1 00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: I guess what mango? What's that? Will? So In prep 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: for this week's episode, I was reading about this hotel 3 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: in Ireland. It's called Ashford Castle, and the big draw 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: there is that there's an owl called Dingle. Mango doesn't 5 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:15,800 Speaker 1: make you want to stay there. I love the idea 6 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:17,840 Speaker 1: of a hotel, al I I feel like I need 7 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:20,319 Speaker 1: to hear more. Okay, well, apparently the hotel has this 8 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:23,240 Speaker 1: falconry school, so here's even more reason to go there. 9 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: It's on the grounds right there, and the guests can 10 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 1: take classes there with you know, you work with all 11 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 1: kinds of birds when you do this, but Dingle is 12 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:32,880 Speaker 1: of course the star. To be clear, there are other 13 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 1: birds there, but Dingle is the star. I'm just gonna 14 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 1: keep saying Dingle in. This is partially because he has 15 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:40,840 Speaker 1: a specialty. So if you're looking to get the proposal 16 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:43,880 Speaker 1: package there, they set you up with this nice cozy 17 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:46,520 Speaker 1: dinner by candle light, and at the end of the dinner, 18 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: Dingle will swoop in and deliver your ring. How cool 19 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:52,840 Speaker 1: is this? I feel like that's the most Harry Potter 20 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 1: proposal I've ever It's so awesome. But you know, this 21 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: also made us wonder about hotels and all of the 22 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: secrets around hotels, the little gimmicks hotels used to get 23 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 1: guests in the door, and the tricks and codes that 24 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:08,679 Speaker 1: hotel employees use, and of course this mysterious society that 25 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:12,120 Speaker 1: so many top concierge is belonged to. So let's dig in. 26 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:35,679 Speaker 1: Hey there, podcast listeners, welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm 27 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:37,959 Speaker 1: Will Pearson, and as always I'm joined by my good 28 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: friend man Guesh Ticketer and on the other side of 29 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:43,280 Speaker 1: the soundproof glass showing off his vast collection of ill 30 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:46,960 Speaker 1: gotten hotel amenities. This is one of his stranger collections. 31 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: That's our friend and producer Tristan McNeil. And you know, 32 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: this is one of those times I do wish our 33 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 1: listeners could see this, because every single inch of Tristan's desk, 34 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: and I mean every single inch is just tiny bottles 35 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 1: of shampoo and conditioner and lotions. And I actually don't 36 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: think I've ever seen so many slightly different shades of 37 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:08,840 Speaker 1: beige and light green in my life. It's kind of 38 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:11,400 Speaker 1: like the world's most boring rainbow if you look at it. 39 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: So I don't even want to Nobody has planned for 40 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 1: all of this but you know one thing you won't 41 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: find interest in collection, and that's toothpaste. And that's because 42 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: hotels in the US aren't typically provide complimentary toothpaste like 43 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:25,959 Speaker 1: they do for soap, shampoo, and all those other bathroom staples. 44 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:27,800 Speaker 1: You know. I've noticed that there have been a couple 45 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:30,360 Speaker 1: of times where I've forgotten toothpaste and gone downstairs and 46 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:34,280 Speaker 1: they've given me the world like this should do the trick, 47 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: or the world's smallest of toothpaste. Have you ever had 48 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 1: this happen smaller than like the tip of your finger. 49 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:44,639 Speaker 1: It's so strange. But I've actually heard that hotels choose 50 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: which amenities to offer based on market research. And you 51 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 1: would think and hope that there would be a strong 52 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 1: market for dental hygiene, but apparently most people aren't asking 53 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:55,920 Speaker 1: for toothpaste in their rooms, so hotels just don't bother 54 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 1: stocking it. Yeah, So, I'd always figured that it was 55 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: just because most people brought their own, but it turns 56 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 1: out there's actually a more practical reason that hotels don't 57 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 1: do this as well. Apparently toothpaste is more strictly regulated 58 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:08,320 Speaker 1: in the US and things like shampoo or soap, and 59 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 1: in fact toothpaste is actually classified as a cosmetic and 60 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: a drug since it usually contains fluoride, and the stricter 61 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:18,519 Speaker 1: regulations put on drug manufacturing means that toothpaste can cost 62 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:21,840 Speaker 1: I don't know, like or even more than other hygiene essentials. 63 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 1: So you know, that's probably another reason why most hotels 64 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 1: don't provide it. Okay, I actually never knew that, But 65 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 1: that's exactly why we're doing this episode because you know, 66 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:31,800 Speaker 1: although the vast majority of us have stayed in a 67 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:33,920 Speaker 1: hotel at one time or another, the two of us 68 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 1: within the past week, actually most of us, you know, 69 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 1: we know very little about how a hotel actually runs. 70 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 1: And that's probably because our culture has long since embraced 71 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 1: the thinking of one of the hotel industry's pioneers, and 72 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: that was Caesar Ritz now the Swiss hotel a famously 73 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:52,760 Speaker 1: claimed that quote people like to be served but invisibly, 74 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 1: and so for the last hundred and fifty years, society 75 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 1: is pretty much stuck to that maxim and that's, you know, 76 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: for better or worse. But today we're we're going to 77 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: peek behind the front desk and kind of pull back 78 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:05,840 Speaker 1: that disposable shower curtain to reveal some of the best 79 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: kept secrets of hotels and their employees. Well, of course, 80 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: uncover the dues and don'ts of things like room service, 81 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 1: as well as some of the weirdest requests ever fielded 82 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:17,839 Speaker 1: by a hotel concierge. Plus, we'll get a better sense 83 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:20,600 Speaker 1: of the burdens of a hotel housekeeper and why you 84 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,279 Speaker 1: probably shouldn't use the glass cups in your hotel room. 85 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: So where do you want to start, Mango? So I 86 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 1: think before we get into the secrets, we should lay 87 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:29,919 Speaker 1: out a few basic facts about just how massive the 88 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: hotel workforce truly is. So for starters, they're about fifty 89 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:36,359 Speaker 1: five thousand hotel properties in the US, which amounts to 90 00:04:36,400 --> 00:04:39,440 Speaker 1: more than five million guest rooms in total, and over 91 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:41,479 Speaker 1: one billion people stay in a hotel for at least 92 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:44,160 Speaker 1: one night each year, which is about fifteen percent of 93 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:47,440 Speaker 1: the world's population. And to service all of these guests 94 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:50,919 Speaker 1: and the rooms they occupy, hotels employee about four point 95 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:54,240 Speaker 1: five million people in the US alone. So this includes 96 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:58,359 Speaker 1: things like desk clerks, hotel managers, housekeepers, bell boys. It 97 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:00,840 Speaker 1: takes a staggering amount of man or to keep even 98 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 1: like a single hotel running smoothly. And according to the 99 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:06,720 Speaker 1: American Hotel and Lodging Association, which is where all these 100 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:09,480 Speaker 1: stats actually come from, a typical hotel with a hundred 101 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 1: occupied rooms per night supports over two hundred fifty local 102 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: jobs every year. Al Right, well, since hotels are such 103 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:18,719 Speaker 1: big employers, I think maybe the way we want to 104 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 1: approach this is just kind of do a role by 105 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:24,520 Speaker 1: role dirt dishing on you know, each one of these 106 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:26,520 Speaker 1: if if that makes sense to you, yeah, I like 107 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:28,680 Speaker 1: that idea. So why don't we start with the front 108 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:32,360 Speaker 1: desk and this practice of walking a guest And this 109 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:34,320 Speaker 1: is when a hotel turns away a guest with a 110 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:38,440 Speaker 1: standing reservation because the hotel is mistakenly overbooked themselves. But 111 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:41,239 Speaker 1: the truth is that overbooking is rarely done by mistake. 