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"I hope this was nobody here?"
Love you, too
Apparently, "The Pie Guy" didn't leave his hotel room as he found it....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/12002781/The-weirdest-hotel-guests-ever-as-revealed-by-staff.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/12002781/The-weirdest-hotel-guests-ever-as-revealed-by-staff.html
Well, they did not mention the city, but when they said there were little notes about pies all over the room, that sounds like Mike the Pie Man from San Francisco, cos when he visited me in Florida he would write dozens of "post it" notes and each pie he planted on our girls would have a special note on it for each individual pie.
But all the pie people I know went to great lengths to clean up the mess they made in hotel rooms, covering the entire room with plastic sheeting, so most wam fans and certainly the wam producers were responsible people (except when they made the mistake of trying to flush away all the messy in the bath tub or toilet and ended up clogging the plumbing).
...... the guy with the porcupine was obviously a prick !
But all the pie people I know went to great lengths to clean up the mess they made in hotel rooms, covering the entire room with plastic sheeting, so most wam fans and certainly the wam producers were responsible people (except when they made the mistake of trying to flush away all the messy in the bath tub or toilet and ended up clogging the plumbing).
...... the guy with the porcupine was obviously a prick !
Do unto others, then run
It's not hard to protect a hotel room, plastic dustsheets and gaffatape are cheap, so presumably this guy got something out of trashing rooms, rather than just wamming? We've shot hotel scenes, both wetlook and messy, always left the places pristine when we left.
In our case, we minimise our equipment - camera mounted flash for stills, and the videos just use the ambient lighting, most modern hotel rooms are well lit if you turn all the lights on at once. Clothes and any supplies are carefully packed into large wheeled suitcases, and just brought in as normal luggage. We'll usually also have a plastic box with opaque sides and secureable lid, going in this only contains things like dust sheets, gaffatape, camera bags, etc, but the wet clothes (after being hung up overnight in the shower) go in it, in black bin bags, for carrying out afterwards (a with person at each end). It gets referred to as the "merchandise box", so any curious staff will assume it contains business-related stuff that we don't want to leave in the vehicle just in case of theft. I've had staff help me carry it out of hotels before now, full of wet outfits.
Just as most supermarket checkout people aren't remotely interested in what or how much the customers are buying, most hotel staff just want to get their jobs done, the sooner someone is checked in the better, and once the guests have their keys they can come and go as they please. People book into hotels for all kinds of odd or illicit reasons, as long as you don't wreck the room or keep other guests from sleeping, they really don't care what you do.
gness7 said: Something I've always wondered: how do WAMmers do all their business in hotel rooms and not get spotted until after they leave? When I set up for shoots I need at least half an hour to get all my crap out of the car making multiple trips to the studio--and that's before I even get to the film equipment. Teach us your stealthy ways (not that I condone leaving hotel rooms in poor condition)?
In our case, we minimise our equipment - camera mounted flash for stills, and the videos just use the ambient lighting, most modern hotel rooms are well lit if you turn all the lights on at once. Clothes and any supplies are carefully packed into large wheeled suitcases, and just brought in as normal luggage. We'll usually also have a plastic box with opaque sides and secureable lid, going in this only contains things like dust sheets, gaffatape, camera bags, etc, but the wet clothes (after being hung up overnight in the shower) go in it, in black bin bags, for carrying out afterwards (a with person at each end). It gets referred to as the "merchandise box", so any curious staff will assume it contains business-related stuff that we don't want to leave in the vehicle just in case of theft. I've had staff help me carry it out of hotels before now, full of wet outfits.
Just as most supermarket checkout people aren't remotely interested in what or how much the customers are buying, most hotel staff just want to get their jobs done, the sooner someone is checked in the better, and once the guests have their keys they can come and go as they please. People book into hotels for all kinds of odd or illicit reasons, as long as you don't wreck the room or keep other guests from sleeping, they really don't care what you do.
Saturation Hall - Forth! The Gungemaidens!
I've self-wammed in hotel rooms, 4 nights a week for years, while on business trips.
