Somebody has just walked into our hotel room at 4am

[Batmam]

Me and DP were fast asleep in a (large, chain) hotel and a woman with a suitcase has just let herself in with a key - don’t know who was more shocked her or us! We didn’t have any clothes on but were under the sheets thank god. I was sleeping so deeply it took me a second to realise what was going on. Never had this happen before in my life, and after everything that happened with Premier Inn I thought hotels would be even more diligent about security.

Phoned reception and she was more concerned with getting our details than actually apologising. It wasn’t a mistake with the key, the woman was told that this was her room. I’ve never worked in a hotel, but how could this happen? We checked in in person last night and signed for the room. Already paid when booking unfortunately. Surely the system should have known this room was occupied?

We’ve bolted the door now and it obviously won’t happen again tonight, but I doubt I’ll be able to go back to sleep now...

• [Correction at OP's request - the security incident mentioned was at a Travelodge hotel, not a Premier Inn]

It was Travelodge not Premier Inn.

I specifically pick Premier Inn because its one of the few that don't house migrants either.

Yes, having worked in many hotels this almost never happens with actual keys - becasue there tends to be only one key per room plus the master (which you wouldn't give out). With keycards it happened literally all the time.

Often you program the keycards on a separate system to the checking in. Very easy to check in room 202 in error, rather than 102 on the system (so 202 is now showing as occupied) but then program the keycards for room 102. Room 102 shows as unoccupied, but actually has the guest in it. Guest merrily heads off towards 102.

Lo and behold, several hours later guest arrives who is actually booked into room 102. Room shows as vacant, check guest in. Another keycard is cut, guest arrives at room only to discover another guest is inside it!

With reception hand overs the person who made the error might well have left hours ago, but you as the night receptionist will now be screamed at, whilst you desperately try to figure out where an empty room REALLY is.

There's a lot of room for human error, especially when you're in hotels with hundreds of rooms and a largely manual system.

In reply to people who asked why didn’t I bolt the door, it did cross my mind to put the rigid chain thing on but then I thought, what if something happens to us and emergency services need to get in? (Very unlikely I know, but I do tend to catastrophise!) DP is also hard as fuck so I always feel safe when he’s with me🤪

You’re not going to believe this, but we were just sitting up in bed drinking shit hotel tea writing our complaint email and someone tried to come in again!! It was a cleaner and I realise we’re still in the room quite late and they need to do their job, but why didn’t she knock first like they do in every other hotel? You couldn’t make it up, and that will be added to the email of complaint. Luckily the chain was on this time…😆

why is everyone referencing Premier Inn?

It was Travel Lodge that had the big problems with the woman being abused not Premier Inn.

OP just says she is staying in a chain hotel

My DH and I have had this happen - a big bloke let himself him at 2am. We'd had a room change. I think that, in our situation, the room we got put in was one members of staff used for a lie down - I think the guy who came in worked there.

As for how it happens, having worked on reception in a hotel, I'm not sure. With the system we had, at check-in, we / the computer would assign you the room (if it hadn't already been) and then the machine would do the key card for that room. While we could manually do key cards, we just wouldn't at that point and you'd have to have a room to your name, on the system, for us to know which room to make the key for!

On check-out, we refused to pay in full for the room on the basis the only thing we needed it for was our own space / privacy and sleep - both of which were interrupted. They were more than happy to take 50% off the charge. With hindsight, I should have requested the bill be wiped but we were in a rush to get back for work!

We’ve figured out how this happened, we were given the wrong room on check in as the room number was different on the booking email. Still, the response I would have hoped for on phoning reception was an immediate and unreserved apology, not mild annoyance and asking our names as if we were making it up!

And this is why I always use the deadlock. I stayed in a small hotel in London last year for work and wouldn't stay there again as the room had a standard Yale lock with the usual little nib you push up to lock it from inside except the nib didn't work and the lock wasn't fitted correctly. Never again, especially not in a ground floor room.

