Why Hotel Phones Ring in Your Dreams: The Hilarious Misadventures of the Hold Button
If you’ve ever called a hotel and been put on hold, chances are you waited a few moments, maybe hummed along to the hold music, and eventually got helped. But what if, instead, you channeled your inner toddler and just kept calling back. And again. And again. Welcome to the wild world behind the front desk, where “please hold” means “let the games begin.”
Today’s adventure is inspired by a viral Reddit post from r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk, where a simple phone call for a reservation spiraled into a masterclass on patience—or lack thereof. Buckle up, because this ride is as enlightening as it is hilarious.
The Ring Heard Round the Lobby
Picture this: It’s a record-breaking summer at Hotel X. The phone is set to maximum volume—so loud, the front desk agent hears it in their dreams. Why? Because management, worried about missing reservations during a slow spring, insisted on a setting that now serves as a constant, shrill reminder of just how busy things have gotten.
In the midst of a check-in, the phone rings. Our hero, u/frenchynerd, answers with a brisk, “Hotel X, one moment,” and puts the caller on hold. What happens next? The caller hangs up and calls back. And again. And again. Each time, the front desk agent repeats the process, but the caller just can’t seem to grasp what’s happening. At one point, the agent picks up and hangs up without a word. The phone still rings. Eventually, after several rounds of this, a very firm “We are busy, you will have to wait” is delivered. Finally, the caller apologizes—they simply didn’t understand they were being put on hold.
And yet, in the end, they book their September reservation anyway, blissfully unaware of the chaos they caused.
The Psychology of the Persistent Caller
If you’ve never worked front desk, you might wonder: why not just wait? As u/ccowens974, a fellow hotel veteran, points out in the comments, some guests seem to think persistence is a shortcut. “How is it not common sense to call back at a DIFFERENT time, not 20 times consecutively???” they vent. In fact, the phenomenon is so common that some staff have resorted to drastic measures—like unplugging the phone entirely during the busiest shifts, just for a moment of peace.
Another commenter, u/SkwrlTail, observes that many guests seem to think they’re calling a faceless call center, not a real person juggling a lobby full of guests. If they just keep calling, maybe they’ll skip the line! Spoiler: That’s not how it works. As more than one desk agent confirmed, “FIFO”—first in, first out—is the law of the land, even if you call back ten times in a row.
Communication Breakdown: “One Moment” vs. “Please Hold”
But is it all the caller’s fault? The community had thoughts. Several pointed out that “Hotel X, one moment” might not be clear enough for some callers. As u/Alysoid0_0 insightfully suggests, “Give a brain a second to process ffs. Try ‘Hotel X, I will need to put you on hold for a moment. Thank you.’” The added context, they argue, bridges that crucial gap between hearing and understanding.
Others chimed in with their own strategies, like “Hotel X, please hold” or even detailing why they’re being put on hold (“I’m currently assisting another guest”). Yet, as u/dman2life noted, sometimes asking if it’s okay to put someone on hold just opens the floodgates for long-winded stories and refusal to wait. The consensus? Be direct, be clear, and don’t underestimate the power of good hold music as a universal cue.
When Patience Evaporates: Tales from the Front Desk Trenches
The comments section is a goldmine of front desk war stories. There’s the guest who drove over to the hotel just to complain about being put on hold (u/ccowens974 again), the “Karen” who tried to cut the physical line but got leapfrogged by callers on hold (thanks to u/Active-Succotash-109), and the guest who watched the whole process unfold, then demanded compensation for being on hold for a whole five minutes.
The best part? Sometimes, a little blunt honesty pays off. As u/Azzameen85 recounted, after telling a repeat caller to try another hotel, the guest in front of them burst out laughing and declared she was looking forward to her stay—proof that good guests appreciate staff who keep it real.
Of course, not everyone agrees on the best approach. Some, like u/shaggy24200, advocate for a gentler, more explanatory greeting, while others maintain that nothing short of a foghorn could pierce the mental fog of certain callers. As u/WadeSlade42 quips, “If you don’t know what hold music is, then I worry about how you navigate the world.”
The Final Lesson: Be Kind, Wait Your Turn, and Embrace the Chaos
So, what’s the takeaway from this tale of endless rings and frayed patience? If you find yourself calling a hotel (or any busy business), remember: there’s likely a real, overwhelmed human on the other end. “Please hold” isn’t a challenge—it’s a plea for sanity.
And if you’re ever tempted to hang up and call back repeatedly, just know: persistence won’t make the lobby less crowded, and it definitely won’t make you the front desk’s favorite guest. As OP u/frenchynerd joked, next time that guest checks in, maybe they’ll return the favor and call the hotel repeatedly—from the lobby.
Have your own tales of phone call chaos or front desk drama? Drop them below! Or, if you’re a hotel worker, what’s the wildest hold-line story you’ve survived? Let’s hear your best (and worst) phone shenanigans in the comments.
Original Reddit Post: 'I didn't understand you were putting me on hold'