I've NEVER left a room a mess. One time I was trying something different, and it splattered all over in areas I would have never guessed. I was up until 3:00 in the morning cleaning, but I was not going to leave that mess! :ahahah:
Norman
I've NEVER left a room a mess. One time I was trying something different, and it splattered all over in areas I would have never guessed. I was up until 3:00 in the morning cleaning, but I was not going to leave that mess! :ahahah:
Norman
They took this story from reddit - the guy paid extra in advance for the cleaning, or had paid a deposit and never bothered trying to collect it or something along those lines. I'd love to do that one day!
I've left the maids a large tip and a sorry about the rubbish note before, when they suddenly locked up the waste area at the back before i could sneak down there.
I made sure everything was double bagged though and split between three bags so none of it was too heavy
I've left the maids a large tip and a sorry about the rubbish note before, when they suddenly locked up the waste area at the back before i could sneak down there.
I made sure everything was double bagged though and split between three bags so none of it was too heavy
See my sites for tons of other content & coupons
Getting in is the easy bit: stuff in suitcases. I think one of the UK producers put a pic of his suitcases packed for a shoot on Twitter recently. This included a suitcase that held several 12L buckets!
Depending on the age of the hotel, if it's a modern hotel you can get rid of most stuff down the loo as they have decent plumbing. In the UK the toilet waste pipe is larger than a US one so that helps, I think.
I've otherwise double (or triple!) bagged messy items once most of the liquid is removed and flushed away, and stuck it in a suitcase, then disposed of it elsewhere.
I particularly like DM1's plastic box idea.
Another good trick is to get an accessible room which has a large "wet room" bathroom with a drain built into the floor, rather than classic bath/shower combo. Just hose it down and you're done.
However the ethical puzzle from doing that is an underlying guilt that I'm depriving such facilities from a person who really needs them.
Obviously I'm not a producer, so I don't have mountains of gear.
Depending on the age of the hotel, if it's a modern hotel you can get rid of most stuff down the loo as they have decent plumbing. In the UK the toilet waste pipe is larger than a US one so that helps, I think.
I've otherwise double (or triple!) bagged messy items once most of the liquid is removed and flushed away, and stuck it in a suitcase, then disposed of it elsewhere.
I particularly like DM1's plastic box idea.
Another good trick is to get an accessible room which has a large "wet room" bathroom with a drain built into the floor, rather than classic bath/shower combo. Just hose it down and you're done.
However the ethical puzzle from doing that is an underlying guilt that I'm depriving such facilities from a person who really needs them.
Obviously I'm not a producer, so I don't have mountains of gear.
Life's too short for bad pies.
B1_2JP said: I particularly like DM1's plastic box idea.
Another good trick is to get an accessible room which has a large "wet room" bathroom with a drain built into the floor, rather than classic bath/shower combo. Just hose it down and you're done.
However the ethical puzzle from doing that is an underlying guilt that I'm depriving such facilities from a person who really needs them.
Another good trick is to get an accessible room which has a large "wet room" bathroom with a drain built into the floor, rather than classic bath/shower combo. Just hose it down and you're done.
However the ethical puzzle from doing that is an underlying guilt that I'm depriving such facilities from a person who really needs them.
Earlier this year I stayed in a hotel room in Stockholm that had a wet room instead of bath or shower, it wasn't billed as an accessible room, I gather rather it was standard for that part of the hotel. Was really well presented, and large too - if there'd been a model handy (and us not needing a 7am flight the next morning) I'd have been tempted to do some shoots. Unfortunately I suspect flying a few models to Sweden for the weekend would break even our budget, but if I ever find similar facilities closer to home, will definitely be interested.
Saturation Hall - Forth! The Gungemaidens!
DungeonMasterOne said:
Earlier this year I stayed in a hotel room in Stockholm that had a wet room instead of bath or shower, it wasn't billed as an accessible room, I gather rather it was standard for that part of the hotel. Was really well presented, and large too - if there'd been a model handy (and us not needing a 7am flight the next morning) I'd have been tempted to do some shoots. Unfortunately I suspect flying a few models to Sweden for the weekend would break even our budget, but if I ever find similar facilities closer to home, will definitely be interested.
