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Original poster

Posh hotel un-asked for alarm at 6 - compensation?!

696 replies

hellsBells246 · 03/04/2024 05:21

Staying in a v posh hotel. Think 900 Swiss francs per night...

Just got woken up by a bloody alarm. Picked up phone and got a recorded message saying we had asked for a 6am alarm. We hadn't!! It woke us both and now we can't get back to sleep.

Rang reception, who were puzzled about the alarm but not v apologetic.

AIBU to think they could offer a small gesture to apologise?? Eg a free bottle of wine?! Or AIB greedy and mistakes happen?!

OP posts:
Caththegreat · 03/04/2024 07:42

Boastful
Such an awful thing to happen.You might need counselling

tanstaafl · 03/04/2024 07:42

There was me thinking the alarm was requested by the occupants of the room below the OPs kids room. 😀

RaininSummer · 03/04/2024 07:43

I wouldn't ask for compensation but being woken up that early on holiday would have a fair impact on me. I wouldn't get back to sleep but would have to muddle through the day absolutely knackered if only had 5 hours sleep.

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Holidays
ThePoshUns · 03/04/2024 07:44

I don't think you're being cheeky to expect an apology and a gesture.
You've paid a lot of money for a night and morning of luxury and your sleep was interrupted.
The premier inn offer a refund if you don't get a good night sleep.
I would complain politely to the daytime manager.
If you don't shoot you don't score.
Some of the other replies are laden with envy.

idril · 03/04/2024 07:45

Wow - also shocked at these responses!

Totally not being unreasonable to expect something other than a verbal apology! You pay for a hotel in the hope that you can have nice relaxing time. Being woken at 6am from their mistake is poor service. It's not like you are asking for someone to get sacked.

Can't believe someone compared being woken by their doorbell at home to being woken by an unwanted alarm in an expensive hotel.

CakeIsNotAvailable · 03/04/2024 07:46

I'm really surprised by the tone of most of the replies here. In a hotel of that cost/standard, I think it's absolutely par for the course to offer some kind of gesture at the slightest sign of frustration or inconvenience. I don't work in the hotel industry, but the company I founded offers an upmarket version of something you can otherwise get cheaply or for free; we have a policy of offering freebies or refunds if there's the slightest sign of dissatisfaction, and it really pays off as it generates a lot of goodwill.

thedendrochronologist · 03/04/2024 07:46

6am is hardly the middle of the night like some posters are making out?

It's annoying and I might grumble a breakfast to friends about it but that would be it.

Next time stay at a premier inn as they to a good night guarantee and you'd get a refund not sure they have them in Switzerland

Although they should have a guest relations manager so go and speak to them or reception during the day. Probably thought you'd want to get back to sleep!

Sorry OP - enjoy Switzerland!

ButterCrackers · 03/04/2024 07:47

You should get an apology and compensation. You can also leave a review so that others know about the random wake up call.

Damnyourheadshoulderskneesandtoes · 03/04/2024 07:47

I got evicted from a Travelodge once at 3am because of a fire alarm. Had to stand in the street in my pyjamas. They didn't offer compensation either 😂

Reallybadidea · 03/04/2024 07:48

Soontobe60 · 03/04/2024 07:40

She wasn’t. It was an automated alarm call - you know, the ones that you set on the room phone?

Show quote history

I was using "staff" to include "hotel infrastructure". Not sure that it makes a difference though to my point.

Muchtoomuchtodo · 03/04/2024 07:48

Tombero · 03/04/2024 07:19

I’m worrying about the people who didn’t get their alarm call and have overslept.

That was my first thought too! Not poor old op whose beauty sleep was disturbed a bit earlier than usual.

TakingAMenopause · 03/04/2024 07:49

YANBU!

The whole point of a holiday in a nice hotel is a good sleep. I’d be absolutely expecting an apology gesture like a bottle of wine.

Nothing greedy about that.

Gabby82 · 03/04/2024 07:49

To add, any decent service provider welcomes complaints. Complaints provide essential feedback that is logged, reviewed and acted upon. Without them services miss opportunities to improve.

