Our Experience with Night Manager Gabriella at the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel in Dublin

At this point in my life, I've learned to let things go and not take them too seriously. Recently, I traveled to Dublin, and planning the trip with my friend Ebube was really easy. We booked my tickets using Easyjet, and I traveled to Dublin by Aircoach bus. 

My flight was very early, and with the added stress of potentially missing it, I did not sleep well. I've learned that while early flights may be cheaper, I need to give myself a break from booking them. Despite that, the journey was smooth—both the flight and the bus ride to Dublin. Overall, it was a great trip, and I'm grateful for the safe travels.

I haven't slept well all week, and I was hoping to sleep when I get to the hotel before my friend arrives.

My airport experience went smoothly, and I have Easyjet to thank for the seamless flight. However, I attribute the overall safe journey to God, giving Him all the glory.

Upon arriving on the reservation my friend made, there was a booking issue that required me to wait for my friend to arrive and resolve it. She managed to resolve it even before she arrived, and we went back to the hotel to rest and refresh. Later that night, we wanted to explore Dublin and see what the city had to offer. I was excited for the fun we had visiting Cafe En Seine, a suggestion from a friend who lives in Dublin and joined us there. After a good night out, he drove us back to our hotel to ensure we got in safely. However, the night manager, Gabriella, stopped us to ask for our room number, which we provided. Despite explaining that the person with us wasn't staying in the hotel, she became even more angry and insisted that he leave the property. She also demanded that both of us pay for staying in the room we had already booked.

We told her that we had already paid and everything was settled; we had checked in earlier. However, she continued to insist that we needed to pay. This confusion arose because she wasn't listening to us. Eventually, we managed to show her the reservation, which she refused to look at, but then she said it was booked for only one guest, even though we had already checked in.

Despite our protests and attempts to clarify the situation, she remained adamant and accused us of lying. She even threatened to ask us to leave the hotel. We were surprised and frustrated by her refusal to let us sleep in the room we had paid for. My friend became angry and told her to stop making unnecessary statements. That's when she threatened to call the police on us, accusing us of trying to sneak a guy into our hotel room, escalating the situation further.

My friends became furious with her and asserted that she had no right to threaten us with the police. We had all our documents in order, and she was simply being rude and unreasonable. Despite our objections, she gave us two options: either pay an extra fee and breakfast or wait for the police to arrive. We chose to wait for the police.

In an attempt to resolve the issue, my friend suggested that if she didn't want to allow me inside the hotel, she would stay alone while I went to her friend's house to sleep, and in the morning we would sort out the issue. She refused and said both I and my friend could not go into the room we paid for. She also refused us from taking our things from the room.

We were taken aback when, despite having paid for our hotel room, we were denied access to it, even at 3 in the morning. The night manager called the hotel guards to prevent us from entering. One of the guards expressed disappointment in her behavior and advised us to remain calm, highlighting her unpleasant demeanor. Her disrespectful treatment of the guards, as if they were her subordinates, left a poor impression. When another guest was entering, she abruptly demanded their room number and then instructed them to come to the front desk to speak with her.

This woman appeared intoxicated with power. She went to the extent of suggesting that we had hearing problems and required hearing aids, which caught us off guard. I couldn't discern if her behavior stemmed from racial animosity or if she was simply a troubled individual in a position of authority.

My friend's friend thought that offering an apology might smooth things over. Yet, the moment he apologized, she became even more hostile. My friend also tried to ease the tension by apologizing, attempting to understand if Gabriella, the night manager, was having a rough day or if there was a misunderstanding. However, she remained firm, asserting her sole authority. Growing frustrated, my friend's friend raised his voice, labeling her as unreasonable. Meanwhile, my friend, Ebube, was getting angry. We had a confirmed booking, and it was clear that Gabriella was being wicked.

She even asked the security guard to deactivate our room cards. She demanded that we pay for breakfast, which we declined, leading to her insisting that we leave the hotel altogether.

 
In the end, we had no choice but to go to my friend's friend's house to spend the night. We did not want this to affect our little big trip, so we decided to relax, listen to music, and try to forget the ordeal. Despite not sleeping in the room we paid for, we managed to find joy.

The following day, we phoned ahead before heading to the hotel. We were invited to meet with the day manager, who calmly discussed the incident with us and apologized. Thankfully, everything was resolved, and we were able to enjoy the rest of our stay without any further issues.

As for my encounter with Gabriella, words can't fully capture the experience. However, one thing that stood out to me was how we handled the situation. Later that day, while chilling in the room with my friend, I played some music and reflected on how much we've grown. In the past, we might have refused to budge until our rights were acknowledged, but now we're more inclined to let things slide. There are always going to be unhappy people like Gabriella out there, but we didn't let her steal our joy. I genuinely hope she finds peace.

Special thanks to the morning manager and the front desk staff, who eventually resolved the issue and apologized for the inconvenience.

While sitting in the lobby the next day with my friend's brother, a lady approached us, introducing herself as another manager at the hotel. She expressed her desire to understand what happened. However, after explaining the situation, she insisted on speaking with the person who made the booking, stating she couldn't discuss matters with me since the booking wasn't in my name. This didn't sit well with me. Initially, she came off as defensive, which discouraged my friend's brother from engaging in conversation, as he felt it wouldn't lead anywhere. Later, my friend Ebube spoke to her. 

During our time in the lobby and conversing with her, we saw that others who had booked a stay at the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel in Dublin also faced challenges with the front desk staff. It's clear the hotel has serious issues with staff behavior and needs to invest in better training to resolve such issues. This lack of adequate training reflects poorly on the establishment.

Anyway, that's the story of my weekend from last week. All glory to God, who always makes everything beautiful in its time. How about your weekend?