An Aussie TikToker is going viral for a very simple yet immensely delightful concept: asking hotels for specific requests ahead of his visit, and then documenting the result. It doesn’t seem like a huge deal, but the pure, fun energy of these unusual requests being honoured has given me life.
Tommy (@tommymodeactivated) might only have three TikToks on his account, but they’re all pure class.
The first one he uploaded detailed the time he stayed at the Sebel Hotel in Canberra back in January 2020, when he kindly asked the reservations team to draw a portrait of him, based off the emails he’d been sending them.
They did it (because who the hell wouldn’t want to get in on the fun) and the result was left tucked under the pillow in Tommy’s room for him to find.
@tommymodeactivated Ever asked a hotel concierge to draw your portrait? I have. It hurt. #Australia #travel #viral #trending #comedy #foryou #fyp
Part two of Tom’s Unusual Hotel Requests was an even more bonkers request. When he stayed at FV by Peppers in Brisbane back in 2018, he specifically asked the concierge to print off a photograph of Mike Whitney, the former cricketer and host of Who Dares Wins and Sydney Weekender.
Did the hotel team play along with the game? You bet your sweet ass they did.
@tommymodeactivated Who else can’t travel without a photo of Mike Whitney? #whodareswins #Australia #travel #trending #comedy #foryou #fyp
♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
How can he top this, you ask? Well, Tommy’s third instalment of his playful game with hotel staff around the country is possibly his best. He took things up another gear, and asked staff at an Accor hotel in 2019 to set an apple hunt up for him. This is some elite-level stuff, I love it.
“It may seem a little strange, but can you please hide an apple somewhere in my room for me to find?” Tommy asked in an email.
“I travel often, and these small games help take my mind off work and lower my stress levels.”
The hotel didn’t just honour this fruity request, they went above and beyond and hid not one but five apples in his room for him to find.
@tommymodeactivated The infamous apple incident of 2019. #apples #applejuice #applepie #appletok #applemodeactivated #Australia #travel #comedy #foryou #fyp #admit
I love it. This playful routine has the same energy as my friend turning to me at 2am at a festival and telling me she has riddles for me to solve. It’s the immediate rush of excitement that something fun is about to happen, and there’s truly nothing as great as an adult version of a treasure hunt or solving a quest.
There’s also something inherently wholesome about encouraging playfulness in a setting that’s usually quite formal. Imagine working in the hotel and getting asked to hide a bunch of apples for someone to find? It’d be the best day of work and you’d regale your mates down the pub with the story for years to come.
True king shit from Tommy here, and I’m absolutely going to start doing the same thing whenever I have my next hotel stay.