112 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 1: So the average no show rate for a hotel reservation 113 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:47,080 Speaker 1: is around ten percent each day, and hotels tried to 114 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 1: book themselves to a hundred ten percent capacity whenever possible 115 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 1: to account for these expected cancelations, and the hope is 116 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:55,680 Speaker 1: that the numbers will balance out and that every head 117 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:58,200 Speaker 1: will have a bed for the night. It's what hoteliers 118 00:05:58,279 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: call a perfect cell. But the trouble is that sometimes 119 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:03,279 Speaker 1: too many people actually show up for the rooms they booked, 120 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:05,839 Speaker 1: and this is when someone gets walked. So this is 121 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 1: somewhat similar to like when the airline's over book flights 122 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:11,279 Speaker 1: and they're looking for volunteers and all that. But you said, 123 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:13,120 Speaker 1: when somebody gets walked? So what what what does that 124 00:06:13,160 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 1: mean exactly? Well, you know, the practice varies by hotel, 125 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 1: but typically the desk agent will book the guest one 126 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 1: night stay at a nearby hotel, usually on the company's dime. 127 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:25,280 Speaker 1: But again it depends on the hotel. Alright, so how 128 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:28,000 Speaker 1: do hotels choose who to walk Like? Is it based 129 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:31,479 Speaker 1: on how long you're staying or something else or what? Yeah, 130 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:34,040 Speaker 1: I mean there are a few different considerations. So length 131 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:36,720 Speaker 1: of stay is one. So for example, like you're more 132 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:38,920 Speaker 1: likely to get walked if you're staying for just one night. 133 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 1: Another consideration is whether or not you've stayed in the 134 00:06:41,839 --> 00:06:44,040 Speaker 1: hotel before and how likely you seem to come back. 135 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 1: And obviously if you're route to the staff or maybe 136 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,320 Speaker 1: even short tempered with a loved one in front of 137 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:51,839 Speaker 1: the staff, you probably up to your chances of getting walked. 138 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 1: But honestly, the biggest determining factor of who gets bumped 139 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 1: is how much they're paying for their room, So hotel 140 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:01,479 Speaker 1: prices fluctuate a lot by on demand. But the rooms 141 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:04,039 Speaker 1: that make hotels the least profit are all the ones 142 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:07,000 Speaker 1: booked on discount sites like Expedia or price Line, and 143 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:09,480 Speaker 1: these sites all take commission for helping to fill at 144 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:13,320 Speaker 1: hotels rooms typically anywhere from ten. So obviously I would 145 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:16,320 Speaker 1: tell would prioritize a customer who booked with them directly, 146 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 1: since that person is paying the full rate. So if 147 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: you booked on a discount site and the hotel is 148 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: full when you get there, you might want to prepare 149 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:26,080 Speaker 1: to take a walk. Yeah. I've actually read how hotels 150 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:29,240 Speaker 1: usually set aside their worst rooms for those discount sites too, 151 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:31,440 Speaker 1: which is a little bit scary because I tend to 152 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:34,200 Speaker 1: use those sites at the same time. But like, I'm 153 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 1: one of those gold star members because I do it enough, 154 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:37,840 Speaker 1: so I guess that means I get the top of 155 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 1: the line, dirtiest nazist room. But apparently the thinking is 156 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:43,680 Speaker 1: that those customers are in it more for the value 157 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 1: than they are the experience, so why not keep the 158 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 1: best rooms for those who choose the hotel at full 159 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: price right. I mean, it definitely makes sense from a 160 00:07:51,080 --> 00:07:53,679 Speaker 1: business standpoint, but it is kind of ironic that sites 161 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:55,640 Speaker 1: like price line have become such a thorn in the 162 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 1: hotel industry side, because, if you remember, hotels actually helped 163 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:02,600 Speaker 1: create those discounts sites way back in their early two thousand's. 164 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:05,880 Speaker 1: At the time, the hotel industry was in a serious decline. 165 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:09,280 Speaker 1: This was post September eleven, so you know, owners decided 166 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:11,120 Speaker 1: to roll the dice on a different way to sell 167 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 1: more rooms, and all kinds of hotels started giving their 168 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:16,680 Speaker 1: inventory to these discount sites, and little by little the 169 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:19,680 Speaker 1: industry sort of picked itself up again. And now the 170 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:22,240 Speaker 1: hotels are doing so well they probably wish they could 171 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:25,080 Speaker 1: dish the discount sites entirely, but of course customers wouldn't 172 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:27,800 Speaker 1: stand for that, and with things like Airbnb and other 173 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:30,880 Speaker 1: rental platforms rising, you know, hotels are even less likely 174 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:33,560 Speaker 1: to shake things up. Yeah, you're probably right in but 175 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:36,559 Speaker 1: since we're talking about hotel financials, Actually, here was the 176 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:38,200 Speaker 1: fact that I stumble across. Did you know that the 177 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 1: average operational cost for a hotel room is only between 178 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:44,720 Speaker 1: thirty and forty dollars a day. Now, that includes everything 179 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:49,079 Speaker 1: from the water being used, electricity, laundry, cleaning supplies, even 180 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:52,840 Speaker 1: the hourly wages of housekeepers and other employees who helped 181 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:56,520 Speaker 1: keep the room operating. So deduct about thirty dollars from 182 00:08:56,559 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 1: whatever you're paying for the hotel room, and you can 183 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:01,959 Speaker 1: see why the industry became profitable again so quickly. That's 184 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:04,200 Speaker 1: really interesting, you know. To get us back to the 185 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:06,000 Speaker 1: front desk, though, I do want to warn you about 186 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:08,679 Speaker 1: another secret way that hotel desk clerks can get even 187 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:12,760 Speaker 1: with inconsiderate guests. And thankfully this one has some hotel 188 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:15,079 Speaker 1: slang associated with it as well. Have you ever heard 189 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:17,480 Speaker 1: of a key bomb? I can't say that I have. 190 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:20,679 Speaker 1: It sounds a little bit scary. So so what is it? So? 191 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:22,839 Speaker 1: You know the key cards that most hotels used for 192 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:25,720 Speaker 1: their rooms these days, right, Well, whenever a guest checks in, 193 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:28,280 Speaker 1: there given what's called an initial key, and this is 194 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:30,319 Speaker 1: the key that's been programmed to reset the door locked 195 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:33,120 Speaker 1: the first time it's inserted, so that no other previous 196 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:35,880 Speaker 1: keys will work anymore. And most hotels will give you 197 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:38,360 Speaker 1: two or more room keys, but only one of them 198 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 1: is often an initial key, at least that's how it's 199 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:43,400 Speaker 1: supposed to go, But if you cross a desk agent 200 00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:45,200 Speaker 1: or act like a jerk to your family in front 201 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 1: of one, it's possible that they'll slip you a key 202 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 1: bomb is punishment, and this is basically a second initial key, 203 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:54,920 Speaker 1: So once it gets used, the first key gets deactivated 204 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:57,080 Speaker 1: and whoever stuck with it will be locked out the 205 00:09:57,080 --> 00:09:58,920 Speaker 1: next time they try to use it. And says most 206 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:01,199 Speaker 1: people will keep that is key for themselves and then 207 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:03,240 Speaker 1: give the other key to like a spouse or a child. 