Lolo Zulu has learnt the hard way not to orchestrate pranks when checking out of a hotel. Her gruesome pranks some years ago have seen her banned from six Durban hotels
The Nelspruit resident, who travels regularly, was banned after she left housekeeping with a surprise – a “dead body”. While it wasn't a dead body, just sheets rolled to look like one with the telephone rolled around the neck, it looked pretty convincing.
Zulu said she started the prank almost six years ago after seeing someone do it on Twitter.
"I was young. I thought it would be a good laugh," she told IOL Travel.
"Little did I realise how it would impact me. It was my first type of prank and it went left pretty quick."
Her first prank at a Durban hotel didn't yield any results, but the second time she did it at another hotel in the city, she received a call from the hotel.
Don’t do it😭😭 I did this at one of the hotels in Durban beachfront years ago, I have since been banned by 6 hotels by the beachfront. https://t.co/ItosAE263b pic.twitter.com/89vuOkkUki
— Lolo (@Nocksolo) August 30, 2021
"One of the staff members called, laughing. They told me I scared the housekeeping staff."
She pulled the same prank at another Durban hotel. This time the staff weren’t as polite.
"I wanted to record the conversation to hear their reaction, but none could prepare me for that chat. They gave me a stern lecture and said it was dangerous to scare staff.
"That's when they dropped the bomb; they told me I was banned from six hotels," she recollected.
Zulu tried to check into three hotels months later but they refused to accommodate her.
"They told me that I was banned and that I wasn't welcome. One hotel even had my picture."
Her advice to travellers who want to orchestrate similar pranks: "Don't do it."
"It is not worth it. It could scare staff and lead to other repercussions. Rather travel for the memories," Zulu said.