A bit of an anecdote here, but I had an experience to the contrary while in Las Vegas.
My wife and I had just checked out of our hotel and as we were loading our bags into the car, we decided to stay for the weekend. I went back to the front desk and asked for a room. I was told that the rooms were all sold out. I don’t know exactly what possesed me to do this but I walked over to a pay phone and called the reservation line for the same hotel chain. They were more than happy to book me a room for that evening. I then walked back over to the desk and asked the man if he was absolutely certain that they had no rooms available. He insisted that they had no rooms (a bit brusquely, I might add). “Odd”, I said, “I just spoke with someone on your reservations line on that phone over there and they said there were several rooms available”. “Well, they are mistaken, we have no rooms”. I handed him my confirmation number and said “why don’t you put this into your computer and just check again”. Oddly enough, he suddenly had a room avaiable.
I felt pretty smug after that…and I’ve filed that little trick away for future reference.
I have to stick up for lieu here, in that he wasn’t very specific about defining the assholish behavior in the OP, but the snide American-bashing that’s become all too common these days is assholish behavior. Not a good way to get my sympathy either, even if the points raised in the rest of the OP have merit.
I think the complaints were valid as well, although minor and I wish that was the worst I had to deal with daily.
But my money’s good anywhere and the “Come for the view, stay for the ridicule” attitude would likely deter me and maybe others as well from following through on a booking, an unfortunate situation for his employer.
I think the complaints were valid as well, although minor and I wish that was the worst I had to deal with daily.
But my money’s good anywhere and the “Come for the view, stay for the ridicule” attitude would likely deter me and maybe others as well from following through on a booking, an unfortunate situation for his employer.
To defend the OP, you’d think that anyone calling a hotel in Canada would expect the price to be in Canadian dollars. And the first thing that would tip me off that I was calling Canada would have been (if not the decision to go to Canada in the first place) dialing a Canadian area code.
Just my two cents (U.S., which is about fifty-six bucks Canadian, if my math is right. Can I get that as eleven of those cool fives with the hockey players on them and a loonie?).
It’s not exactly the same situation, but I remember calling American Airlines once because I needed a flight from Toronto to San Francisco and back. I called American’s 800 line for reservations. The reservation clerk was quick and efficient, and quoted me a price for the flight.
Remembering that I was probably talking with someone in the United States, I asked, “Is that price in Canadian or American dollars?”
“Canadian dollars, sir,” she answered. “I figured that since you wanted your tickets mailed to your Toronto address and you were starting and ending your trip in Toronto, that you needed the price in Canadian dollars.”
I must say, I was pleased–figuring that I’d prefer a price in my own currency was, IMHO, great customer service!
All I can say is that I hope that Cyros saves his or her rants for here, and treats all callers, whether from the US or elsewhere, with the same kind of consideration as American Airlines’ reservation clerk did for me that day.
I pulled the same trick in Hertz in Logan…walked in, no cars with Neverlost. Went outside, called reservations, walked back in with number and got car with Neverlost. Certain cars (or rooms) are reserved for certain booking processes it seems.
I have heard of a practice in at least one national chain that some rooms are blocked off for their national reservation system. With newer hotels (and even some renevated ones), their computer registry is all they have to go by…so if the computer says they have nothing, they truly believe they have nothing unless they look at each room line-by-line for listed occupants.
By this, I can see how SkyBum and Cyros can both feel correct in their stories. Especially if Cyros knows for certain his hotel chain’s computer system doesn’t block rooms like that.
InkBlot, trying to be helpful
How are the hotels to know where their customers are from? Telepathy? If a Canadian were complaining that an American hotel wasn’t quoting him prices in Canadian dollars, wouldn’t you all be laughing at him?
However, why would Americans care if you told them the price in Canadian dollars? That just makes it cheaper for them in they expect to pay that in USD.
He has a right to complain. He’s dealing with stupid customers. If you’re in Canada, it’s not rocket science to figure out that you’re paying in Canadian dollars (gasp).
I just thought Cyros was trying to be somewhat humorous in his OP, to establish a kind of familiarity because his irritations were minor. I’m sure he’s noticed that on these boards there’s a lot of American and Canadian kidding around. I’m not saying he succeeded by any means, but I certainly don’t see any real animosity in his lines. Maybe it’s just me.
I might have been with you had you not shoved your foot in your mouth right off the bat, Cyros. Why the fuck would you single out a certain nationality of people to piss on?
Making fun of Americans is not a “national pastime” in Canada, what a dumb, offensive thing to say. That’s a lot of people you’re lumping in there with yourself and your ignorant friends. Grow up.
Most Canucks don’t go around spouting their ill-conceived, embarassing prejudices in public like you just did.