208 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:07,040 Speaker 1: The key bomb generally hits the person that's intended for. Ouch. 209 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:10,720 Speaker 1: You actually came across another good low key revenge plot, 210 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:13,200 Speaker 1: and this one is especially popular among desk clerks in 211 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:15,720 Speaker 1: New York City hotels. So you know how to one 212 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 1: two is one of the oldest and maybe even the 213 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:20,600 Speaker 1: most common area code in the New York City area. Well, 214 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:23,080 Speaker 1: if you ever find yourself staying in room one to 215 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:25,800 Speaker 1: one two or twelve twelve in a New York hotel, 216 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:28,719 Speaker 1: you might just be the victim of a passive aggressive 217 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:32,400 Speaker 1: hotel worker. And that's because hotel management knows that guests 218 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:35,080 Speaker 1: often forget to dial nine when they're trying to call 219 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 1: outside of a hotel. So whoever ends up in room twelve. 220 00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:41,640 Speaker 1: Twelve is doomed to get phone calls all night from 221 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:45,560 Speaker 1: confused guest dialing one to one too. It's pretty great. 222 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:49,240 Speaker 1: That is pretty great. So let's switch on our gears 223 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:52,320 Speaker 1: for a second, because there's another secretive aspect of hotels 224 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:55,480 Speaker 1: that involves the front desk crew, and that's room service. 225 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:58,600 Speaker 1: So back in the nine thirties, the Waldorf Historian became 226 00:10:58,640 --> 00:11:01,400 Speaker 1: the first hotel to deliver else directly to its rooms, 227 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:04,920 Speaker 1: and for decades afterwards this amenity was seen as almost 228 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 1: a luxury and one that was only found in like 229 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:10,680 Speaker 1: five star hotels. But nowadays plenty of standard hotels are 230 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:13,080 Speaker 1: getting in on the action as well. In fact, around 231 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:16,320 Speaker 1: of all hotels in the country now offer some type 232 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:18,719 Speaker 1: of room service. Really that many, alright, So so what 233 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:21,199 Speaker 1: should we keep in mind when placing an order? So 234 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:23,559 Speaker 1: for starters, you have to consider which floor you're on 235 00:11:23,679 --> 00:11:26,560 Speaker 1: before you make that call. So earlier this year, Metal 236 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:31,000 Speaker 1: Flaw spoke with a hospitality specialist known simply as Matt. Matt. Yeah, well, 237 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:32,599 Speaker 1: he's been in the industry for ten years. He's a 238 00:11:32,679 --> 00:11:35,319 Speaker 1: veteran and worked at luxury hotels and according to him, 239 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:38,240 Speaker 1: the higher floor the saggaer food is going to be 240 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:41,000 Speaker 1: when it finally gets there. And this is actually because 241 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:43,400 Speaker 1: of those big metal lids that hotels used to cover 242 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:46,240 Speaker 1: your food order. So the lids are great for retaining 243 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:48,800 Speaker 1: heat and keeping out germs, but the longer they have 244 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:51,560 Speaker 1: to travel, the more steam builds up inside them. So 245 00:11:51,800 --> 00:11:54,480 Speaker 1: unless you like your toast really wet or your fries 246 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:57,280 Speaker 1: super soggy, it's probably best to skip the crispy stuff. 247 00:11:57,320 --> 00:11:59,400 Speaker 1: If you're on a higher floor. Well, i mean, wet 248 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:01,960 Speaker 1: toast is probably one of my all time favorites, so 249 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:05,880 Speaker 1: I feel like I'm I'm okay here, but that's interesting. Yeah, 250 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:08,400 Speaker 1: So you know, the metal is can actually result in 251 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:11,959 Speaker 1: another problem because the lids trap that heat, they basically 252 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:14,920 Speaker 1: continue cooking your food during the trip up to your room. So, 253 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:18,120 Speaker 1: according to Matt, if you order a steak medium, it'll 254 00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:20,360 Speaker 1: probably be medium well by the time it gets to you, 255 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:23,200 Speaker 1: if not even more cooked. So his advice is to 256 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:26,120 Speaker 1: avoid steak and seafood altogether and just off for the 257 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:28,319 Speaker 1: things that are tough to mess up, like salads or 258 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:32,120 Speaker 1: club sandwiches. Well, and you even seeing hotels where sometimes 259 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:35,000 Speaker 1: those are the only items offered after a certain hour, 260 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:37,640 Speaker 1: and apparently that's to avoid having to keep an overnight 261 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:40,160 Speaker 1: chef on staff, and so instead of the day crew 262 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:42,960 Speaker 1: just preps a bunch of salads and sandwiches that they'll sell, 263 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:45,560 Speaker 1: you know, until the next day comes, which makes sense, 264 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:47,640 Speaker 1: you know. And another thing that most people don't know 265 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 1: is that a lot of hotels now outsourced their room 266 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:52,400 Speaker 1: service to the local restaurants. So if you look closely 267 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:54,199 Speaker 1: at the menu, it might say that the food is 268 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:57,160 Speaker 1: proudly presented by the hotel, but it actually comes from 269 00:12:57,160 --> 00:12:59,600 Speaker 1: a place down the street. And obviously this is another 270 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:02,320 Speaker 1: cost measure for the tell, but it's also one that 271 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:04,720 Speaker 1: most people don't mind or even notice in most cases. 272 00:13:05,480 --> 00:13:07,079 Speaker 1: You know, I think I actually prefer knowing that the 273 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:09,560 Speaker 1: food I was eating was not prepared in the hotel kitchen, 274 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 1: just from a place down the street, like a good 275 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:14,200 Speaker 1: restaurant nearby. That sounds like a smart plan. Yeah, I mean, 276 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:16,160 Speaker 1: I can't blame you. And hotels don't have a great 277 00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:20,319 Speaker 1: reputation for being especially clean. In fact, according to the NSF, 278 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:23,280 Speaker 1: the average hotel room is dirtier than a typical home 279 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:27,559 Speaker 1: and airplane and even a school, and that's despite having 280 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:29,719 Speaker 1: an army of housekeepers just working around the clock to 281 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:32,360 Speaker 1: keep things tidy. Yeah, it's interesting to talk about it 282 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:33,800 Speaker 1: and kind of gross. But what do you say we 283 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:36,440 Speaker 1: take a closer look at hotel housekeeping and see what 284 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:38,559 Speaker 1: sorts of secrets we can turn up. Yeah, but first 285 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:55,240 Speaker 1: let's take a quick break. They're listening to part time Genius, 286 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:58,000 Speaker 1: So we're talking about the secret world of hotel operations, 287 00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:00,560 Speaker 1: all right, mangoes. So before we talk housekeep I do 288 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:03,600 Speaker 1: want to quickly mention two room features that hotel designers 289 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:07,199 Speaker 1: pay extra careful attention to. That would be the headboard 290 00:14:07,559 --> 00:14:10,079 Speaker 1: and the bed sheets. Now it's actually something I never 291 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 1: would have guessed, but according to industry experts, I don't 292 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:14,720 Speaker 1: know if it was Matt or who matter, there's a 293 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:16,920 Speaker 1: good chunk of a hotel's room budget that goes to 294 00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:20,200 Speaker 1: an impressive looking headboard for the beds. And if you 295 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:22,480 Speaker 1: think about it, that's because the headboard is really one 296 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:24,480 Speaker 1: of the first things that a guest sees when they 297 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:27,160 Speaker 1: walk into a room, and so the trick actually works 298 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 