Do you have a thankless job where you are expected to maintain complete and utter composure at all times, deal with difficult clients/customers, find yourself on the brink of alcoholism, work too many hours, and have a host of ridiculous stories about the shit you’ve dealt with? Jacob Tomsky does, and if you do too, then this book may just be the salve you’ve been waiting for.
Despite being an arts worker, I’ve managed to avoid working in the hospitality industry to supplement my income, but my god did I relate to some of the shit this man has been through. There’s something vindicating about solidarity in suffering that translates across industries and careers- although it may just be a form of class-solidarity in my case.
I listened to this as an audio book, narrated by Tomsky himself, and frequently found myself chuckling and laughing in public as he related anecdotes, incidents, and the unspoken laws of the hotel business. I’d recommend the audiobook, as it is spirited and well told, even if Tomsky’s attempt at sounding like working class New Orleans/New York black men is sometimes a little awkward. Eventually you get over the weirdness of a white boy who majored in philosophy trying to sound street, and kind of enjoy it for the love he puts into recounting his former coworkers and friends.
Hotels are completely unknown to me. I stayed at my first fancy hotel, and not on my dime, last May, and it was a goddamn revelation. My boyfriend and I were amazed by the occasional rose on our bed, or even just plush housecoats, and now that I know that we can do more to get more I will be trying Tomsky’s tips out. I probably committed a few of the sins Tomsky notes here, because I had no idea I was supposed to tip as much as he recommends. I also had no idea I could get upgrades with a clean twenty in the hands of a Front Desk agent, and fully plan on trying some of this stuff out to see if it transitions into Canadian hotels the same way.
It’s a great way to spend 8 hours with someone who excels at his job, loves it, and resents the hell out of any employer who gets in his way of giving impeccable customer service, even to assholes. In the later half of the book he explains what its like to work for a hotel that’s owned by a hedge fund, and his work situation gets downright Kafkaesque as they impose completely arbitrary, nonsensical polices and rules that inhibit better service. It’s a shame to read about, because by and large it seems many of the people Tomsky works with want to do a good job, and only become jaded and perform poorly when their employers make unnecessary roadblocks.