Hotel Concierge Denies Room To Smelly Traveler, Unaware He's The CEO Undercover – Story of the Day

A five-star hotel's concierge rudely denies room to a 'stinky' traveler and sends him away on a rainy evening. However, the guy managed to get a room in that hotel a while later, and nobody knew he was the hotel's new CEO in disguise.

It was another rainy day in town as The Velvet Moon bustled with guests. While some were here to dine at the high-end hotel's restaurant, others were exclusive regular guests renting the most expensive suites there. And to say the least, Mr. Watson, the hotel's concierge, was having a busy evening showing guests around that day.

"Carla...CARLA??" Mr. Watson called out to the janitor. "Shine this floor! Now!"

"But sir, I just finished mopping the reception area fifteen minutes ago," the janitor replied. But Mr. Watson, who always wanted to take pride in the hotel's prestige, wouldn't budge.

"Do it now...or I'll make sure the manager knows you refused to follow my orders and fires you!"

Mr. Watson twirled his mustache and got busy checking the check-in register when a disheveled man entered the lobby.

"Excuse me, Ma'am..." the man approached the receptionist. "Can I get a room for the night?"

The lady observed the man from top to toe and frowned, rubbing her nose in disgust. Meanwhile, Mr. Watson, who was engrossed in texting someone, overheard the conversation and turned around.

He was disgusted at the sight of the drenched, dirty man standing there inside the grand hotel.

"What's the matter?" Mr. Watson approached the two, only to stop dead in his tracks. "Gosh...what is that awful smell?"

The man seeking a room walked closer to Mr. Watson. "Sir, I missed the last bus to the city. It's raining heavily...and I need a room for the night."

An awful rage gushed into Mr. Watson's eyes. "A room? For you? Didn't you see the board outside? This is a five-star hotel...not some charity shelter for vagabonds to crash the night...

...Just look at you...you should consider a quick trip to the toilet first. You stink like crap. Get out. We don't serve filthy people like you. OUT!"

"But, sir, I don't want to rent a room for free. I'll pay for it. I'm new to this place. It would be really kind of you if you could let me stay here tonight," the helpless man pleaded.

But Mr. Watson's pride in maintaining the hotel's prestige wouldn't allow him to rent a room to such a poor-looking man.

"There's strictly no entry for unkempt guests like you...out, or I'll have to call the security."

The man was disappointed as he lifted his shabby, old suitcase and turned around.

"Get the floor cleaned up again...Gosh...he stinks! What will the guests think of our hotel?" The man heard Mr. Watson's remark as he stepped out of the hotel.

While Mr. Watson thought he would never see the guy again, half an hour later, the same man returned to the hotel, this time looking different.

"Excuse me, sir..." the man approached Mr. Watson at the reception. "Can I now get a room?"

"You? Again?" Mr. Watson grimaced.

"I'm wearing clean clothes...I took a shower at a truck stop nearby. I'm not a vagabond…or dirty...as you think, sir. Now, can I get a room?"

"Hmmm..." Mr. Watson rubbed his chin and pondered for a while. "Is that a cheap perfume you're wearing? You should've worn it when you first visited...instead of stinking like garbage!"

Now, that was an ugly remark to pass at a guest. But Mr. Watson saw how desperate the man was to rent a room, so he didn't hesitate to take a dig at him before grabbing the check-in register to fill in his details. Then, he handed the man the keys to the room.

The man sighed with relief and was ready to call it a night as soon as he opened his room's door. But when he entered and turned on the lights, he realized Mr. Watson had assigned him a subpar room.

The bed was average. There was no kettle. The AC wouldn't turn on. And the bathroom...it was a mess. The showerhead was broken. There was no hot water supply. And the flush wouldn't work properly.

The man lay down for a while, and just as he closed his eyes to get some sleep, a loud banging sound startled him. The noisy neighbors in the next room wouldn't keep their TV volume down.

Frustrated and unable to rest well, the man then called room service. "Hi...this is Jacob from room number 206. I'm having some issues in my room. The AC is not working...and there's no hot water. Can I please get someone to fix it?"

The attendee assured Jacob of sending someone, but half an hour passed, and nobody showed up.

So Jacob decided to bring the issue to Mr. Watson's notice as he was the one who had assigned him that room.

"Sir...I called room service, but nobody came around. The AC in my room is not working. Things in the bathroom need a little fix. Can you please ask somebody to do it?"

Mr. Watson gave Jacob a bemused smile. "There's nobody at this hour to fix all that! You asked for a room...and you got it."

"But sir...I'm paying for the room...which includes all these amenities I should be getting as its guest," Jacob argued.

"You can't expect to be treated like a king for the $100 you pay for your stay!" Mr. Watson scoffed before walking away as Jacob watched in disbelief.

Shrugging his shoulders, Jacob then marched to the restaurant on the hotel's ground floor to buy himself a meal. There, he ran into Mr. Watson again.

"What are you doing here?" Mr. Watson hurried to Jacob before he could make himself comfortable in a private dining area by the window. "You're not allowed to sit here...."

"What do you mean?" Jacob raised brows.

"How do I make you understand?" Mr. Watson said. "Our esteemed guests dine in private dining areas. We have a different spot for you...I mean...people like you."

"A different spot? Why...what's wrong if I dine here?"

Mr. Watson frowned as he showed Jacob a small seating area in the farthest corner of the main dining hall.

"Over there? But I'm a guest here...and I have all the rights to dine wherever I want. You can't decide that for me."

Mr. Watson's blood boiled at Jacob's audacity to start questioning him.

"Look, you can't be an esteemed guest just by wearing a shabby suit or cheap perfume. You should be thankful to me for renting a room in our hotel. Stop questioning me...and do as I say. Go to that table."