Earlier this year I stayed in a hotel room in Stockholm that had a wet room instead of bath or shower, it wasn't billed as an accessible room, I gather rather it was standard for that part of the hotel. Was really well presented, and large too - if there'd been a model handy (and us not needing a 7am flight the next morning) I'd have been tempted to do some shoots. Unfortunately I suspect flying a few models to Sweden for the weekend would break even our budget, but if I ever find similar facilities closer to home, will definitely be interested.
Yes, wet room bathrooms definitely seem more common in the Nordics, not just limited to accessible rooms.
Stayed in a few hotels out there with large wet rooms.
Closer to home, some Premier Inns have accessible rooms which have wet room bathrooms, particularly the more modern higher rise ones, as opposed to the early build 2-storey ones.
Life's too short for bad pies.
Oh, and many moons ago, when I actually was a supermarket checkout operator, I knew exactly what the person nonchalantly buying 24 cans of shaving foam and a lot of paper plates was up to. 
It did have fringe benefits as a job, such as reduced trifle. If anything reduced to clear hadn't gone at the end of the trading day, it went to staff significantly cheaper still.
It did have fringe benefits as a job, such as reduced trifle. If anything reduced to clear hadn't gone at the end of the trading day, it went to staff significantly cheaper still.
Life's too short for bad pies.
B1_2JP said: Oh, and many moons ago, when I actually was a supermarket checkout operator, I knew exactly what the person nonchalantly buying 24 cans of shaving foam and a lot of paper plates was up to.
Do you mean "I knew exactly what the person *trying to look nonchalant* buying ...."
Especially many years ago, unless it was a producer, their heart was probably pounding as they wondered, " Do you think he knows what this is for? I'm so embarrassed that someone may find out!" LMAO
Norman
Here's the original post on Reddit instead of the article that's just trying to get ad revenue:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/3sjutd/hotel_workers_of_reddit_what_is_the_strangest/cwxyk5a
Some of the replies are interesting.
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/3sjutd/hotel_workers_of_reddit_what_is_the_strangest/cwxyk5a
We had a guest we ended up calling "Pie Guy" - he would come into the hotel without a reservation, pay in cash the $100 cash deposit and the next day we would find his bathroom and bathtub full of the remains of several expensive pies. He never came to the desk for his deposit, as he knew he wouldn't be getting it back. We added his name to our "do not rent" list but he kept coming back and using different names. One time we found a torn up list in his room with the words "pie" and "pants" scribbled over and over again.
EDIT: There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding what constitutes an expensive pie. He left the pie boxes behind with the mess, and they were from a local bakery with high prices. They weren't just your typical grocery store pies.
As far as the argument that we shouldn't have banned him, I can see the point there. $100 to clean up a pie mess seems like a good deal. I was working night audit during most of Pie Guy's prime, so I wasn't really too involved in the decisions to ban people at that point. The pie was not confined to the bathtub exclusively, it was all over the bathroom - walls, floor, towels... I imagine it trailed out into the room as well and darker fruit pies probably have some risk of staining things. I only saw the aftermath once, briefly, about five-ish years ago. I was pretty amazed at the bathroom so I didn't spend too much time looking in the room.
And yes, it is rare for a hotel to accept cash. Yes, it is typical to get an ID at check in. We were under some poor management at the time, and like I said - I was just a night auditor, and this was my first front desk job. I just did what everyone else showed me how to do. I still work here - we went through a management change and we have some much better procedures in place. Pie Guy would never get past us now!
EDIT: There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding what constitutes an expensive pie. He left the pie boxes behind with the mess, and they were from a local bakery with high prices. They weren't just your typical grocery store pies.
As far as the argument that we shouldn't have banned him, I can see the point there. $100 to clean up a pie mess seems like a good deal. I was working night audit during most of Pie Guy's prime, so I wasn't really too involved in the decisions to ban people at that point. The pie was not confined to the bathtub exclusively, it was all over the bathroom - walls, floor, towels... I imagine it trailed out into the room as well and darker fruit pies probably have some risk of staining things. I only saw the aftermath once, briefly, about five-ish years ago. I was pretty amazed at the bathroom so I didn't spend too much time looking in the room.
