Lydia Gorham

Have you ever met someone who is determined to have a bad day? The type of person who is so secretly unhappy that she has to make her day AND your day the worst she can? Well I have. Her name is Lydia Gorham.

Lydia Gorham walked into our lives at the hotel on a Sunday evening and the next morning is when we realized she was "one of those guests." By that I mean she was a problem from the time she checked in.

Lydia: Hi, I need a room for tonight.
Banana: Okay, the rate is $149.
Lydia: I need to see the room first.
Banana: Okay, I can show you a room on the first floor.
Lydia: I don't want to be on the first floor.
Banana: I understand, but in order for me to show you a room I have to show you one on the first floor. It doesn't necessarily mean you will be in that room.
Lydia: But I want to see MY room.
Banana: If you don't want to be on the first floor then you won't be seeing YOUR room but all of our rooms are the same.
Lydia: Well why can't you just give me a key?

And it continued like that for about some time.

The next morning she had complaint after complaint

"The smoke detector has a little flashing light. It was very hard to sleep with that light flashing so I got up and wrapped a towel around it to sleep. It was quite the inconvenience."

*Side Note: Yes, smoke detectors do have a flashing light. The light is the size of the head of a ballpoint pen. If that disrupted her sleep than she must sleep with her eyes open staring at the smoke detector.*

"You guys don't have whole milk? I only drink whole milk."
"I hate your coffee. It says it is Starbucks coffee. It is not."
"Your elevator smells like urine"
"If you want to keep my business you should comp my room because my stay was horrible."

We didn't comp her stay...she came back the next week.

During her second stay she didn't make any complaints about the room and even complimented the coffee. Everything was fine until all hell broke loose. As I sat in my office I heard my housekeeping manager yelling my name and then yelling at Lydia Gorham. I come out of my office.

Lydia: I'm on the computer and she is washing dishes and it is loud. I don't understand why she has to wash dishes.
Working Girl: It is her job.
Lydia: I understand that but I am paying money to stay here and she needs to stop or close the door.
Working Girl: The kitchen itself is normally 80 degrees. The dishwasher reaches 400 degrees. She cannot close the door.
Lydia: But I don't care I want her to stop. At least for 15 minutes
Working Girl: I will tell her to pause for 15 minutes. When 15 minutes is up she will start washing dishes the same exact way she was washing them before. You have 15 minutes.

She stayed on the computer for 30 minutes and then got up and checked out. Before she checked out an older couple who is staying at the hotel came through the lobby. We were all friendly with one another. When Lydia checked out she asked me "Why are you guys so nice to them? What's the point?"

That's 2 points in the Bitch column. Now to win the game...

Her third stay, which came two weeks after her second stay, is when she lost her mind. She started bullying the other guests because we are generally nicer to them than we are to her.

There was a woman staying at the hotel with her 2 children, both of her children are special needs. When the woman was getting on the elevator in which Lydia Gorham was getting off, Lydia turned to the woman.

Lydia: Fucking Bitch!

Then walked away. There was no reason for that. Two people in passing saying nothing to one another does not call for an insane person to turn to the other and degrade her.

After Lydia got off the elevator she walked over to the front desk.

Lydia: Why do you let those type of people stay here? It's really bad for business. This isn't Section 8 housing. It's a hotel.

That comment, and her previous antics, got her put on the "DO NOT RENT TO" list. The list that only the most disgusting of human beings get the chance to make.

There is a special place in Hell for people like Lydia Gorham.