A guest at a Florida hotel was left speechless after fellow travelers queued at the front desk for refunds because of the weather.

The guest and original poster (OP), Reddit user bubblegum_yum_yum, recounted the incident on r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk, explaining that they are an extended-stay guest at the hotel but had become good friends with one of the hotel’s front desk employees.

While waiting for the employee to finish dealing with an “abnormally” long line of people, the OP described overhearing one woman—who had already stayed at the hotel five nights of a seven-night stay—become increasingly aggressive.

The OP wrote, “She wanted a refund since she’d booked a weeklong trip to Florida, but there was a cold front plus foggy cloud cover and she hadn’t been able to ‘experience Florida’s warm weather and sunshine!’

“Obviously, the front desk employee said she couldn’t refund the guest for the previous five nights of her stay since she’d already completed those days, but she could refund her for the following two nights and cancel those two days of the reservation.

“As this conversation was going on, the people in line began talking amongst themselves, and then eventually to people coming in to get coffee from the lobby, about how they could get refunds for their stays because of the weather.”

“I’ve never heard such a ridiculous thing in my life”

According to the post, many guests demanded partial or full refunds because they could not enjoy the hotel’s outdoor amenities—including the marina and tiki bar—due to the chilly temperatures.

“What baffles me is that it wasn’t just a single guest who tried to get a refund based on something as utterly ridiculous as the weather,” the OP continued. “I swear that I’ve never heard such a ridiculous thing in my life, much less from SEVERAL different guests!!”

The OP also noted that the employee later revealed that the woman who started the complaints returned the next day and spoke with the owner, who ended up refunding her entire stay.

While disputes over hotel refunds are nothing new, expecting compensation due to weather is rarely successful. According to Eviivo, hotel staff often face unreasonable demands from guests looking to avoid charges for their stays.

Whether it’s dissatisfaction with an amenity, external conditions beyond the hotel’s control, or even subjective complaints, some travelers will push for a discount or a refund whenever possible.

OnRes Software, which provides hotel management resources, advises staff to stay calm when dealing with difficult customers. Its guide suggests that employees listen actively, avoid escalating conflicts, and acknowledge a guest’s frustration before offering solutions.

“People will complain about anything”

One Reddit user responding to the OP’s story shared their own experience with unusual complaints.

“When I worked for a large hotel chain, I had a lady complain to me about smoke from a wildfire that was burning about 100 miles away,” they recalled. “Another woman complained about the pine pollen on her car.

“People will complain about anything if they think they’ll get something free!”

Another user pointed out that the situation was exacerbated by weak management, noting, “Unfortunately, this happens far too often when you have management with no backbone.”

Newsweek has contacted bubblegum_yum_yum for comment via Reddit.

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