When Sales Directors Go Rogue: Hilarious Hotel Horror Stories from the Front Desk
It’s a quiet evening at the front desk. The phones are still, the lobby is calm, and you’ve just made yourself a victory cup of coffee. Suddenly, the phone erupts with a barrage of calls: “I’m calling about the hotel’s special deal!” “Can I book the package I saw on the flyer?” “Does the offer include breakfast, or just…stuff and things?”
You stare blankly at the receiver. What special deal?
Welcome to the world of rogue Sales Directors—those mysterious hotel creatures who can turn a peaceful evening into a front desk fever dream. If you’ve ever worked in hospitality, you know that when a Sales Director’s involved, chaos is just a promotional flyer away.
The Good, The Bad, and The “Stuff and Things”
Let’s get one thing straight: good Directors of Sales (DoS) are the unsung heroes of the hotel world. They make sure the right guests show up at the right times, keep the rooms filled, and, most importantly, communicate. In fact, they’re so efficient that their brilliance often goes unnoticed—like a perfectly made hotel bed, or a Wi-Fi network that actually works.
But then there are the others.
Redditor u/basilfawltywasright brings us a tale from the pre-Internet dark ages, when marketing meant printing “sqiggleys” on dead trees and sending them everywhere by mail. The story starts innocently enough: each year, their DoS would send out hundreds of flyers advertising shiny new deals and specials for the upcoming year. The catch? No one at the property—not the GM, not the front desk, not anyone—was told about these promotions.
Cue the panic.
“What Stuff? What Things?”
Imagine fielding calls about a mystery deal you’ve never heard of, at the busiest time of day, when management is long gone and your only backup is the ancient PMS (Property Management System), which probably still runs on floppy disks. As the questions roll in, you resort to creative storytelling:
“Maybe that’s a promo from our sister property across town?” “It could be an old offer...from last year?” “I’ll have to check with our manager and get back to you.”
But eventually, the truth emerges—your DoS has once again gone rogue, launching deals with all the detail of a cryptic fortune cookie. When pressed for information, their answers are an exercise in frustration:
- “What’s included in the package?”
“Oh, stuff and things.” - “How many specials are there?”
“Two…or three.” - “Is that before or after tax?”
“Oh, it’s the whole thing.” - “What if there’s a third guest?”
“Just charge the regular extra person rate.” - “Are the package rates in the system?”
“No, I thought you did that.”
It’s like playing hotel whack-a-mole, but the moles are made of red tape and confusion.
Reverse Engineering Mayhem
So what does the long-suffering front desk do? They stay late, reverse engineer the promo details from the vague flyers, and painstakingly enter the rates and packages into the system—days after the first wave of interested guests has already hung up in frustration.
All the while, the DoS breezes by, blissfully unaware, perhaps already dreaming up next year’s “Seven Room NYE Package” or “Exploding Head” extravaganza. (Yes, those are real stories the author promises to share next!)
Why Does This Happen?
Hotel operations are like a symphony: marketing, sales, front desk, and management all need to play in harmony. When one section decides to improvise—especially Sales, with their penchant for “stuff and things”—the result is less Beethoven, more Benny Hill.
It’s not just about lost reservations or late nights at the desk. These misadventures highlight the importance of internal communication, clear procedures, and, perhaps, the occasional group therapy session for the front desk staff.
The Moral of the Story
If you’re a Sales Director, let this be a cautionary tale: before you launch your next blockbuster campaign, double-check that everyone’s in the loop. If you’re on the front desk—well, keep your sense of humor sharp and your coffee strong. You’re going to need both.
And if you’re just a hotel guest, be kind to your front desk heroes. They might be fighting battles you can’t even imagine—all in the name of “stuff and things.”
Have a wild hotel tale or a “stuff and things” moment to share? Drop it in the comments! You might just inspire the next great story from the front desk.
Inspired by the r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk post: Sales Directors...God Help Us All
Original Reddit Post: Sales Directors...God Help Us All