Jacob was shocked. First, the unaddressed issues in his room...and now this. It was getting all too much to take in anymore.

"Our guests are heading this way...now move...Move!" Mr. Watson sidled past Jacob to greet a wealthy family approaching the table.

Disheartened by the poor treatment he was receiving, Jacob sat at the corner table and waited for the coffee and sandwiches he'd ordered. After finishing his meal, he rose from his chair and approached a waiter.

"Hey, I'm Jacob..." Jacob introduced himself. "I just wanted to know what it's like to work around here in this hotel. Is it a nice experience?"

The waiter stared at Jacob for a while. "The hotel is surely nice to work at...but why do you ask?"

"Nothing...just some general knowledge, you know! I was just planning on gathering some reviews."

"Reviews? Are you looking for a job or something here?"

Jacob smiled. "Nah...was just wondering what it's like to work with Mr. Watson...he seems to be a good man!"

"A good man...Who, Mr. Watson? He keeps yelling at us all day...makes our lives hell," the waiter added.

"Oh. Why? Is he short-tempered?"

"God knows why...he's just like one of us...a concierge. But ever since our manager handed a bit more responsibilities to Mr. Watson, he's been acting like he owns this place. Please...this stays between us, okay? Or that man will not hesitate to get me fired!"

"Noted!"

Jacob patted the waiter, and just then, he noticed an elderly lady with two little kids entering the restaurant and occupying a corner table.

Several minutes later, the older woman and the children started enjoying their meal. Then, the lady called out to someone passing by to help her grandson to the toilet.

"Why don't you help him yourself, lady?" an angry voice said, and Jacob wasn't surprised when he saw Mr. Watson talking to her.

"Young man...I'm having difficulty with walking. It would be really kind of you if you could take my grandson to the restroom..."

"Not my job, lady," Mr. Watson shrugged and walked away. Having had and seen enough of this kind of treatment at the hotel, Jacob stormed to the spot from the opposite direction.

"Hold it right there, Mr. Watson. This is not how you talk to your guest!" he yelled as a startled Mr. Watson froze in disbelief.

"Excuse me? What did you say?" Mr. Watson stared daggers at Jacob.

"Excuse me, waiter...can you please help this boy to the restroom?" Jacob stopped a waiter passing by.

The waiter left with the kid, and Jacob turned to a shocked Mr. Watson, who had no idea what would unfold next.

"Enough is enough...do you hear me? This is not how you treat your guests, Mr. Watson."

"Who the hell are you to order me around?" Mr. Watson exploded.

"You'll know! Follow me..."

A strange feeling knotted in the pit of Mr. Watson's stomach. He started suspecting that something was amiss regarding Jacob's keen interest in the hotel's operations and service.

"Wait...you're from that rival hotel chain, right?" Mr. Watson grabbed Jacob by the shoulder, bringing him to a standstill at the reception area.

"Are you spying on our operations? Were you sent to give us bad reviews and ruin our reputation?"

"Oh! Didn't you recognize me?" Jacob smiled before pulling out his phone from his pocket and calling someone.

"What are you doing? Security...Security?" Mr. Watson beckoned for the guards, but it was too late.

The security stormed into the lobby to escort Jacob out when the landline on the front desk rang.

Mr. Watson's face twisted with surprise when the receptionist waved the receiver at him, saying it was an urgent call from their boss.

"...the CEO??"

Mr. Watson gasped at the receiver. He then stared at Jacob in disbelief before hanging up. His legs started to tremble, and his face flushed red with sweat.

"Somebody fetch Mr. Watson here some tissues, please!" Jacob said as he marched to the CEO's office, gesturing for Mr. Watson to follow him.

Mr. Watson nervously entered the office, unable to meet Jacob's eye.

"So...Mr. Watson...I hope now you know who the hell I am to order you around!" Jacob slapped his palms on the desk as he rose from his rolling chair.

"I'm...I'm so sorry, Mr. Felix. I didn't know that you were the CEO..." Mr. Watson stammered in fear...fear of losing his job, his reputation, and everything he was proud of.

"What did you think? The CEO would arrive in an expensive limo and shake hands with you?"

"I wanted to observe my experiences here as an ordinary guest before taking up as the hotel's new CEO...and I'm glad my disguise did wonders...and brought some nasty truths to light...didn't it, Mr. Watson?"

Mr. Watson hung his head in shame. He kept parroting his apologies for being so rude and ignorant. But none of it seemed to move Jacob.

Mr. Watson was embarrassed when he realized the other staff were flocking outside the office, overhearing what was happening inside.

"Before my father became a successful businessman, he started from scratch. Getting into the hospitality field was his dream...Do you know why? Because he wanted to serve people...not discriminate between the rich and the poor. And our hotel doors are open to all...irrespective of their background."

"Sir...I...just....I'm sorry. It won't happen again," Mr. Watson stuttered.

"Shut up!" Jacob yelled.

"We are here to run a business...our customers are our pillars of strength, no matter who they are and where they come from! We turn them away, and we all sink," Jacob added. "So today, our hotel will undergo strict changes to its policies and service standards...

...And you, Mr. Watson...YOU'RE FIRED!"

"Sir...I'm sorry. Please reconsider your decision. I'm so sorry. Please...."

But Mr. Watson's pleas fell on deaf ears as Jacob sat back and called his new secretary. "Jacob here...yeah, good evening. Please get the severance pay formalities done by morning...we're going to have Mr. Watson let go...thanks!"

Mr. Watson was fired that day. From then onward, the hotel's doors were always open to all guests, regardless of appearance or background, with Jacob leading the way as the new CEO.

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