You check into a hotel, hand over your ID, maybe chat with the front desk person about local restaurants, and head to your room. A few hours later, your phone buzzes with a notification: the person who checked you in just followed you on Instagram. Your immediate reaction is probably somewhere between confused and uncomfortable. How did they even find your profile? And more importantly, is this acceptable professional behavior or a major red flag that crosses the line into creepy territory? The short answer is that no, this isn't normal, and you're absolutely right to feel uncomfortable about it.
Hotel employees have access to your personal information purely for business purposes. Using that access to track you down on social media crosses a professional boundary that most hospitality training explicitly warns against. The power dynamic here matters. This person has your full name, possibly your address, your credit card information, and knows exactly where you're sleeping tonight. When someone in that position of access decides to insert themselves into your personal digital space, it creates an unsettling imbalance. You didn't consent to this level of personal contact when you booked a hotel room.