1: especially well in budget hotels because if fancy headboard also 299 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:33,200 Speaker 1: has the effect of pulling attention away from the rest 300 00:14:33,280 --> 00:14:35,880 Speaker 1: of the furniture in the room, which was probably way 301 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:40,200 Speaker 1: cheaper than whatever they spent on that breathtaking headboard. I mean, 302 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:42,280 Speaker 1: I feel like that's like me as a kid, I'd 303 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:44,720 Speaker 1: always make my bed because it distracts from, like all 304 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:48,800 Speaker 1: the dirtiness. But what about the veget So what's the 305 00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:51,960 Speaker 1: secret there? Well, unfortunately, there are probably all kinds of 306 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:54,560 Speaker 1: secrets lurking in these hotel bed sheets, but the one 307 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:57,320 Speaker 1: I'm talking about specifically in this case is the thread count, 308 00:14:57,400 --> 00:15:00,400 Speaker 1: or the number of horizontal and vertical threads per square 309 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:04,120 Speaker 1: inch of fabric. Because hotel guests typically judge their overall 310 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:07,560 Speaker 1: experience by how well they slept, and so some hotels 311 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:10,400 Speaker 1: hedge their bets by springing for higher thread count sheets 312 00:15:10,440 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 1: just to make sure the bed is as comfortable as 313 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:15,480 Speaker 1: it can be. And that's why even thrifty hotels might 314 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: provide some fairly luxurious linen, say three or four hundred 315 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,160 Speaker 1: thread count, and then the price of your hotels often 316 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:24,600 Speaker 1: wrapped their guests and a scandalous six hundred thread count 317 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,080 Speaker 1: sheets or even higher, like you might find some as 318 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:30,760 Speaker 1: high as fifteen. I can't say I'm stayed in that 319 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:33,600 Speaker 1: hotel before. Yeah, I definitely haven't because I count when 320 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:36,320 Speaker 1: I'm in there. But since we're on the topic of 321 00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:39,440 Speaker 1: bed Lynn's, do you know the housekeeper secret to casing 322 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:42,920 Speaker 1: a pillow? You mean pulling a pillowcase on a pillow. 323 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:45,200 Speaker 1: I'm sure they do it the same way we all do, right, Like, 324 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:47,680 Speaker 1: you tuck it underneath your chin, just kind of weirdly, 325 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:49,760 Speaker 1: and you have to awkwardly pull the pillow case up 326 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:52,400 Speaker 1: like a soccer pair of pants. Right. Well, I mean 327 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:54,400 Speaker 1: that works fine for our pillows at home, but imagine 328 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:56,800 Speaker 1: trying that same move with pillows from like twenty different 329 00:15:56,800 --> 00:15:58,920 Speaker 1: strangers each day. Oh yeah, that's a good point. I mean, 330 00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:01,040 Speaker 1: I wouldn't want to put my face anywhere near that 331 00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:03,320 Speaker 1: many pillows in a day. But yeah, so what what 332 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 1: what do they do? Basically, they karate chopped the middle 333 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:08,440 Speaker 1: of the pillow, they fold one side over the other, 334 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:10,160 Speaker 1: and then they just shove it into the case and 335 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:13,440 Speaker 1: smooth it out afterwards. That sounds so aggressive, but I 336 00:16:13,520 --> 00:16:15,720 Speaker 1: kind of like it. I'm gonna try that out. Well, 337 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:17,520 Speaker 1: you know it's it also feels like that would be 338 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:19,680 Speaker 1: a time saver because they could do that so quickly, 339 00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:22,800 Speaker 1: and that is something that's critical for housekeepers because they're 340 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:25,720 Speaker 1: always pressed for time. Just looking at the stats on this, 341 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:28,880 Speaker 1: it's pretty wild. So most hotel maids have just half 342 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:32,000 Speaker 1: an hour to devote to cleaning each standard room. A 343 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:34,240 Speaker 1: suite might get an hour or so, but they're still 344 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:36,680 Speaker 1: having to move super quickly. And what that means is 345 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 1: that on a given day, a hotel made must clean 346 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:41,760 Speaker 1: between ten and twenty rooms in order to meet their 347 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:45,640 Speaker 1: daily quota, and because management holds them to a tight schedule, 348 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:48,480 Speaker 1: they usually aren't able to clean the rooms as thoroughly 349 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:51,560 Speaker 1: as they might like to. Yeah, I read that sometimes 350 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:53,480 Speaker 1: don't get taken care of nearly as often as they 351 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:56,520 Speaker 1: probably like, including things like vacuuming the room or scrubbing 352 00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:58,880 Speaker 1: the bathtub, And that's just because there isn't enough time 353 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:01,880 Speaker 1: to do these more involved every single day, so they 354 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:03,920 Speaker 1: wind up being pushed back to you know, once a 355 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: week or whatever. Yeah, that's right. And you know, while 356 00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:09,200 Speaker 1: we've all heard the horror stories of how bacteria laid 357 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:11,840 Speaker 1: in the hotel remote is or the light switch or 358 00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 1: the telephone, and it is worth noting that a lot 359 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:17,639 Speaker 1: of this contamination is the fallout from these hairy schedules 360 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:20,240 Speaker 1: that housekeepers have to keep rather than any kind of 361 00:17:20,320 --> 00:17:23,400 Speaker 1: laziness or oversight on their part. In fact, I think 362 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:25,359 Speaker 1: we talked about this in one of our very first 363 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:28,840 Speaker 1: episodes in our invention that we still haven't marketed yet. 364 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:31,920 Speaker 1: But it's the hotel remote condom right where you take 365 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:34,600 Speaker 1: you take the shower cap from a hotel I still 366 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:37,120 Speaker 1: do this. Do you do this in hotel rooms whenever 367 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:39,399 Speaker 1: I go into It's one of my tips, Mango, you 368 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:41,760 Speaker 1: should have followed this. But you go in, you find 369 00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:43,679 Speaker 1: the shower cap and you put it over the remote. 370 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:45,840 Speaker 1: It's just the life saver, and then you walk around 371 00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:48,760 Speaker 1: with it and flip every light switch with something's wrong 372 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:50,959 Speaker 1: with me, But that's okay. But if you think about it, 373 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:54,240 Speaker 1: people who clean hotel rooms don't have time to test 374 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:57,280 Speaker 1: how clean a surfaces, and so instead they use the 375 00:17:57,320 --> 00:17:59,359 Speaker 1: same system that we do at home, and that's just 376 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:01,879 Speaker 1: to look at it and see if it looks clean. 377 00:18:01,960 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 1: And obviously this visual assessment leaves a ton of room 378 00:18:05,359 --> 00:18:07,679 Speaker 1: for air and that's why. And this set is a 379 00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:10,720 Speaker 1: little bit troubling, but it's not uncommon for about eight 380 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:14,159 Speaker 1: of hotel room services to hold at least some amount 381 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:18,280 Speaker 1: of fecal Back to eight percent no matter how clean 382 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:20,680 Speaker 1: they might look to the naked eye. But the most 383 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:23,720 Speaker 1: important thing to remember is to never ever use the 384 00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:27,960 Speaker 1: glass cups you find in a hotel room under any circumstances. 385 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:29,600 Speaker 1: So I feel like this is the second time you 386 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:32,520 Speaker 1: mentioned this, and I'm really curious what's going on. I mean, 387 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:35,800 Speaker 1: it's just that, like the house cleaners don't clean them. Yes, 388 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:38,240 Speaker 1: the second time I've mentioned it since we started recording. 