J.O.H.M.: September 2010

Another month of exploring New Orleans! I bought Adam a bike and membership to an office co-op (tho, we've moved on since then to more fun modes of transportation), we went to the zoo, we had more visits from family and we began to relax a bit into our roles as Hostel Managers. We learned how to better deal with troublesome guest, which is perhaps one of the most valuable skills I've gained so far.


ADAM

#joysofhostelmgmt Just walked into Rm 8 to ask the couple wrapped in sheets and post-coital bliss who, exactly, they even are.

2 Sep
 

ADAM

#joysofhostelmgmt Tell a new arrival where the best place to get good Cajun is, get accused of taking kickbacks from it. Fine, don't go.

5 Sep

ADAM

#joysofhostelmgmt Panicked phone call from lost guest: "Me and chicken are the only white meat out here! I'm about to be gang-banged!" He made it home safe.

5 Sep

ADAM

"In my hometown of Pamplona," says our Spanish guest, "someone dies every 2 years by a bull. Usually," he adds, "it's an American."

6 Sep

ADAM

#joysofhostelmgmt Being a biz in a residential 'hood, our trash output is way beyond the limit. So, we've bought off the trashmen w/ beer.

10 Sep

ADAM

#joysofhostelmgmt Why do reviewing customers gush about us in their comments - "PERFECT" - then give us a flippin' 80% score?

11 Sep

ADAM

#joysofhostelmgmt And why can't it be the other way around, since the actual scores are averaged to rate us on aggregators?

11 Sep

ADAM

 #neworleans Couple of guests just got back from their day out with a pic of themselves posing with Nicholas Cage. Cool.

12 Sep

ANNA

Day off starts NOW: check-ins are all tucked in for the day, Honey & I are watching "Date Night" and I'm staying up later than 10pm. YES!

14 Sep

 

ANNA

#joysofhostelmgmt: great thing about hostel guests is they're always willing 2 share- now enjoying someone's gift of a glass of Merlot!

16 Sep 

ADAM

Was just almost engulfed in flame helping my guest start the grill. Man left the gas on for a while, apparently. Quite the ball of fire.

19 Sep 

ADAM

#joysofhostelmgmt Sometimes you get lucky w/ who your guests are. Case in point: the French chef who just fixed us all dinner for $5.

19 Sep 

ADAM

#joysofhostelmgmt A LONELY PLANET writer just checked in! Well, he says he's one. Pretty damn ingenious of him if he isn't. Slave-mode: On.

20 Sep 

ADAM

#joysofhostelmgmt How much ya wanna bet these guys who've set their arrival time for 2 in the morning... are still going to be late?

26 Sep 

ADAM

WHOOHOO! Hostel's rating when we arrived: 79%. Today it hit 83%. If we hit 90% - and we've tons of time to do it - we get a BIG bonus.

28 Sep 

ADAM

Actual review for our hostel: "Anna + pancakes = a lot of fun in new orleans".  :)

30 Sep

St. Louis Cemetery #1

A sculpture in the Lower Ninth Ward - part of our City Tour took us to the areas most devastated by Hurricane Katrina

Boss #1 and Boss #2

This guy was the comedic interlude in our zoo trip

"Whee!"

:)

Biking by the ol' Mississip'

Audubon Park

@ Jean Lafitte Swamp Preserve: Happy family faces

Us with sweet Emma