Guest complaints can be separated into four categories of problems: 

1. Mechanical

2. Attitudinal 

3. Service-related 

4. Unusual

Mechanical Complaints: Most guest complaints about hotel equipments malfunctions. It is usually concerned problems with air conditioning, lighting, electricity, vending machines, door keys, plumbing, and television and so on. Effective use of front office log book and maintenance work orders may help to reduce the frequency of mechanical complaints.

Attitudinal Complaints: Hotel does come across instances when guest complaints about impolite, unprofessional and indifferent behavior of staff members. Guest may express attitudinal complaint when they feel insulted by rude or tactless hotel staff members. Managers and supervisors should listen and attend to the complaints and problems off the guest.

Service Related Complaints: The guest may experience a problem with hotel services and may get dissatisfied. It can be of wide ranging and about such things as long waiting time or service, lack of assistance with luggage, untidy room missed wakeup call etc. The front office generally receives more service related complaints when the hotel is operating at or near full occupancy.

Unusual Complaints: Guest sometime expects the front office staff to resolve or at least listen such kinds of complaints which are unusual and hotel cannot do anything about them. Sometime guests demand something that impossible to deliver such as they may complain about the absence of a swimming pool, lack of public transportation so on. Front office management should alert front desk agents that on occasions guest may complain about things the staff can do nothing about them. Staff should be better prepared to handle unusual situations with appropriate guest relations techniques.