To think the hotel were out of order with valentines stay/room?

I've been married 20 years and I wouldn't like this AT ALL. I like my privacy tbh. I would have showered and had a wee but would have done the same as you and used the reception toilets if needed ... What a weird set up - I would not book there

I’ve been married over 20 years and I would expect a significant refund in this situation. They should have a backup plan like a portable screen available or something if they insist on installing these stupid windows.

"They said the first colleague I spoke with attempted to inject some light hearted humour and had not anticipated I wouldn’t appreciate this."

Very poor attitude from them - the receptionist is not your pal and "light hearted humour" is not an appropriate response.
The room should have been checked before you occupied it and they should have been able to make sure everything was ok. At the very least they should have handled the situation more professionally and offered a sincere apology / worked with you to find the best solution in the circumstances.
Maybe it's no surprise if whatever training the receptionist may have had was from "management" like that.

Leave a review explaining their attitude - I think that will put people off.
(I tend to stay at Premier Inn myself - no unpleasant surprises as some others have said!)

The hotel and head office's idea of customer service is well off the mark and I'd tell them this. Also tell them you will leave a full and factual review everywhere you can.

There is nothing prudish about it, yours and others relationships are exactly that and not something the receptionist should be commenting on. Whether others laugh it off is totally irrelevant, I really don't know what goes through the heads of these designers who think this is a good idea. Surely its easy enough to make a bathroom private. I am always so careful now when booking hotels as this seems to be more common. If you don't want to do the back and forth with the hotel at least leave them a scathing review.

Leave a scathing review on TripAdvisor

It's unbelievable just how low some people's expectations are, it really is. 🤷‍♀️

As there were no other rooms available, your choice was to put up with it or leave.

You stayed, and so you're on a hiding to nothing saying the room wasn't fit for purpose, I think. "Lacked expected levels of facilities," sure, but it wasn't unusable because you evidently used it.

Chalk it up to frustrating experiences and review them accurately.

This is absolutely unacceptable OP and I wouldn't drop it. In fact their horrible attitude towards this would make me want to take this as high up as I could. Loads of great advice here. You're not being ridiculous at all, that stupid toilet trend needs to die.

I wouldn't let it drop.

I would advice them that the standard expectation of any hotel stay is a private bathroom, unless it is clearly advertised as otherwise.

You were not provided with such privacy due to a fault which they were unable to repair. You were not give an alternative room, because none were available.

Point out the the full use of the room was not your preference but solelt due to the fact thst no otheres were available and you couldn't secure an slternative elsewhere either as no refund was offered to cover the cost of same.

I would asl if this complaint has been taken to the highest possible level with lin the organisation and ask if this is their final response and position before you take the matter further.

Unfortunately that’s easier said than done! And that’s largely irrelevant anyway! They didn’t get a functioning room and it wasn’t what they booed or what they wanted. TMI, but if it were me, due to gut issues etc, I’d have had to be back n forth to the loos down in reception several times, and due to issues it may not even be quick enough. And even without that, telling people to avoid having a shit for one day is, frankly, ridiculous and very strange and shows you have no idea that people are actually not all like you, who seems to be able to command your bowels to do whatever you want them too. But the same also goes for having a wee, wanting privacy when you shower etc.

Who'd have thunk we'd ever get to a stage where expecting privacy in a toilet/bathroom would render you precious and demanding. I very much doubt Muslims, Jewish people and others who value modesty and dignity in these matters, would put up with this shit, and quite bloody right, and nor should any other sane person who is understandably horrified by it, have to tolerate it, either. I'd be pushing for a better resolution than the cop out the OP got. But then, like a PP said, we wouldn't have stayed there, we would have checked into the nearest Motorway Services. At least with Travelodge or Days Inn etc. you get a proper bathroom with solid, opaque door and wall.

I guess you could go back to them and point out that, as everywhere was fully booked for Valentines, you had no choice but to stay in that room. It was that or go home, presumably? So what did they expect you to do, sleep in the car?

In that case OP, having done the right thing by raising a complaint, go for the jugular with a negative review. You haven't anything to lose.

cant believe so many peopel are saying you are being unreasonable. we stayed in a hotel in Rome that had this set up and ed been married 15 years and I was bloody mortified.

Obviously we had seen each other naked! but we are pretty private aobut thigns like this and we dont shower together generally.

we did stay but I wasn't happy.

Probably the easiest way to make you feel like you’re a “complainer”. You had no choice did you?

Maybe I’m petty but I would go all in now on complaining and just not leave them alone lol. Dispute all their “points”.

Or just leave a bad review - not about the screen, but about their attitude - and let it go.

Yeah, the receptionist’s attitude was not great! Also agree about the rooms with a bath in the middle, horrendous. I’m a private person as far as these things go, that’s just how I am. I can’t think of any relationship where I’d have used the bath in the room, apart from possibly one many,many years ago. But that’s out of almost 40years of relationships of all kinds - serious, fun, long, short etc.

even in a long relationships, there's a difference between: 'I've seen it all before' and 'I'm sure keen to see it again on a romantic weekend away'!

😂🎯

I think this thread is full of ideas on how to fix it. The hotel could have carried out any one of them. But if, as the handyman said, it's a common fault, then they should at least keep the spare parts for the opacity filter in stock.

Whilst It’s unfortunate that it was broken I’m not sure what else they could have done about it. If they don’t have an another room available they can’t just create one for you. If you were really that bothered you should have asked for a refund and gone somewhere else. It’s not ideal but I don’t know how else you expected them to fix it on a Sat night.

WTF is that?!

No. Can't even believe this exists. It looks like a badly converted bedsit.

I'd be so pissed off at the room and service that I'd be looking at whether it meets building requirements.

Please follow the thread- my response was the poster who asked a genuine question - how anyone would manage to cope with this situation without falling apart! I didn’t say you should have, and I think the hotel were in the wrong. I just answered the question - I wouldn’t like it, but I would cope without tears etc. for the reasons I outlined above. Lots of things in life I shouldn’t have to put up with but generally I try to advocate calmly and reasonably or I chose to let things go and focus on other areas of my life. Not saying they are the only approaches but options!