creativity doesn’t end there. u/Historical_Tax6679 gave a masterclass in shutting down obscene calls when they warned, “You do realize I can see your room number on our switchboard, right?” Sometimes, a little bluff is all it takes to send a creep scurrying back under their rock.
And then there are the regulars—creepers so persistent that hotels keep “sticky notes” of their numbers just to know when to hang up. As u/Lead-Accomplished said, “We keep a sticky note of each number that calls so we know if it’s okay to hang up on them.” Hospitality, it seems, requires as much vigilance as it does patience.
The Gender Trap (and How to Flip the Script)
One of the more bizarre twists in these stories is how creeps often target female voices. “Doesn’t make it better since most of the hourly front desk staff at the time were college-aged girls just trying to get some extra cash,” noted u/Fine-Professional919. It’s not just gross—it’s predatory, and it points to a larger problem of workplace harassment that often goes unreported (or, as the OP lamented, “you literally just have to roll with the punches 😭”).
But sometimes, the tables turn. Enter the vocal chameleons. u/RedDazzlr and u/Rheya_Sunshine both shared stories where dropping their voices an octave led to hilarious results. One creep, expecting a woman, instead found himself talking to a baritone—and promptly lost his nerve. “You could hear the caller run into a mental brick wall realizing that he was getting all hot and bothered to a guy and just... deflate before hanging up,” wrote u/Rheya_Sunshine. Talk about instant karma.
Why Do They Do It? And How Do You Handle It?
It’s easy to wonder: what drives someone to make these calls? Is it boredom, loneliness, or something more sinister? As several commenters pointed out, sometimes it’s just “one remaining brain cell” at work. Others noted the lack of real consequences—front desk workers rarely get the luxury of caller ID or meaningful recourse. As OP put it, “big on the ‘no way to hold them accountable.’ you literally just have to roll with the punches.”
So, how do you deal with it? Veteran staffers have developed a sixth sense for “the call”—heavy breathing, weird requests, and suspicious pauses are now met with an immediate hang-up. And for those who want to troll the trolls, a little voice acting goes a long way (bonus points if you can do a convincing Darth Vader).
But perhaps the best advice comes from the community consensus: trust your gut, hang up early, and remember you’re not alone. As u/Bobd1964 summed up simply, “I don't understand how people can be so gross.” Neither do we, Bob. Neither do we.
Final Thoughts: Share Your Stories!
If you’re a front desk warrior with your own tale of phone weirdness, drop it in the comments—misery (and laughter) loves company. And if you’re just a weary traveler, remember to thank your night auditor. They deal with a lot more than just lost key cards.
Have you ever had to handle a creepy call at work? What’s your best (or worst) strategy for dealing with it? Sound off below!
Original Reddit Post: got my first ever creep on the phone.