Not My Travelodge Anymore
On Monday evening I received a call from the evening front desk clerk, Ray. He told me my manager, Becky, had been fired. And Avis (morning front desk/Becky's mom) quit. And Katie (Head Housekeeper) quit. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! Travelodge had just been bought by a Middle Easterner about a month ago, and we were all assured nothing would change, no one was going anywhere.
I assured Ray I would be there to relieve his shift, but I knew beyond that I couldn't work in that place anymore, not without the people I've seen 5 days a week for the past 6 years.
I came in to start my shift, and Gary (the new owner) came down from the room he was staying in. Ray took off, Gary asked me how I was doing and if I heard about Becky, and I went off. I informed him that this would be my last shift as well. I said it was crap what he did to Becky, that he's lost the best manager/head housekeeper/morning person/night auditor he'll ever hope to find. He tried feebly to defend his position that he couldn't afford Becky, and even made some allusions to the fact that he would have fired some front desk staff, but she took the bullet instead of us. He assured me that he told her in person, not on the phone, and I said "well how nice of you, that's great of you to have given her your presence when firing her!"
He said I didn't give him a chance, I told him I was on board with his updates to the motel, so I gave him his chance, and he really blew it. I went back and got coffee, then came back to find him still not gone. Frustrated, I said "Just go back to your room NOW and I'll see you in the morning."
He tried to ask me right after that to show him the audit one more time, and I said "No, you have a cheat sheet, you can use that."
He never fought me about how I was talking to him. I would NEVER have talked that way to Becky or Ernie, but Gary didn't deserve one ounce of respect.
I performed the duties of my last shift like any other night. I folded a few linens, I stocked the 2nd floor housekeeping closet, did my security walks, prepared breakfast, and salvaged the broken breakfast sign that some nameless (not me) hooligan had broken into 4 pieces (and that I have hated for a looooong time).
Gary came in at 7:30 the next morning, I gave him the keys and said good luck, and that was it. 6 years, a huge chapter, my identity, gone. And now I have to start that all over. I'll miss the place, the people and the way I spent my nights. On the upshot, I am ABSOLUTELY proud of myself about the way I left and the way I talked to Gary. I actually feel like I kept a great sense of dignity.
I assured Ray I would be there to relieve his shift, but I knew beyond that I couldn't work in that place anymore, not without the people I've seen 5 days a week for the past 6 years.
I came in to start my shift, and Gary (the new owner) came down from the room he was staying in. Ray took off, Gary asked me how I was doing and if I heard about Becky, and I went off. I informed him that this would be my last shift as well. I said it was crap what he did to Becky, that he's lost the best manager/head housekeeper/morning person/night auditor he'll ever hope to find. He tried feebly to defend his position that he couldn't afford Becky, and even made some allusions to the fact that he would have fired some front desk staff, but she took the bullet instead of us. He assured me that he told her in person, not on the phone, and I said "well how nice of you, that's great of you to have given her your presence when firing her!"
He said I didn't give him a chance, I told him I was on board with his updates to the motel, so I gave him his chance, and he really blew it. I went back and got coffee, then came back to find him still not gone. Frustrated, I said "Just go back to your room NOW and I'll see you in the morning."
He tried to ask me right after that to show him the audit one more time, and I said "No, you have a cheat sheet, you can use that."
He never fought me about how I was talking to him. I would NEVER have talked that way to Becky or Ernie, but Gary didn't deserve one ounce of respect.
I performed the duties of my last shift like any other night. I folded a few linens, I stocked the 2nd floor housekeeping closet, did my security walks, prepared breakfast, and salvaged the broken breakfast sign that some nameless (not me) hooligan had broken into 4 pieces (and that I have hated for a looooong time).
Gary came in at 7:30 the next morning, I gave him the keys and said good luck, and that was it. 6 years, a huge chapter, my identity, gone. And now I have to start that all over. I'll miss the place, the people and the way I spent my nights. On the upshot, I am ABSOLUTELY proud of myself about the way I left and the way I talked to Gary. I actually feel like I kept a great sense of dignity.
posted by BoneDaddy at 11:48 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home