Sister just had some guy walk into her hotel room.

[SphincterSaysWhat]

DS is staying in London for work (a Hilton in Croydon I think) and she just rang me, a little shooketh.

She came in after being on site (work) and locked the door behind her and she is sure she put on the bolt thing (will try to add a picture).

Some random guy (a hotel employee) just walked in unaccounted - she was a little way around the corner so poked her head around and said hello. He just left (saying nowt) so she followed him outside to the hallway and he said he was just conducting a "spot check".

I do not like this. She's a single young woman on her own. It makes me think of Lucy Spraggan's awful experience.

I have told her to go down, report it and asked to be put in another room. That way he's on notice and he also hopefully shouldn't know where she's gone.

Any reason a hotel employee would do this?

What is really worrying is that from comments this doesn’t seem to be a one off. Also the Hilton has been mentioned by numerous people and yet they don’t seem to be doing anything about it. Why doesn’t the daily mail do something useful for once and pick up on this story. Let’s see how the Hilton defends itself.

Happened to me, but I was the interloper!
Booked in, got my card key from reception, let myself in, and there was a guy on the bed, watching tele.
I said sorry, backed out and went back to reception. She was very sceptical, told me I must have got the wrong room (so I can let myself into any random room using said card key?)
See my stocking filler idea, I take an alarm wedge for when I am in the room.
Does not stop 'spot checkers' from entering when I am out, though.

This thread reminds me of a quote that pops up on a crime programme I watched recently: 'men are worried women will laugh at them; women are worried men will murder them'.

I'm buying a door wedge. Didn't know they existed until now!

The tweet earlier in the thread was from the night before...if it's the same hotel, then that's a problem.

I had this happen a few months ago, and it was at a moment I was getting changed!

I complained and it turns out the employee had been sent to fix an item in an empty room on my floor but obviously had gone into the wrong room. The hotel were very apologetic and said moving rooms wouldn’t solve the issue as of course employees have access to all rooms via keys and instead it was an error that they were very sorry for. They ended up refunding the cost of my stay that night, which was a small consolation. Luckily I was with my husband so didn’t feel afraid, so understand this approach doesn’t solve the feelings of unease when alone.

It is unacceptable and your sister should complain to the manager in the strongest possible terms.

the employee probably thought it was an empty room and he would go in and have a nap or something

In future I'll tell her to book as Mr. We should use this self id stuff to serve us when we can.

I take a simple rubber door wedge with me. https://www.amazon.co.uk/MSC-Door-Stop-Doorstopper-Suitable/dp/B0CQP3F46N/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=43O69WH9Z1FQ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.-d51ck12ou6Lj_C9ihhDH9Dk2FD-rsURAM_hANKC_e9Tev72fWh0Yj7-IMbP1AFdSKt0ZG5BRKXBXAU7mAeeonK94S3Kc4JyabqtKUSrHGiP8nAsBq5M05pDOJl7QBiDdsZglV1EDfw5DEBVllzpUx3-6jcPuFm2BJO9y-yJJ7XAzHbfZ0OwxLF2TKhopXL9i2o2ZPO02wkQc_EjXAMWcEuh7F7LlddgAT7TNpLtf3cAHzYtOAtWW9gF5XOnSBMJzsiBK3ctEnki3Eo1k5ql_a4J8B4BPl5PyLs2pgPQzrc.5UFqJpfZ9hKQCfZyubJAAapIljobq9kxtAHM9nP0iaE&dib_tag=se&keywords=Door+wedge&qid=1716966625&sprefix=door+wedge%2Caps%2C384&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

Always do a quick check for cameras too, with my torch. Could he have been trying to retrieve something ?

This is terrifying. I’ve never travelled alone but my DD does. This guy will be sacked surely!

I feel like this should be reported to the police but I'm not sure what for?

I'd not feel safe there after this.

Speak to the manager, put in a written complaint and shame them on social media.

Oh god, cameras? Yuck.🤮

Right, we've just spoken.

She's had a refund and has checked out.

She said this morning she was having her brekker and three times a member of staff "checked her out" (the way she described it, she said he looked at her like she was a piece of meat). DSis doesn't often say this kind of thing, she's not prone to hyperbole or exaggeration about herself - she's young(ish 😂 )and fit (she works on site) and has long blond hair so is striking. She was messaging me over breakfast and was clearly just over it.

Anyway, turns out this was the manager. So she speaks to him and he said that the man was checking if a room was available for another guest who wanted to change rooms. This is a Tuesday night in a large hotel...and as my husband says, they know which rooms are occupied and which aren't. This was DSis's first day there, so not checkout day.

