Hotel bill - normal or rude?

[Inyourwildestdreams]

Woken at 2am by someone fumbling around outside hotel door. Heard something being posted through and went to check to find a bill posted under the door detailing what we owe. We’ve not even had our final meals here yet! I found it quite rude 🙈
Staying in a “nice” hotel for a special occasion and it’s been a bit of a disappointing stay so maybe I’m just being sensitive 😅

I've not had that happen for at least 15 years! Where are you all staying that doesn't just email you?

I’ve had a bill put under the door once but it was in a hotel in Canada. Never had it in the UK.

This happened loads, now email seems more common.

It never woke me up but I sleep like the dead so no idea what time.

This would never happen in a Premier Inn 😅 It's never happened in any of the hotels I've stayed in, though I tend to go for Travelodge or Premier Inn, so maybe just less likely to happen there. I agree it's a waste of paper. Unless you specifically request a physical receipt. Interesting the people saying "they need a physical copy for expenses" like we're not in 2024. My workplace accepts digital receipts for expenses. If a workplace doesn't accept a PDF of their hotel costs, well, 1995 just called...

Very normal. When we used to go to Disney we would wake up on our final morning to find the envelope hanging on the door. Kids called it our eviction notice!

Don’t you pay upfront in a Premier Inn? We always pay for the night and breakfast on the website.

I think it's a us thing.
never had this in uk or europe hotels. there it's usually email & key drop. and I travelled lot for work.

100% normal. My partner was a night manager in a hotel for 20 years and this was standard practice

From what I’ve seen I’d say it used to be quite common at a lot of hotels worldwide where individuals can charge items such as drinks at bar, meals in hotel restaurant to the room…I guess more and more it might be done by e-mail in the early hours.

It gives a bit of a chance to check the bill before actually getting to check-out in the AM/allows querying of the bill before dropping the key in the drop box.

Someone said employers use digital receipts….mine always wanted a paper receipt that you keep in a file in case of your expense reports being audited.

Digital receipts can be edited digitally to be higher than they really were, or to remove sensitive info like ordering pay per view porno in the hotel, or having an extra “guest” when you should have been travelling alone.

If you have the original paper receipt from the hotel, you can prove you haven’t digitally altered it when uploading it as a pdf to your expenses report.

Completely normal in a good hotel, but the person must have been quite heavy-handed as I've never been woken up by an envelope being pushed under the door!

I thought I was quite the seasoned business traveller but I'm obviously not as this has never happened to me!

Walking you! That’s unacceptable.

the bill is normal, it really nice if you’re leaving first thing.

I've had it in a few country estate style hotels, I think places where they know you might not go out much so there's a lot of drinks/meals/spa treatments on it - otherwise it has to be printed and then read through at check out time which is a pain for everyone waiting and you feel rushed to ok all the charges. This way it gives you chance to agree you've actually had all those extras and dispute anything. It doesn't bother me BUT its annoying it's 2am, and that they've not worked out how to do it quietly. I've never heard them be delivered before.
I'm more interested in where you are and why it was disappointing! I love a country house hotel, be good to know where to avoid....

Fairly common though quite often it's by email not paper these days. If you haven't booked breakfast they simply add it as an extra.

Thinking about it the last couple of times were spa hotels. Of course with premier inns etc you pay on arrival so it's not an issue

I've worked in a few hotels, as has DH. None of us have ever heard of this!

Same! I've stayed in many hotels and worked in a few too and never ever had this done or seen it done.

Stayed in plenty of hotels on business travel; I've literally never heard of this before. I would definitely complain, and put it on the review.

Quite normal to have bill posted under door. I dont understand why it woke you up though.

Very normal. Though many hotels are sending the receipt via email now instead. What is unusual is having to stop at the front desk to actually check out. At most you drop your keys on the desk as you leave if you didn’t leave them in your room. I’ve seen some hotels have a separate station with a box for this a bit away from the desk to optimize traffic flow.

I've stayed in a number of different types of hotel over the years, mainly for leisure, and never had this.

We always pay any outstanding expenses against our room on checkout. That's it.

It being put under the door in the middle of the night would not bother me as such, but it would surprise me.

What is unusual is having to stop at the front desk to actually check out.

Funny that.
I was in a hotel last week and did exactly that….
As I dropped the keys, they checked I had paid the bill the evening before (and yes I had booked online several weeks before but payment was on the day), I paid for my breakfast and got my invoice.

Your experience of Premier Inn and co where you just drop the key isn’t universal by any means.

Yeah has happened to me a load of place. Also in the country manor type estate you’re referring too. Some people in various circles don’t like to discuss money openly at a reception desk, so this is also how they address it subtly as well as for ease of checkout.

Odd of you to assume this is only in budget motels.
I never stay in anything less than four stars.