389 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:40,960 Speaker 1: I was telling Tristan just before we started. But it's 390 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:43,440 Speaker 1: the cleaning that's the problem. And so there was an 391 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:46,560 Speaker 1: author and a hotel worker named Jacob Tomsky that wrote 392 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:48,800 Speaker 1: a hospitality tell all a few years ago. It's called 393 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:51,800 Speaker 1: Heads and Beds. And in the book, Tomsky points out 394 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:54,840 Speaker 1: that hotel maids don't actually have dish soap and their 395 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:58,200 Speaker 1: housekeeping cards. So, as he explained to USA Today, quote, 396 00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:00,919 Speaker 1: some housekeepers will wash the passes in the sink with 397 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:04,680 Speaker 1: hot water and shampoo, but many of them use furniture 398 00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:08,600 Speaker 1: polished because it leaves the glasses spot free. How disgusting 399 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:12,320 Speaker 1: is that? I mean that seems gross but also maybe 400 00:19:12,320 --> 00:19:15,080 Speaker 1: a little dangerous too. Yeah, it definitely is. I mean 401 00:19:15,119 --> 00:19:17,919 Speaker 1: some housekeepers have even admitted to polishing the glasses with 402 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:20,440 Speaker 1: the same cloth that they use to dust the rest 403 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:22,640 Speaker 1: of the room. And so while it probably goes without 404 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:26,600 Speaker 1: saying that is a really bad move mobs and sponges 405 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:29,240 Speaker 1: and dusters that you find in housekeeping cards, they have 406 00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:32,800 Speaker 1: bacteria accounts that are even way worse than the dreaded 407 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:36,239 Speaker 1: hotel remote. No number of shower caps can solve this, 408 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:39,560 Speaker 1: which is pretty foul. You know, I don't want to 409 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:42,040 Speaker 1: come down too hard on hotel housekeepers because at the 410 00:19:42,119 --> 00:19:44,640 Speaker 1: end of the day, they work so hard under really 411 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:47,760 Speaker 1: difficult circumstances. Definite and uh, you know, I found the 412 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:50,719 Speaker 1: study from two thousand five where researchers looked at more 413 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:54,199 Speaker 1: than nine Las Vegas housekeepers, and what they found was 414 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:58,240 Speaker 1: a mini neck and backpin epidemic. So of the workers 415 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:01,680 Speaker 1: studied suffered from some form the severe bodily pain, which 416 00:20:01,720 --> 00:20:04,240 Speaker 1: really isn't surprising when you consider that those cards that 417 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:06,120 Speaker 1: they push up and down the hallway weighs a few 418 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:09,159 Speaker 1: hundred pounds when fully loaded with supplies, right, and you 419 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:11,240 Speaker 1: think about the task that they have to do and 420 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:14,560 Speaker 1: how repetitive they are, like lifting the mattress in every 421 00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:16,960 Speaker 1: single room just to tuck in that bottom sheet, so 422 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:19,360 Speaker 1: you would think that that repeated stress has to take 423 00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:21,800 Speaker 1: its toll over some time, which is why it's such 424 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:25,280 Speaker 1: an injustice that hotel housekeepers are as underpaid as they are. 425 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:28,439 Speaker 1: I mean, the median annual salary for the profession is 426 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 1: just unders and in many places that's at or below 427 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:36,520 Speaker 1: the poverty line for a family of three. Well, with 428 00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:38,280 Speaker 1: that in mind, it actually seems like a good time 429 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:41,639 Speaker 1: to mention the secret to tipping your hotel housekeeper. And 430 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:44,159 Speaker 1: this comes from a few different anonymous maids on Reddit. 431 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:46,320 Speaker 1: By the way, it was interesting to read this thread here, 432 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:49,280 Speaker 1: but they suggest leaving a dollar or two each day 433 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:51,600 Speaker 1: instead of a big tip at the end of your stay. 434 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:54,040 Speaker 1: And I'll admit that I'm guilty of this. I usually 435 00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:56,040 Speaker 1: wait until the end of this day, so this was interesting. 436 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:59,399 Speaker 1: But this actually ensures that every maid who cleans your 437 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:01,520 Speaker 1: room gets a hip, and not just the last one 438 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:04,199 Speaker 1: to do so before you check out. And also, if 439 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:06,440 Speaker 1: you have any unopened snacks or drinks that you want 440 00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:08,880 Speaker 1: to leave behind for the housekeeping crew, those are apparently 441 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:11,879 Speaker 1: much appreciated as well. But you know, some hotels do 442 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:15,440 Speaker 1: have pretty strict policies about items left behind in guest room. 443 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:17,480 Speaker 1: So it is a good idea to leave a little 444 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:20,040 Speaker 1: note saying who the money or other goodies are actually 445 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:23,120 Speaker 1: meant for, which is sound advice. And there's actually something 446 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:24,680 Speaker 1: else you can do if you really want to help 447 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:27,960 Speaker 1: your housekeeper out, and that's to stop turning down the housekeeping. 448 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:32,000 Speaker 1: And you are telling everything that I am guilty of sometimes. 449 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,040 Speaker 1: So do you mean never skip a day of housekeeping 450 00:21:34,040 --> 00:21:36,600 Speaker 1: when you're at a hotel? Like, aren't you just making 451 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:39,280 Speaker 1: more work for them by opting in for cleaning? So 452 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:41,800 Speaker 1: that's what I was thinking too, But I was reading 453 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:44,679 Speaker 1: this article from the Atlantic about how some hotel workers 454 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:48,760 Speaker 1: actually dislike their company's sustainability programs because the negative impact 455 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:51,840 Speaker 1: it has on their own workloads. So Star Wars Hotels, 456 00:21:51,880 --> 00:21:54,359 Speaker 1: for instance, has this program where guests can help produce 457 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:57,480 Speaker 1: their carbon footprint by waving the housekeeping for up to 458 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:00,760 Speaker 1: three nights. But as it turns out, this was actually 459 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:03,399 Speaker 1: a massive headache for the cleaning staff. So listen to 460 00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:07,200 Speaker 1: this breakdown from the article quote. Devising a work schedule 461 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:10,840 Speaker 1: that had employees cleaning contiguous rooms became impossible with so 462 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:13,760 Speaker 1: many guests selecting the green option. This meant that a 463 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,119 Speaker 1: housekeeper who used to push her cart down a single 464 00:22:16,160 --> 00:22:19,360 Speaker 1: hallway to clean fifteen adjacent rooms, now had to move 465 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:22,880 Speaker 1: the cumbersome apparatus from florida floor or even from building 466 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:26,800 Speaker 1: to building in order to meet her daily quota of rooms. Moreover, 467 00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:29,719 Speaker 1: housekeepers now had to clean sometimes filthy rooms that had 468 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:33,520 Speaker 1: not been maintained by housekeeping for several days. Most significantly, 469 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:36,200 Speaker 1: with fewer hours of work per week. They lost pay 470 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:38,240 Speaker 1: in the wake of so many guests electing to make 471 00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:41,240 Speaker 1: a green choice. So in the end, the new initiative 472 00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:43,679 Speaker 1: was such a burden that the hotel workers union in 473 00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:46,159 Speaker 1: Hawaii actually got Star Wars to do away with the 474 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:49,520 Speaker 1: program in the state. I mean, it does seem like 475 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:51,440 Speaker 1: maybe they could have just gotten some of the housekeepers 476 00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:53,720 Speaker 1: together and come up with some sort of strategy, because 477 00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:55,600 Speaker 1: it feels like there's got to be a middle ground 478 00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:58,760 Speaker 1: that still benefits the environment without making life miserable for 479 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:01,919 Speaker 1: these employees. Definitely, Like think about those little placards that 480 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:03,880 Speaker 1: most hotels leave in the bathroom now, like the ones 481 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:06,400 Speaker 1: that encourage you to reuse your dirty towels for as 482 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:08,320 Speaker 1: long as you can stand it, And that kind of 483 00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:11,360 Speaker 1: program is great for the environment. And the hotel's water bill. 484 00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:14,760 Speaker 1: But it doesn't increase or decrease the housekeeper's workload in 485 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:16,840 Speaker 1: a way that's going to cost them money or discomfort. 