Member-only story
I Kissed Shakira
and other hotel encounters.
It’s a funny ol’ business, hospitality. Never a dull moment, after all we continuously deal with people either as part of the hotel team or the public in general, and it takes all sorts.
In my nearly 30 years in the hotel business I’ve come across a bit of everything: met with superstars and royalty, catered for major events, organised countless meetings, calmed confrontational guests, dealt with strange requests and even kissed Shakira (ok, so it was the traditional Spanish welcome of two kisses, but I still love the way it sounds).
Now, something strange happens to people when they stay at hotels. Some get kinky, probably due to the excitement of doing it somewhere different. Others do things in their rooms that they wouldn’t do at home, like using the sheets or curtains to wipe certain bodily parts.
Some turn to stealing, from the contents of the minibar to the bathrobe (I thought they were included in the room). I will always remember the comment of the late Irish comedian Frank Carson when I asked him if his stay was comfortable: “I don’t like your towels”, he retorted, “they’re so fluffy I can’t close my suitcase”. Brilliant.
And then there are those that think they know it all, that have delusions of grandeur and importance. After all, they are paying good money to stay in a…