PersonalityofaVacuum · 03/04/2024 07:49

Mumsnet is turning into reddit where every poster follows the first poster like sheep.

Original poster
hellsBells246 · 03/04/2024 07:50

Snowyymum · 03/04/2024 05:36

I can empathise with you. I am so irritated when customer service is poor/ staff don’t acknowledge impact of their mistake. I get that we all make mistakes- but sometimes we try and ‘make up for it’. I do understand posters suggestions that it’s just an alarm- but equally for all the hotel know the prospect of a lie in could be why you booked the room
I don’t think you are greedy- a cheap bottle of wine costs £7 or a desert from kitchen a few pound. It would have just shown they acknowledged impact

This is what I was getting at! Thank you. If I make a mistake, I say sorry and try to make things better.

OP posts:
TheThingIsYeah · 03/04/2024 07:50

Staying in a v posh hotel. Think 900 Swiss francs per night...

I'm thinking, alright. Does that mean it cost CHF 900 per night?

QueSyrahSyrah · 03/04/2024 07:50

To those saying they'd expect not to be woken in an expensive hotel, the amount of variables in any hotel is so vast it's the last place I'd expect an absolute guarantee of good sleep.

You can't control what other guests do and however attentive the hotel are they can't reverse time when you've been woken up because someone has banged a door / a child has yelled / someone has given the wrong room number for a wake up call.

The best course of action for you OP would have been a nice early morning lazy shag and then drift off to sleep again. It's nobody's fault you chose to call reception and then pop to Mumsnet to stealth boast moan about it.

MaryFuckingFerguson · 03/04/2024 07:51

Are you one of those types, OP? Is everything that goes slightly awry a compensation opportunity? 🙄

slashlover · 03/04/2024 07:51

It woke us both and now we can't get back to sleep

So in the 21 minutes since it happened you've phoned reception and posted on here? I wonder why you can't get back to sleep.

Original poster
hellsBells246 · 03/04/2024 07:51

user1492757084 · 03/04/2024 05:47

An apology is good enough.
You are too precious.
Think about where you are waking up to; it's an obscure First World problem that many would hope to experience.

But I didn't get an apology. Didn't you read my op?

And we have saved up for months for this. It's a special treat. I expect better service here than in a Premier Inn!

OP posts:
Original poster
hellsBells246 · 03/04/2024 07:52

Gunpowder · 03/04/2024 05:47

I’ve worked in a posh hotel and we would have been incredibly apologetic and absolutely given a bottle of wine for this. I would ask to speak to a duty manager.

Ooh, helpful, thank you!

OP posts:
Partypoppers · 03/04/2024 07:52

Honestly OP this is what mumsnet is about these days. Women (mainly) telling other women they are out of order.
"Grabby. Entitled. Rude. This is what's wrong with society". You get the gist.
Perhaps if you're staying in a cheapo place in Benedorm you can expect a shitty level of service but in your case I would expect better and they should be bending over backwards for their guests. Ignore the jealous trolls. For all you know they go on their holidays with the vouchers from The Sun. There is nothing wrong with that at all but don't berate someone who happens to have a nicer standard of holiday than yours. You soon see what people are like when the jealousy rears it's ugly head. It's very unattractive but is inbuilt into some people's nature unfortunately.

Alicewinn · 03/04/2024 07:54

Yeah that sounds so annoying, why on earth did that do that. Yes ask for compensation.

Love51 · 03/04/2024 07:57

I agree with the OP. Sleep is precious. Someone made the point she hasn't been financially disadvantaged, like money is the only thing that counts.
The absolute basic thing you want from a hotel is a good sleep and this was cut short. A bit of an "I'm sorry, please accept this discount / bottle of wine" won't actually replace the sleep but would be an appropriate gesture.

rainbowstardrops · 03/04/2024 07:57

I wonder who the poor bugger is that is merrily snoozing away when they needed a 6am alarm call so that they could catch their flight/attend an important meeting/whatever!

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