486 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:19,080 Speaker 1: I mean, that's true in theory, but how well do 487 00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:21,320 Speaker 1: those little placards even work? I see them, and I'm 488 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:24,480 Speaker 1: curious about that? So really well, actually, there was a 489 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:26,880 Speaker 1: study out of the University of Luxembourg a few years 490 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:29,440 Speaker 1: back that found that people tend to use fewer towels 491 00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:32,120 Speaker 1: when they're told that previous guests in the same room 492 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:35,160 Speaker 1: had chosen to reuse their towels. So were they testing 493 00:23:35,359 --> 00:23:39,480 Speaker 1: like different messages on placards in different rooms or what. Yeah, 494 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:42,800 Speaker 1: so this study used three different messages. So one message 495 00:23:42,840 --> 00:23:45,600 Speaker 1: just kind of praised the environmental benefits of towel reuse, 496 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:49,000 Speaker 1: and another claim that seventy of guests in this hotel 497 00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:52,520 Speaker 1: usually use their towels more than once. But the last message, 498 00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:56,000 Speaker 1: and the most effective by far, claimed that seventy of 499 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:59,120 Speaker 1: guests in this room usually use their towels more than once. 500 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:01,680 Speaker 1: Let me make sure I have this right. The environmental 501 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:04,760 Speaker 1: message had very little impact, which is not that big 502 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:07,359 Speaker 1: of a surprise. But you're saying that people also didn't 503 00:24:07,359 --> 00:24:10,040 Speaker 1: care what other guests, just generally in the hotel we're 504 00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:12,679 Speaker 1: doing with their towels. But why do they care so 505 00:24:12,760 --> 00:24:15,080 Speaker 1: much what previous guests in the same room had done 506 00:24:15,119 --> 00:24:16,760 Speaker 1: with their tels? Like it just seems like a weird 507 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:19,960 Speaker 1: form of peer pressure. It really is. But the researchers 508 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:22,280 Speaker 1: beyond the studies speculated that the third placard works so 509 00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:24,800 Speaker 1: well because it made people feel like they shared something 510 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:27,720 Speaker 1: in common with the previous guests, and for some reason, 511 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:30,359 Speaker 1: this kinship made them more likely to conform to the 512 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:33,760 Speaker 1: social norm of reusing their towels. Like sharing the same 513 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:36,200 Speaker 1: hotel wasn't seen as a rare enough trait to trigger 514 00:24:36,240 --> 00:24:39,919 Speaker 1: this kind of psychological response and guests, but for whatever reason, 515 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:42,200 Speaker 1: sharing the same room was. It feels like they need 516 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 1: to start some sort of like almost the equivalent of 517 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:47,359 Speaker 1: an alumni association for people that had stayed and that 518 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:49,200 Speaker 1: I'm gonna try it out the next time I stay 519 00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:51,040 Speaker 1: at a hotel, see what see what kind of momentum 520 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:53,120 Speaker 1: I can get. But it is interesting to see where 521 00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:55,120 Speaker 1: people draw the line on this kind of thing. But 522 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:57,960 Speaker 1: all right, now that we've covered some of housekeeping secrets, 523 00:24:58,320 --> 00:24:59,960 Speaker 1: I feel like we should shine the spotlight on an 524 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:02,600 Speaker 1: another member of the hotel staff that we ask way 525 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:05,600 Speaker 1: too much of, and that's the concierge. First, let's take 526 00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:21,879 Speaker 1: a quick break. So you're listening to part time Genius 527 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:23,600 Speaker 1: and we're talking about the little known secrets of the 528 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:26,760 Speaker 1: hotel concierge. So well, I don't know about you, but 529 00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:29,679 Speaker 1: concierge service is probably my favorite of all the hotel 530 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:33,080 Speaker 1: amenities I never actually use, and most of the hotels 531 00:25:33,119 --> 00:25:34,960 Speaker 1: I stay I don't even offer it. But I just 532 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:37,600 Speaker 1: love the idea of being assigned my own personal fixer, 533 00:25:38,119 --> 00:25:40,199 Speaker 1: like someone to help find a replacement shirt for the 534 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:42,800 Speaker 1: one I've spilled spaghetti on. It's always spaghetti, I don't 535 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:45,120 Speaker 1: know why, or or to score that hard to get 536 00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:48,640 Speaker 1: dinner reservation at the last possible minute. I'm not sure 537 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:52,000 Speaker 1: concierge would appreciate being called your personal fixer, but I 538 00:25:52,080 --> 00:25:55,639 Speaker 1: do agree that concierge services this pretty amazing thing. And 539 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:58,960 Speaker 1: it feels a little bit old fashioned, because you know, 540 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:01,119 Speaker 1: you think the days, a lot of people just use 541 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:03,320 Speaker 1: their smartphones to do the same kind of stuff. If 542 00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:05,560 Speaker 1: you're looking for a restaurant, if you're just looking for 543 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:08,280 Speaker 1: tips in the city, or something like that. But this 544 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:11,560 Speaker 1: idea of a dedicated concierge, it feels a little more 545 00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:13,680 Speaker 1: quaint maybe now than it used to. But that's also 546 00:26:13,760 --> 00:26:16,439 Speaker 1: kind of what I like about it. Yeah, so maybe 547 00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:18,840 Speaker 1: a fixer wasn't a great word for it. How about 548 00:26:18,840 --> 00:26:21,639 Speaker 1: an on site hotel genie? I mean, I feel like 549 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:23,159 Speaker 1: that makes less sense than the first. And what do 550 00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:27,000 Speaker 1: you mean? So? Um, I don't know, think about it, like, 551 00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:31,560 Speaker 1: concierge is like a mysterious, seldom seen service. Most people 552 00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:35,679 Speaker 1: don't understand it. They pull off these bizarre, almost impossible 553 00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:39,679 Speaker 1: requests like magic, and they do where these cryptic symbols 554 00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:42,400 Speaker 1: are on their next to signify the international secret society 555 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:44,800 Speaker 1: that they belonged to. But what was that last part 556 00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:46,359 Speaker 1: that you said? Did you slip that in because you 557 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:49,480 Speaker 1: thought I was paying attention a secret society? No, it's 558 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:51,960 Speaker 1: a real thing. So the group is called the CLEFTI 559 00:26:52,119 --> 00:26:55,200 Speaker 1: or and I guess that means the Golden Keys, And 560 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:59,159 Speaker 1: it's essentially this international network of hotel concierge is. It 561 00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:02,000 Speaker 1: dates back to the early twentieth century France, and the 562 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:04,000 Speaker 1: group's members are easy to spot because they all wear 563 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:07,200 Speaker 1: these golden cross keys on their lapels. Today, the group 564 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:10,600 Speaker 1: has roughly four thousand members brought across eighty different countries 565 00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:15,200 Speaker 1: and over five travel destinations, and the group's official website 566 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:18,800 Speaker 1: touts the Golden Keys are in quote, literally every corner 567 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:21,359 Speaker 1: of the world. I mean, I'll be honest, I thought 568 00:27:21,359 --> 00:27:23,560 Speaker 1: this was going to get less creepy after the explanation, 569 00:27:23,600 --> 00:27:25,399 Speaker 1: but that doesn't seem to be the case. But there 570 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:27,919 Speaker 1: there is something sort of endearing about their being this 571 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:31,520 Speaker 1: global brotherhood of concierges who all have each other's bags. 572 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:33,800 Speaker 1: I guess yeah. And a big part of the group's 573 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:36,280 Speaker 1: appeal is that all the members share their connections with 574 00:27:36,320 --> 00:27:39,000 Speaker 1: one another. So if one member has an especially tough 575 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:41,320 Speaker 1: guest request, chances are that they can get in touch 576 00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:43,320 Speaker 1: with a fellow member for a hook up. And it's 577 00:27:43,359 --> 00:27:46,159 Speaker 1: those connections that really allowed concierges to pull off some 578 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:48,919 Speaker 1: of the great requests that they get. So I was 579 00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:51,800 Speaker 1: reading about this one concierge. He's worked in upscale hotels 580 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:54,880 Speaker 1: all over the world. His name is buraka Pecky, and 581 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:56,960 Speaker 1: when he used to work in a hotel in New York, 582 00:27:57,280 --> 00:27:59,480 Speaker 1: a guest wants asked him to track down the super 583 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:02,800 Speaker 1: specific barbecue sauce that was made in small batches down 584 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:06,160 Speaker 1: in Louisiana, and that probably would have been a tough 585 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:08,440 Speaker 1: enough request on its own, but sourcing the sauce was 586 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:11,240 Speaker 1: actually the easy part. So the guests simply didn't want 587 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:12,960 Speaker 1: the sauce ship to him in New York. Instaid he 588 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:15,680 Speaker 1: wanted it overnight it to his island home in the Caribbean, 589 00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:19,120 