Prostitute checked into our hotel!

Paying in cash, room by the hour, could just as much be an affair she doesn't want detected on her credit card statement.

How do women sold into the sex trade have ‘agency’ ?

How do underage girls sold into the sex trade have agency when they’re not even capable of consent ?

How does a ‘sex worker’ hooked on drugs by her pimp have ‘agency’?

‘Sex worker’ is a phrase designed to sanitise unpleasant factors so that men who avail themselves of their services don’t have to think about the fact that in the majority of cases they’re paying to rape them and perpetuate the misery. It’s not a trade. It’s just another form of slavery.

When I was young and before the arrival of McDonald's on every high street, a Wimpy bar was a useful place to get a tea or coffee while waiting for your bus or train. But not after 10pm if you were a single female. Because, obviously, you were a prostitute, out alone and 'late' at night and they'd refuse to serve you. I was an ill informed young woman and had to have this explained to me after trying to get out of the rain until bus arrived. Amazed to see same attitude hanging on 50 years later.

When do you think most of these transactions take place? In the dead of night? Of course she’s checking in during the day, she will have bookings made with men from all walks of life, some single, many married.

If she’s doing this independently it’s likely a choice that she’s made, on her terms, with her own boundaries. And I hope she’s happier than in a 9-5 earning a tiny proportion of what she can earn doing this instead.

I doubt the women and under age girls who are victims of human trafficking and sold into the sex industry would agree with you.

OP, how could they have handled it more discretely? Queue here for families/business/hookers/tourists?

Simply, none of your business.

Escorts do not only use hotel rooms. Most offer incalls themselves so it ranges from renting a flat or a room in a shared flat/house or working from their own home even. Quite a few do use hotel rooms as their venue but by no means all.

A friend of a friend is an independent escort so this is how I know.

Yes but all you have to do is look at the actual evidence and you see that these women are abused and exploited. There was one who was meant to be this empowered sex worker on OF and it turned out she was being pimped out by her boyfriend. So much for her agency.

factual arguments don’t actually fail here. Because the evidence just reveals the extent of male depravity.

https://ressourcesfeministes.fr/2022/02/02/a-survivor-recounts-the-horror-of-prostitution/

anyway we won’t agree because you see it as a trade and I see it as slavery.

It's perfectly possible to rent rooms by the day via the Dayuse app. You book on the app and pay on arrival at the hotel. Check in is usually from 9am but can be later.You can pay cash or card and the rate tends to be £70-£100 although I have not used it in London. All the big chains are on the app: Hilton, Leonardo, Holiday Inn and Radisson amongst others. I am not a prostitute.

Oh so the woman herself has no say over whether the sex was consensual? So what you are saying is it’s not actually possible to rape these women (after all their consent is all meaningless anyway). Disgusting attitude.

You may see it as being different, but I don't think so. Sex worker can also be seen as a term that gives more rights to the individual as a worker in a certain trade rather than be relegated to the gutter. As for removing the stigma, the term is explicitly labelling the worker, not to the man availing of her services. So calling the woman a prostitute doesn't help your cause of holding men accountable.

As for virtue signalling, the same can be said of those who insist on calling the woman a prostitute. I could say that it is virtue signalling to make a show by being against the exploitation of woman so that it enable them to continue to be as derogatory as they like, and also deny women any agency. In fact these words like "virtue signalling" are also new fangled terms that people seem to be clapping along to as well when any factual argument fails.

This is not the same thing. Sex worker is a harmful term which legitimises the exploitation of women.

Just clapping along to the latest thing and agreeing the term before is now derogatory is just tedious virtue signalling which does more harm than good. it comes often from people who don’t bother to think about the implications or understand what actually goes on for themselves.

You are talking about removing stigma but why should we do that for a word which refers to, overwhelmingly, male exploitation of women? I’m all for criminalising the johns but I see no benefit to women of legitimising so called sex work. The benefit is for men.

Absolutely!!

Some posh chain hotels now offer a day rate for people who WFH or similar - you get a hotel room with a high speed internet connection, all the tea/coffee/juice you can drink, and of course have access to the other hotel facilities.

Our of curiousity, would you also support someone who has very strong views on sex and children outside of marriage calling those children "illegitimate bastards" today, because they rightly should be called so? Did we stop calling children that because it was a politically motivated move to make unwed women having babies more mainstream, or did we come to see that these sorts of labels are attached to create a stigma on the individual? Even to feel superior to them? There are numerous other such examples. Language evolves and some terms that are associated with being derogatory to the person so labelled are gradually dropped by society. You can continue to use what terms you want of course, but there are reasons why the wider society in general moves on from those terms we now view as derogatory.

Unless she was planning on using your room you are being ridiculous.

Just a note to say that pre -paid Wotif and last minute type bookings along with some corporate bookings require a credit card imprint to cover minibar or other possible charges. If you are not able to provide a cc for a preauth then you are asked for a cash guarantee. It's usually ~100 .

And yes walkin bookings of the lowest room type are often also ~100. This is because otherwise the room remains unsold and a higher occupancy rate achieved by selling a cheap room is better than rooms remaining unsold.
A room can be cleaned for ~40

She could have been paying for a late checkout. I can't remember if in a Premier Inn a late checkout is £10 or 20 pounds - it probably depends on just how late a checkout is wanted.

I do know that once or twice over the years I have needed a late checkout due to not being well (no they weren't hangovers!), and my husband has gone to reception to negotiate with them. Neither my husband or I are sex workers.

If you are staying in a four star hotel, I think that £100 could very easily be the cost of a late checkout.

Unless she’s “doing business” in your room on the bed you paid for, you couldn’t possibly know she was “a prostitute.”

Wait. Hold your horses — she didn’t call your husband “John,” did she?

Oh come on, you're being outrageous!

she was checking in with notes, therefore she's a prostitute?

There are so many other options to think of than that you've let everyone imagine! An old grubby dog. She might work there, she might be meeting an affair partner and paying off the rest, she might be a woman, that's so down with the monotony of kids and cleaning she's run ragged and asked if they'd let her stay. Fleeing domestic violence. A drug addict, (they are humans aswell and deserve a bed)

Has she ruined your holiday or what? Because you saw a woman dressed in what you consider prostitute clothes? She counted out £10 notes?

Genuiniy, Why didn't you speak to her if you were concerned with her manner? Ask the receptionist of the lady's ok? I know it's and overused term but have a walk.for.a.day, or half in her shoes.

I mean unless you hear her ask someone "do you want to buy sex", you can't possibly know for sure that she was a sex worker and it's all conjecture.

I've never had any interaction with that industry, but I imagine it goes on in most hotels in cities.

I wouldn't give much thought to it, personally.

I've stayed at five-star city hotels and they are usually crawling with escorts. Classy ones, though

If you hadn't seen this woman (and you really have no proof if she was a prostitute) checking in you would have been blissfully enjoying your stay in the hotel in ignorance.

You are being ridiculous btw, even if she was who you think she was.

You maybe are turning into a bit of a prude in your old age, I am as well, but I’m prudish about myself. Maybe you’d be happier and get on better in life if you try and mind your own business.

None of your business. None!