When she complained about it last night the manager (a woman) didn't know about it, the guy hadn't told her and she also didn't know about the room move 🤔

This morning the manager said (this is verbatim) that "this is part of his thingy". I think he meant spot checking is part of his job role? I don't know. But he did say there is a policy, three knocks, a shout and then enter if nothing. He DEFO didn't say a word. And they apologised for this - as did the guy last night apparently (but to the manager).

She said they seemed to have zero clue as to why she is bothered. That it was just a small mistake, no harm. It was an all-male crew this morning (and by all accounts the manager may be a bit of a creep) but she just wasn't taken seriously at all. She said there were people behind her and the manager was talking really lowly in the hope she would, and no one would hear. But she didn't play that game.

In the end, despite their explanation, she came away just feeling like it wasn't right.

She's going to tell her company and write to HQ. Then I don't really know what more she could do? She's not on social media, really, and isn't one for online campaigns.

So sad to hear your (our) experiences. But we have learned from this thread, lots of useful stuff.

I was speaking to my husband about it and he said "god, if this happened to me I'd be like "get the fuck out" and just immediately go to sleep, I wouldn't be thinking about a barricade or anything like that". Privilege.

@SphincterSaysWhat Search X for Hilton hotels (HiltonHotels), go to Replies not posts, and scroll down. I blurred out the person's name in the screenshot but I've just checked and the tweet is still there.
Whether or not your dsis was in the same hotel, we can all repost that tweet saying there have been other reports of the same thing happening in Hilton hotels and telling them they need to do more than move the guest to another room.
I suggest your sister emails the CEO of Hilton too. Reception staff aren't empowered to make any changes to the hotel chain's policies and procedures.

Fucking nightmare

Thank you! I have it.

Anyway, turns out this was the manager. So she speaks to him and he said that the man was checking if a room was available for another guest who wanted to change rooms. This is a Tuesday night in a large hotel...and as my husband says, they know which rooms are occupied and which aren't. This was DSis's first day there, so not checkout day.

That man is lying. As your DH says, they know which rooms are occupied. Plus the staff member told a different story, saying he was doing spot checks. And if he was checking whether the room was free, he would have knocked. And if he forgot to knock he'd apologise to the customer and explain himself, not slink away. So the manager is covering up for the staff member. The question is, why?

A ‘spot check’ of what anyway?

I’d have been straight on the phone, asking to speak to the manager.

Yes, what kind of hotel doesn't actually know which rooms have people in them?

I was speaking to my husband about it and he said "god, if this happened to me I'd be like "get the fuck out" and just immediately go to sleep, I wouldn't be thinking about a barricade or anything like that". Privilege.

He sounds as bad as the guys in the hotel

Don't wish to derail, but there is a prevailing view on social media (maybe because so many fewer young people live independently and drive) that theft is a victimless crime and that individuals only incur temporary inconvenience before being compensated.
An earlier, similar thread to this referenced a woman having her jewellery stolen by a staff member - not feeling safe and the loss of things of sentimental value don't diminish over time.

Hotels do make mistakes and give keycards to already occupied room, so yes.
I don't stay in hotels alone but DH does and he's had cleaners walk in on him either with no knock or a very quick knock and then in.

Jesus Christ. I am so glad to hear you are ok. But I suspect this was not his first try and he might have succeeded with other women.

Hilton is dodgy af, I stopped using them when I was staying at one, a fire broke out at 2am, and they lied about it.

I was once staying in a very large hotel near Blackpool with dh and sons. Dh dropped the lads off at the pleasure beach, whilst I waited in the room. We were situated towards the back of the hotel, near an exit door leading to the rear car park. Suddenly, two men appeared in the room, they didn't knock, just let themselves in. They weren't in hotel uniform and seemed shocked to find me there. They both stood, blocking the doorway, and told me they'd come to check the phone as a fault had been reported (it took 2 of them?). We hadn't reported a fault and I asked them to leave. They refused and said it would only take a minute. I asked them to come back later as I said my dh was due any second. They kept looking at each other and I was very uncomfortable. I started to get quite distressed and insisted they leave which, thank goodness, they eventually, very reluctantly, did. They exited thru the back car park and I immediately left the room and ran outside, in case they came back. I waited on the car park for my dh then we went to Reception where we were, at first, told there was no record of a phone fault reported in our room and no maintenance staff had been sent to us. I was almost hysterical at this news and insisted they call the police. When I mentioned the Police they got the manager, who, after further checks, discovered the men were actually maintenance staff and had got "mixed up". He said the men wanted to apologise as they had only just realised afterwards that they'd frightened me by letting themselves in and not leaving immediately when I asked. I was furious and was very uneasy for the rest of the holiday, making sure I was never left in the room alone and always wedging a chair against the door handle. The manager and Receptionist weren't interested as soon as they knew they were genuine maintenance staff and acted as if I was making a fuss over nothing!

Isn't it strange that these predatory males only go/try to get in a single WOMANs room. Never do they try a couple or single man.