Speaker 1: nearly two thousand miles away. And he didn't just want 590 00:28:19,119 --> 00:28:21,800 Speaker 1: to bottle like, he wanted enough barbecue sauce for an 591 00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:25,119 Speaker 1: entire garden party which he was apparently going to host 592 00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:27,240 Speaker 1: the next day or something. I mean, this sounds like 593 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:29,400 Speaker 1: your normal, run of the mill request to me, even 594 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:31,520 Speaker 1: if it has nothing to do with the city that 595 00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:33,959 Speaker 1: he was in. That is so bizarre. I mean, seriously, 596 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:36,160 Speaker 1: that was a pecky able to pull this off. Yeah, 597 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 1: I mean, thanks to that network. And actually, in case 598 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:40,680 Speaker 1: you weren't already convinced about the power of golden keys, 599 00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:43,160 Speaker 1: there's this other story I wanted to share, and this 600 00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:46,320 Speaker 1: one comes from Sandra Newman, and she's the chief concierge 601 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:49,160 Speaker 1: at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi and during her 602 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:51,680 Speaker 1: tenure there, she's helped with a ton of marriage proposals 603 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:54,520 Speaker 1: and weddings. But there's one wedding in particular that I'm 604 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:57,760 Speaker 1: guessing she'll never forget even if she wants to. And 605 00:28:57,800 --> 00:28:59,680 Speaker 1: that's because she was once approached by a couple who 606 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:01,720 Speaker 1: wanted her help planning a wedding for two of their 607 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:05,560 Speaker 1: teddy bears. Seriously, like this sounds less like the work 608 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:08,080 Speaker 1: of a genie and more just like enabling people asking 609 00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:11,360 Speaker 1: for ridiculous things. So I agree, I'm not sure that 610 00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:13,120 Speaker 1: teddy bear weddings are the kind of thing you want 611 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:16,360 Speaker 1: to encourage on hotel property and loose. But at any rate, 612 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:20,000 Speaker 1: it did really happen. Um. While I doubt Newman had 613 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:21,880 Speaker 1: to call in any favors with the Golden Keys to 614 00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:25,080 Speaker 1: make it happen, she did throw a pretty stellar wedding. Apparently, 615 00:29:25,120 --> 00:29:28,360 Speaker 1: there were twenty five other teddy bears and attendance that day, 616 00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:31,360 Speaker 1: each of which was seated with a placard. UH. They 617 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:34,400 Speaker 1: provided fresh slices of wedding pizza to enjoy during the 618 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:37,200 Speaker 1: reception to each of these teddy bears, and Newman actually 619 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:40,320 Speaker 1: described the scene in this interview with The National Um. 620 00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:43,080 Speaker 1: She says, quote, there was pizza laid out on a 621 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:46,080 Speaker 1: table for every teddy bear at the respective place, with 622 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:48,680 Speaker 1: the side play and slices of pizza for the celebration. 623 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 1: This was a serious affair. I mean, it definitely sounds 624 00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:54,800 Speaker 1: like some kind of affair. I'm not sure if serious 625 00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:56,720 Speaker 1: is the word I'd use, but the het is a 626 00:29:57,160 --> 00:30:00,240 Speaker 1: weird of a great story. Actually, in that same bizarre Vain, 627 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:02,520 Speaker 1: I found this great story about a hotel staff in 628 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:06,360 Speaker 1: Utah that started fielding these really odd requests from an 629 00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:10,720 Speaker 1: extremely board traveling businessman. This guy's name is Sean fitz Simmons, 630 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:12,840 Speaker 1: and for the better part of six years or so, 631 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:16,400 Speaker 1: he'd been traveling from Denver to Salt Lake City every 632 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:19,560 Speaker 1: other week. Now, somewhere in that cycle, Sean decided to 633 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:22,280 Speaker 1: make a decidedly weird request when he was booking his 634 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:24,600 Speaker 1: room online. So here's what he asked. He asked the 635 00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:27,440 Speaker 1: staff to, quote, draw a picture of what you think 636 00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:31,720 Speaker 1: I look like and place it on my bed, and 637 00:30:31,760 --> 00:30:34,640 Speaker 1: you thought that gold keys were This is weird, But 638 00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 1: in his defense, Sean seems to have known he did 639 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:40,600 Speaker 1: a pretty weird thing, so he later said, quote, when 640 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:42,560 Speaker 1: I checked in, the lady at the front desk looked 641 00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:45,000 Speaker 1: at me so weird, and it got so awkward, and 642 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:46,960 Speaker 1: I was like, I can't ever come back here again. 643 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:49,280 Speaker 1: But he did come back, and as it turned out, 644 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:52,040 Speaker 1: the amazing staff at this hotel decided to go along 645 00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:55,600 Speaker 1: with his request, and after that the floodgates were open. 646 00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:59,120 Speaker 1: Sean continued making these occasional odd ball requests during his 647 00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:01,800 Speaker 1: frequent trips, and the hotel staff has been game to 648 00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:03,840 Speaker 1: try to pull these things off at every turn. So 649 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:05,800 Speaker 1: just listen to some of the things that Sean is 650 00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:07,920 Speaker 1: requested to have put on his bed, and keep in 651 00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:10,040 Speaker 1: mind that you can go online and actually see what 652 00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:12,440 Speaker 1: the hotel came up with for each part of these. 653 00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:16,640 Speaker 1: So one affort built out of pillows, a picture of 654 00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:20,320 Speaker 1: a dog dressed as a boat captain, a printed photo 655 00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:24,280 Speaker 1: of Grandma Winslow from Family Matters, and then of course 656 00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:28,160 Speaker 1: maybe my favorite pictures of Alfonso Ribeiro and Jeremy Jackson 657 00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:30,760 Speaker 1: arranged so that they appear to be looking at each other. 658 00:31:31,480 --> 00:31:34,760 Speaker 1: So that's Carlton from The Fresh Prince. And is that 659 00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:36,760 Speaker 1: one of the dudes from day one? Yes? So I 660 00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:39,400 Speaker 1: guess Sean is maybe a little bit stuck in the nineties, 661 00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:41,640 Speaker 1: but it's still nice to see that the staff is 662 00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:44,240 Speaker 1: playing along with him, don't you think? I mean, I 663 00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:46,120 Speaker 1: don't know if you knew this or not. It's kind 664 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:49,520 Speaker 1: of an open secret that hotel staff can be pretty accommodating. 665 00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:52,040 Speaker 1: I think so. In fact, I think the Teddy Bear 666 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:54,520 Speaker 1: wedding and Abu Dhabi was pretty solid proof of that. 667 00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:56,480 Speaker 1: But I know there are a ton of great hotel 668 00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:58,040 Speaker 1: facts that we haven't gotten too yet. So what do 669 00:31:58,080 --> 00:31:59,960 Speaker 1: you say we share a few more of our favorite 670 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:09,920 Speaker 1: and today's fact off count me in. The management at 671 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:12,200 Speaker 1: Happy Guest hotel in the UK has a unique way 672 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:14,760 Speaker 1: to make their guests feel less lonely, and that's by 673 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:17,920 Speaker 1: providing them with a roommate during stays. And that roommate 674 00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:21,840 Speaker 1: is a goldfish named Happy. So, according to the hotel's website, 675 00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:24,200 Speaker 1: you can book Happy or a Happy stand in ahead 676 00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:27,000 Speaker 1: of time so that he's waiting in your room upon arrival. 