When Guests Go Chat Crazy: The Curious Case of Requesting What’s Already There
Picture this: You’re manning the front desk on a slow Tuesday evening, and your phone pings. Then it pings again. And again. Twenty-five times. Each notification is a chat from a guest requesting—wait for it—washcloths, soap, pillows (both foam and feather, just in case), towels, lotion, shower cap, and even a blanket. The kicker? All these items are already in her room. If you’ve ever worked hospitality, you’re probably nodding in recognition—or maybe clutching your head in sympathy.
Welcome to the wild world of “Chat Overkill,” a real-life tale from Reddit’s r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk, where one guest’s relentless messaging became the stuff of legend. Is it confusion? Entitlement? Or just a quirk of human nature? Let’s dive into the story, the community’s reactions, and the lessons for anyone on the hospitality front lines.
Guests Who Request, and Request, and Request
The original post by u/Double-Low-1577 reads like a checklist of every standard hotel amenity: “washcloths, hand towels, bath towels, soap, body lotion, shower cap, foam pillows??? and feather pillows??? And a blanket!” But this is no ordinary request—it’s a barrage, repeated for two rooms, from a guest who visits every other week and seems determined to treat each check-in like her first rodeo.
Despite repeated explanations—“these things are standard in every room,” “here’s how you book the room you want”—this guest never seems to get the memo. She even cancels reservations if she can’t have her “favorite” room (which, by the way, she never books properly). As the OP laments, “She’ll say sorry and then do the exact same thing with the next reservation.” The cycle continues, leaving the staff wondering: how can we get through to her?
When Logic Fails: Smelling the Color Nine
The Reddit community, ever ready with wit and wisdom, quickly flooded the thread with their takes. The most upvoted comment, from u/RedDazzlr, distills the experience: “Trying to make sense out of some people is like trying to smell the color nine.” The phrase became an instant classic, with OP [u/Double-Low-1577] vowing to use it, and others chiming in, “That's bloody brilliant.” It’s the hospitality equivalent of banging your head against a plush, pillow-topped wall.
Another user, u/craash420, took the analogy further: “It smells like burning wires.” You can practically hear the collective eye roll of every front desk agent who’s ever faced a similar guest, wondering if maybe, just maybe, the wires are indeed burning somewhere.
But it’s not just about humor. Some commenters tried to diagnose the behavior. u/FluffyApartment596 offered, “Not in a rude way, but sounds like a traumatic brain injury,” while others suggested OCD or neurological issues could be at play. It’s a reminder that, while some guest quirks are laughable, others may have deeper roots.
Enablement, Entitlement, or Epic Trolling?
Beyond the comedy, the community had plenty of advice. A few saw a pattern of guest “training”—when you always accommodate the quirkiest requests, guests learn to expect it. As u/Altruistic_Wash9968 put it, “Part of the problem is that you have enabled this behavior and now it’s going to be a pain in the butt to stop. But set the correct expectations and this will correct itself.” That means enforcing policies: fee for early/late checkout, charge for room type changes, and stop granting unwarranted upgrades.
Others, like u/Vin-DicktiveDiaries, saw a strategy in play: “She is playing 'Upgrade Chicken' with you every two weeks, hoping you will cave and give her the better room for the cheaper price. Stop explaining it to her. She understands. She just doesn’t care.” It’s a classic hotel hustle—see how much you can get for how little. The solution? Stand firm, charge cancellation fees, and enjoy a well-earned beverage afterward.
And for those dreaming of more permanent solutions, u/69vuman suggested putting the guest on a DNR (Do Not Rent) list as a chronic time-waster—if she’s draining your resources, maybe it’s time to let her go.
The Universal Guest (and Employee) Experience
The best part? This phenomenon isn’t limited to hotels. Commenters swapped tales from pizza shops (“people would ask for cheese on their pepperoni pizza”), fast food counters (“a cheeseburger without cheese”), and all-inclusive resorts (“should I bring my own sheets?”—spoiler: you don’t have to!). Wherever there are customers and standard offerings, there will be someone determined to request the obvious, again and again.
As u/idkabtallatgurl summed up, it’s “funny to me (also annoying) when people do that in the chat.” The shared exasperation, and the humor in coping, is what brings the community together.
Takeaways: Surviving the Chat Tsunami
So, what’s a weary front desk agent to do? The Reddit consensus is clear: set boundaries, enforce policies, and don’t lose your sense of humor. Sometimes, as u/Tolgeranth suggested, you have to get a little passive-aggressive—“Reply saying you are sorry, you have been answering chat messages from a client who has been asking for things that are included in the hotel room (just about every hotel room).” Sometimes, you just have to laugh.
And above all, remember: you can’t smell the color nine. Some guests are just going to be that way, no matter how many polite explanations you offer. All you can do is close the chats, fluff the pillows (both kinds!), and hope the next guest is a little less… enthusiastic.
How would you handle a Chat Overkill guest? Share your stories and survival tips below—after all, misery (and hilarity) loves company.
Original Reddit Post: Chat Overkill!