And yes, it is rare for a hotel to accept cash. Yes, it is typical to get an ID at check in. We were under some poor management at the time, and like I said - I was just a night auditor, and this was my first front desk job. I just did what everyone else showed me how to do. I still work here - we went through a management change and we have some much better procedures in place. Pie Guy would never get past us now!
Some of the replies are interesting.
I can't imagine not clearing up after myself in a hotel room! But good on him for just paying the deposit and leaving it for the cleaning bill!
Previously we've used apartments, rather than hotel rooms, as they don't work out to be much more expensive and we were able to cover the extra cost by doing a session or two in the space. It meant we had a kitchen area for prep, a living area that we'd turn into a studio and also a bedroom and bathroom.
We would bring everything into the apartment in suitcases and bags and there was usually a lot! We had all our filming equipment, with lights etc, plus sheets, food, gunge, clothes... and stack of buckets we carried separately. One time there was direct access from the car park up to the rooms, without going via reception, which made life easier, but another time we carried it all through the reception area, thankful that the staff were generally busy with other guests as we made several trips with all the stuff! A few times I emptied a suitcase in the apartment, took it back through reception, filled it up with stuff from the car and walked it back in. The receptionist must have had a sense of deja vu, but I'd just walk past and smile as if butter wouldn't melt
Our only bad experience was at the end of our stay one time, when we'd requested a late check-out on arrival but I don't think it was officially noted on our booking. We had just started packing up when there was a knock at the door from housekeeping, saying they needed us to leave so they could clean the room for the next guests. It was a terrifying ten minutes as we took down all the plastic sheets, cleaned up splatters from the walls, packed up everything from the kitchen, put everything of theirs into the dishwasher, threw all the rubbish away, packed up all the equipment and clothes faster than we thought would be possible, plus then mopped the floor with cleaning wipes and re-arranged all the furniture back to where we could remember it was when we arrived! I still can't believe we managed it and left the place pretty clean and tidy - we were exhausted once we were finally in the car and ready to drive away.
And we never did lose a deposit! I'm so glad to have space for a studio in our house now though
JnC x
Previously we've used apartments, rather than hotel rooms, as they don't work out to be much more expensive and we were able to cover the extra cost by doing a session or two in the space. It meant we had a kitchen area for prep, a living area that we'd turn into a studio and also a bedroom and bathroom.
We would bring everything into the apartment in suitcases and bags and there was usually a lot! We had all our filming equipment, with lights etc, plus sheets, food, gunge, clothes... and stack of buckets we carried separately. One time there was direct access from the car park up to the rooms, without going via reception, which made life easier, but another time we carried it all through the reception area, thankful that the staff were generally busy with other guests as we made several trips with all the stuff! A few times I emptied a suitcase in the apartment, took it back through reception, filled it up with stuff from the car and walked it back in. The receptionist must have had a sense of deja vu, but I'd just walk past and smile as if butter wouldn't melt
Our only bad experience was at the end of our stay one time, when we'd requested a late check-out on arrival but I don't think it was officially noted on our booking. We had just started packing up when there was a knock at the door from housekeeping, saying they needed us to leave so they could clean the room for the next guests. It was a terrifying ten minutes as we took down all the plastic sheets, cleaned up splatters from the walls, packed up everything from the kitchen, put everything of theirs into the dishwasher, threw all the rubbish away, packed up all the equipment and clothes faster than we thought would be possible, plus then mopped the floor with cleaning wipes and re-arranged all the furniture back to where we could remember it was when we arrived! I still can't believe we managed it and left the place pretty clean and tidy - we were exhausted once we were finally in the car and ready to drive away.
And we never did lose a deposit! I'm so glad to have space for a studio in our house now though
JnC x
I've noticed more and more hotels are installing baths with a shower attachment. Now, I have a decent bath at home... one of the attractions of a hotel stay has always been a decent shower unit, but now it's no different from home....