677 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:30,120 Speaker 1: And you might be wondering, like why a goldfish? According 678 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:33,000 Speaker 1: to list Verse, the hotel's owner believes quote that this 679 00:32:33,040 --> 00:32:36,360 Speaker 1: little fish provides a sense of comfort, a sounding board, 680 00:32:36,640 --> 00:32:39,200 Speaker 1: and unconditional love to the guest after a hard day. 681 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:41,760 Speaker 1: All right, well, here's one thing I was surprised by 682 00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:44,960 Speaker 1: It's not uncommon for business travelers to be so lonely 683 00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:47,560 Speaker 1: that they act the room service waiters to come in 684 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:50,280 Speaker 1: and eat with them. According to our friends at Mental 685 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:52,760 Speaker 1: Flaws who talked with an industry ved at a high 686 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:55,480 Speaker 1: end hotel in San Francisco, it happens more often than 687 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,120 Speaker 1: you'd think. So Matt once sat down to eat with 688 00:32:58,160 --> 00:33:00,880 Speaker 1: Oprah Winfrey, who was eating by her self despite her 689 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:04,240 Speaker 1: sweet being filled with her own employees. And at one 690 00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:06,200 Speaker 1: time he had a bite with JFK Jr. Who wanted 691 00:33:06,280 --> 00:33:09,000 Speaker 1: him to join as he watched Fast Times at Ridgemont 692 00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:12,480 Speaker 1: High Not a bad gig. So one of the world's 693 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:15,400 Speaker 1: smallest hotels is in Amberg, Germany, and it has this 694 00:33:15,480 --> 00:33:18,640 Speaker 1: fascinating origin story. So according to Unique Hotels, the property 695 00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:21,840 Speaker 1: was built in and this is when German couples who 696 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:24,480 Speaker 1: wanted to get married actually had to own property. So 697 00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:27,040 Speaker 1: someone built a tiny house in this eight foot gap 698 00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:30,360 Speaker 1: between two buildings and dubbed it the marriage house. Basically, 699 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:32,160 Speaker 1: you bought the keys from a friend, you owned the 700 00:33:32,200 --> 00:33:33,880 Speaker 1: house till you were married, and then you sold it 701 00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:35,760 Speaker 1: to the next couple. And today it's more of a 702 00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:37,840 Speaker 1: traditional hotel, so you don't have to get married to 703 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:40,520 Speaker 1: stay there. Interesting, all right, well, are you familiar with 704 00:33:40,560 --> 00:33:43,280 Speaker 1: the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas. It's that you know 705 00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:45,720 Speaker 1: that pyramid that kind of shoots down that beam of 706 00:33:45,800 --> 00:33:48,600 Speaker 1: light into the into the air there. Now, apparently the 707 00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:52,240 Speaker 1: lightbeam is so strong that it's generated its own ecosystem 708 00:33:52,280 --> 00:33:54,840 Speaker 1: on the Vegas Strip there. You think about the bugs 709 00:33:54,920 --> 00:33:57,320 Speaker 1: and the moths that are attracted to that kind of light, 710 00:33:57,400 --> 00:34:00,640 Speaker 1: and it's so tremendous that they make pilgrim images to it. 711 00:34:00,720 --> 00:34:03,719 Speaker 1: And then bats and even hunting birds will swoop in 712 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:06,160 Speaker 1: and travel from as far as twenty miles away to 713 00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:09,600 Speaker 1: feast on this insect buffet that's there. And according to 714 00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:12,320 Speaker 1: the San Francisco Gate, people who aren't paying too much attention, 715 00:34:12,360 --> 00:34:15,600 Speaker 1: they actually think that the hotel is pumping glitter into 716 00:34:15,640 --> 00:34:17,640 Speaker 1: the air because it's a lot of like shining light 717 00:34:17,760 --> 00:34:20,399 Speaker 1: reflecting off of these insects, so they don't realize it's 718 00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:22,879 Speaker 1: just a bunch of bugs getting eaten by bats. I 719 00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:25,480 Speaker 1: love that the best buffet on the Vegas Strip is 720 00:34:25,480 --> 00:34:29,040 Speaker 1: an insect prefet. It's pretty great. So in two thousand eleven, 721 00:34:29,080 --> 00:34:31,719 Speaker 1: Time magazine reported that hotels in Hawaii started using these 722 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:34,800 Speaker 1: high tech towels with microchips in them, and the system 723 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:37,399 Speaker 1: helped the hotel monitor their linen so they knew when 724 00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:40,600 Speaker 1: to replace towels. But more importantly, it actually helped them 725 00:34:40,680 --> 00:34:43,840 Speaker 1: keep track of towel thieves. So according to one hotel, 726 00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:46,960 Speaker 1: they saved over fifteen thousand dollars and stolen towels that 727 00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:49,600 Speaker 1: year thanks to the chips, which I guess makes sense, 728 00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:51,760 Speaker 1: especially at a hotel where people might take the towels 729 00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:55,279 Speaker 1: to the beach. So, according to Colin Powell's biography, when 730 00:34:55,320 --> 00:34:58,280 Speaker 1: mikhale Gorbachev came to negotiate with Reagan and a Russian 731 00:34:58,280 --> 00:35:01,919 Speaker 1: delegation state at the Madison Hotel, the mini bar got 732 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:05,360 Speaker 1: an extreme workout. The Russians were apparently enamored with this 733 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:09,239 Speaker 1: magically stocked fridge and spent about three thousand dollars a 734 00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:13,360 Speaker 1: night adjusting for inflation, just at these mini bars, and 735 00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:15,560 Speaker 1: so the bill was getting so high that the head 736 00:35:15,560 --> 00:35:18,560 Speaker 1: of the mission had to ask hotel management to replace 737 00:35:18,640 --> 00:35:21,680 Speaker 1: the alcohol with soda. I mean, it is many bar 738 00:35:21,719 --> 00:35:25,200 Speaker 1: prices side. I don't know if that's like five thousand 739 00:35:25,280 --> 00:35:29,480 Speaker 1: paca nuts. But Atlas Obscura writes at the oldest hotel 740 00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:31,480 Speaker 1: in the world, which is also centered on a spot, 741 00:35:31,640 --> 00:35:34,680 Speaker 1: was started in seven oh five C by an emperor's 742 00:35:34,719 --> 00:35:37,080 Speaker 1: aid at the time, and it's actually been run by 743 00:35:37,080 --> 00:35:42,320 Speaker 1: the same family for over fifty two different generations of descendants. 744 00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:45,080 Speaker 1: That is a really interesting stat All right, Well, here's 745 00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:47,799 Speaker 1: a sweet one. A guy named Sean Siepler was a 746 00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:50,160 Speaker 1: tech exact and he was doing a lot of traveling 747 00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:52,560 Speaker 1: when he realized that he barely used the bar of 748 00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:55,319 Speaker 1: soap that his hotel had provided. So he called down 749 00:35:55,320 --> 00:35:57,920 Speaker 1: and asked what happened to the soap, and of course 750 00:35:57,960 --> 00:36:00,600 Speaker 1: it was just being thrown away. That the same time, 751 00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:03,520 Speaker 1: he learned that one point four million kids die each 752 00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:06,800 Speaker 1: year from pneumonia or cholera, and all the diseases that 753 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:10,160 Speaker 1: could be prevented with better access to hygiene. So he 754 00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:13,640 Speaker 1: decided to combine these concepts and created Clean the World. 755 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:17,520 Speaker 1: This is a nonprofit that collects soaps from hotels, sanitizes 756 00:36:17,640 --> 00:36:20,960 Speaker 1: and melts them down, repackages them, and then sends them 757 00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:24,200 Speaker 1: to struggling communities. And they do this on a pretty 758 00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:27,400 Speaker 1: massive scale. So, for example, the nine thousand room Sands 759 00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:30,279 Speaker 1: Hotel in macau is one of the hotels that participates 760 00:36:30,280 --> 00:36:32,799 Speaker 1: in the program, and as a result, Clean the World 761 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:35,840 Speaker 1: collects over seven hundred metric tons of waste and converts 762 00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:38,719 Speaker 1: it into twelve million bars of soap that get distributed 763 00:36:38,760 --> 00:36:42,280 Speaker 1: to kids in sixties seven different countries. And that's pretty amazing. 764 00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:45,360 Speaker 1: Twelve million bars of soap. I mean, I just assumed 765 00:36:45,360 --> 00:36:48,360 Speaker 1: you were talking about like little boutique hotels, But you know, 766 00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:50,240 Speaker 1: that is amazing and I think he deserved the prize 767 00:36:50,239 --> 00:36:52,640 Speaker 1: for that one. And also maybe that gives us a 768 00:36:52,640 --> 00:36:54,719 Speaker 1: little more insight into what Tristan is doing over there 769 00:36:54,760 --> 00:36:57,640 Speaker 1: with those tiny soaps and shampoos. Yeah, he probably has 770 00:36:57,680 --> 00:37:00,680 Speaker 1: about as much as Clean the World. That's it's impressive. 771 00:37:00,719 --> 00:37:02,840 Speaker 1: But but thanks so much and thanks to you guys 772 00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:05,120 Speaker 1: for listening. If you have any great facts you'd like 773 00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:07,359 Speaker 1: to share, any fun stories you'd like to share about 774 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:09,640 Speaker 1: your stay and hotels, we of course love to hear 775 00:37:09,640 --> 00:37:11,680 Speaker 1: those from you. You can email us part Time Genius 776 00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:13,880 Speaker 1: at how stuff Works dot com or hit us up 777 00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:16,359 Speaker 1: on Facebook or Twitter. But as always, thanks so much 778 00:37:16,360 --> 00:37:32,520 Speaker 1: for listening. Thanks again for listening. Part Time Genius is 779 00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:34,800 Speaker 1: a production of How Stuff Works and wouldn't be possible 780 00:37:34,800 --> 00:37:37,480 Speaker 1: without several brilliant people who do the important things we 781 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:40,920 Speaker 1: couldn't even begin to understand. Tristan McNeil does the editing thing. 782 00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:43,120 Speaker 1: Noel Brown made the theme song and does the MIXI 783 00:37:43,160 --> 00:37:46,600 Speaker 1: mixy sound thing. Jerry Rowland does the exact producer thing. 784 00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:49,239 Speaker 1: Gay Bluesier is our lead researcher, with support from the 785 00:37:49,239 --> 00:37:52,680 Speaker 1: Research Army including Austin Thompson, Nolan Brown and Lucas Adams 786 00:37:52,719 --> 00:37:54,600 Speaker 1: and Eve. Jeff Cook gets the show to your ears. 787 00:37:54,640 --> 00:37:56,600 Speaker 1: Good job, Eves. If you like what you heard, we 788 00:37:56,640 --> 00:37:58,759 Speaker 1: hope you'll subscribe, And if you really really like what 789 00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:00,920 Speaker 1: you've heard, maybe you could leave a good review for us. 790 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:03,239 Speaker 1: We do. We forget Jason Jason who