When most people want to stay at the lodge in Mesa Verde they call the 1-800 number posted on the website to make their reservations. This number connects you to our central reservations, where they will tell you all about the lodge, the park, different packages you can by, etc. So when you actually get to the park, you already have a pretty good idea about what you paid for and what you are going to see! Great system right?
Wrong.
The thing about central reservations is they are actually located in Phoenix and most of the people who work there have never actually stayed at the lodge, or even been to the park. They go off of what they have been told to say, sometimes adding in their own special twists to make you want to get different packages or stay longer. Now, I'm not saying central reservations is bad, and I'm not saying that they intentionally mislead people. All I'm saying is that They do not have to deal with the people in person once they arrive at the park and do not have a view of the dwellings from their window, or when they find out that we don't have a swimming pool, and there are no tvs in the rooms.
At least 3-4 times a day I apologize to guests over and over while they complain and yell about how they were told such and such, and it turns out that isn't true, and they want me to fix it. It's like they think we are lying to them when we tell them that no, there really is NO SWIMMING POOL. We are not hiding it from you. We just don't have one.
The other day there was a woman who was almost Irate because she did not have a view of the dwellings from her window. I explained to her that the dwellings are about 30 min. down the road from us in different canyons, I'm very sorry for the confusion, we will make sure the people she made her reservations with are aware of what she was told and what the truth actually is, can we offer you free breakfast, you really do have one of our best views, I'm sorry for the confusion. and on and on. But Nothing I said would calm her down. She just Wanted to be angry I guess, because she just kept calling back and complaining. Over 5 times. and every time, I apologized and began asking What would she like me to do to make her stay more enjoyable? No.. I'm really sorry. There are No rooms at all that have a view of the dwellings..... You have one of the best views that we have available here...... I'm really, very sorry.... Why don't I just transfer you to my manager?
She called the manager over 5 times that night as well. I understand why she was angry, but at the same time there was Nothing else we could do. I feel sorry for that lady. Instead of just accepting that we had done our best to make her stay more comfortable and enjoying her vacation, she decided to stay angry over something no one could fix and let in ruin her night. :(
But anyway, if you decide to visit Mesa Verde (which you really should, because not only am I here, but it is a great place to learn about and see) and you make reservations through the 1-800 number, don't be angry if something they told you isn't 100% accurate. Oh, and September is a great month to come! It's warm in the day and really cools off at night, and it really isn't too busy because most families with kids have already gone back to school. :)
Friday, August 21, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Week 4- Goat head soup and kiva rooms
Sorry its been SO long since I've written. I've been working a LOT. We are starting our most busy time of the season. I guess August is the month in France when most people have time off, so we have been getting a LOT of French tours. It has been SO much fun learning about all the different people and cultures!! There are a couple things I've been learning and noticing about people. Some people are actually Really excited to be here and to be able to go and see all the dwellings. Other people really.. aren't. And it shows. I love it when people come in and are excited and smiling and happy.
I checked in a mom and her kids a couple nights ago. They were all Really Excited and happy to be there, asking questions about the dwellings and what is the best way to get to see as many of them as possible, if I liked working there, commenting on how much they enjoyed the scenery of the drive up into the park, stuff like that. I gave them the best room I could find, talked to them about the park and sent them on their merry way. The next day as we were going through all the check-ins and check-outs, we found a problem with over booking in a specific kind of room and decided that we would simply just upgrade someone. I remember the mom and kids that checked in the night before and asked if we could just upgrade them instead and give the overbooked people their old room, because it was the correct type of room. The mom was Ecstatic! I love doing that kind of thing for people who are actually happy and friendly and really appreciate it. The nicer you are, and the happier you are, the more we remember you, and try to make your trip as enjoyable as possible. Some people come in, are in a bad mood, complain about the drive up, complain about their room, and just really seem like they don't want to be there. We help those people as much as possible, but honestly, we try a little bit harder to help the people who are happy. So just a mental note.. The nicer and happier you are, the more people will remember you, and try to help you as much as possible :)
I finally got to go on a couple tours and see more of the park! It was AMAZING! It is SO interesting to see where these people lived and how they fixed problems they would run into. They built rooms underground called kivas. These rooms were warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Their were ventilation holes in the rooms to let smoke from fires rise out the top and let fresh air be sucked in through the sides. I was surprised at how smart these people were to find all these little solutions to there problems!!
A couple days ago we had Jamaican day! I got to try all kinds of interesting food they made! One of which was Goat head soup. They boiled parts of the goat head, strained it, and then mixed in veggies and stuff like that. it tasted like vegetable soup! but with a little more of a kick to it.
I'm also learning to speak Portuguese! A couple of the girls I work with are from Brazil and they are having SO much fun teaching me, and I am having SO much fun learning! I can't write very much yet, but I'm learning! I am Very excited about it!!
*saidinabritishaccent*
I checked in a mom and her kids a couple nights ago. They were all Really Excited and happy to be there, asking questions about the dwellings and what is the best way to get to see as many of them as possible, if I liked working there, commenting on how much they enjoyed the scenery of the drive up into the park, stuff like that. I gave them the best room I could find, talked to them about the park and sent them on their merry way. The next day as we were going through all the check-ins and check-outs, we found a problem with over booking in a specific kind of room and decided that we would simply just upgrade someone. I remember the mom and kids that checked in the night before and asked if we could just upgrade them instead and give the overbooked people their old room, because it was the correct type of room. The mom was Ecstatic! I love doing that kind of thing for people who are actually happy and friendly and really appreciate it. The nicer you are, and the happier you are, the more we remember you, and try to make your trip as enjoyable as possible. Some people come in, are in a bad mood, complain about the drive up, complain about their room, and just really seem like they don't want to be there. We help those people as much as possible, but honestly, we try a little bit harder to help the people who are happy. So just a mental note.. The nicer and happier you are, the more people will remember you, and try to help you as much as possible :)
I finally got to go on a couple tours and see more of the park! It was AMAZING! It is SO interesting to see where these people lived and how they fixed problems they would run into. They built rooms underground called kivas. These rooms were warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Their were ventilation holes in the rooms to let smoke from fires rise out the top and let fresh air be sucked in through the sides. I was surprised at how smart these people were to find all these little solutions to there problems!!
A couple days ago we had Jamaican day! I got to try all kinds of interesting food they made! One of which was Goat head soup. They boiled parts of the goat head, strained it, and then mixed in veggies and stuff like that. it tasted like vegetable soup! but with a little more of a kick to it.
I'm also learning to speak Portuguese! A couple of the girls I work with are from Brazil and they are having SO much fun teaching me, and I am having SO much fun learning! I can't write very much yet, but I'm learning! I am Very excited about it!!
*saidinabritishaccent*
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