Not only in the business of hospitality, but in the business of the world, we’re told ‘the customer is always right.’ This phrase has been taken on by some people as a rule with no exception, and in hotels, where staff are there to serve, it can be abused at times. At every property I have worked at, whether it be three-, four- or five-star, I have run into my fair share of what I call ‘professional complainers.’

These are a small set of guests whose complaints will go well beyond simply wanting to book into a room with a better view, or sending their steak back for not being cooked how they asked. To them, it’s a sport or even a profession to see how far they can push an (often inexperienced) employee to the limit.

Worried about being shamed online

Hotels and their employees are often at the mercy of online review websites, where a positive review singling out a person is career gold, and a negative review doing the same could be a career-ender. Professional complainers are aware of the power they hold in the digital era and they use it to hold staff to ransom. Apart from dirhams and dollars, guest satisfaction is the next most important currency in the hotel world. I’ve seen young staff go above and beyond and work well past their billable hours just to appease one unreasonable guest, and I’ve seen managers lose revenue over worries of being shamed online.

It can start with an early check-in request, which is more than reasonable but soon snowballs into a barrage of demands. “I need a bigger room,” “I need the kitchen re-opened at 2am,” “I’m inviting a dozen people into my room,” and of course, “I demand to speak to the manager.”

But once these complainers get a person on the hook, I’ve seen guests complain their way into AED5,000-per-night suites, I’ve seen diners get an entire meal for free, and I’ve seen guests bring hard-working employees to tears only to be gratified by the manager for their actions. Once they get away with it in one hotel, they’ll do it at other properties as well. It is a sad fact, but complainers get far in life.

Certainly hotels – especially the expensive ones – need to be accommodating and have some wiggle room with their guests, but to completely flout the rules, disrupt other guests, or just do things that lose property money, is not the way to go about it.

Consider staff satisfaction

Guest satisfaction is a key part of hospitality, but so is staff satisfaction. If guests are getting way with being unreasonable, unrentling or even abuse to staff, it won’t be long before they move on to a property with a stronger commitment to the rules.

Not only could appeasing these guests lose the hotel more money than a sparkling online review is worth, but it could also create a toxic work environment for staff.

Be helpful to your guests, but remember, the customer can sometimes be wrong.

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