DP used to work away a lot and was once given a key card for an already occupied room. He walked in late at night and put the lights on and the poor woman in bed got the fright of her life, as did he! He also had someone walk in on him another time. This happens a lot more than you might think. He's been given a room already allocated and found someone else's belongings in there and gone back to reception. It will be something to do with not completing a process in the room allocation system.

You can get battery operated door wedges which sound an alarm if the door moves. But a standard door wedge used from inside should prevent the door from being opened.

Scary to be woken in the middle of the night by a stranger opening your bedroom door? I'd think so.

Travel Lodge was the chain that had all the issues.

How horrible for you OP. Get your money back. You’re in a strong position to do so. Sorry to sound mercenary, I’m not missing the point that this was hugely disturbing, but they have failed to do what hotels are supposed to do: provide a night’s sleep. They will be anxious to avoid the publicity about this.

Happened to my husband and I in a chain hotel (Holiday Inn or Ibis). Complained to Reception in the morning, but by then a member of staff had covered their tracks by deleting our booking from their system so that it appeared that our room should have been empty. Asked how on earth we could have checked in the day before with no booking on their system, but they weren't interested. Complained by email - no response.

Because @Batmam was woken from a deep sleep, and did NOT know at that point that it was a woman who’d been given the wrong room card, @PenelopePinkerton - all she knew was that there was a stranger, an intruder in her room.

In hindsight it is clear that there was little danger, but she did not know that at the time!

Oh this is one of their own. They know. 🤩

This happened to us once (over 20 years ago mind) at the Malmaison in Newcastle. Very drunk woman let herself in at 3am and woke the baby up. Frightened the life out of me! I'm not sure who was more confused, bleary eyed us or the drunk woman 🤣

The manager was waiting for us when we went down to breakfast /check out the following morning. I seem to remember that the compensation was very generous!

I think what had happened was we'd asked to change room as the original one we were allocated smelt like someone had been smoking in it and I don't think they'd updated the system properly.

I hope you get a refund. This was a huge mistake made by the hotel, and potentially dangerous.

Don’t rise to it. 🙄🙄

Theres several scornful comments on here today, I would have thought that exchanging stories and all the advice would help all of us… but the ‘mean girls’ are out in force.

As an ex-employee of one of the Hotels mentioned above - they really don’t give a shiny shit about your safety, your comfort, your sleep or anything to do with your stay. If they do sort you a refund, (heavily discouraged by Head Office by the way, you’re usually pushed towards a free breakfast or evening meal ) the employee then has to “answer” for doing that! Area Managers are constantly bearing down!
Since Covid, everything has changed - it’s all about the money now.

Exactly, I was sleeping so deeply I didn’t hear her come in and only woke because DP was shouting “hello?” If he wasn’t there she’d be up by my bed by the time I woke up!

Obviously a lone older lady wasn’t much of a threat but it was still shocking and could have been much more scary had it been a group of men and even more so had I been alone. Not nice at all for her either I imagine, having to traipse back to reception to deal with this after getting in on a late flight.

I always use a doorstop alarm, but I’m always on my own

It doesn’t surprise me at all, and I will be surprised if you get some kind of compensation to be honest.

Interestingly, it’s never happened to me in the US. They’re probably more conscious of being sued I don’t know. Or just more efficient.

editing to add - happened to me twice in the UK in the same hotel! They were clearly not paying attention. But they really didn’t give a shit.

When you speak to female travellers who are on their own, it seems to happen a lot so I guess that’s why these doorstop alarm things were invented.

The downside of locking the door from the inside is that it can be very difficult to get in in an emergency.
A friend of ours died in a Premier Inn earlier this year and because she had locked the room it took forever to get in with the paramedics.

Ex-hotel worker for many years here. This has come up a few times on MN and usually results in 'OMG call the cops'.

It simply happens occasionally in error; guests not correctly checked in to the system, checked in to the wrong room. Happens when guests have moved rooms but this hasn't been updated on the system.

Thankfully, I never had to deal with hysterical reactions to this from guests. The normal reaction is for someone to enter the room and, seeing someone else already in the room, realise the mistake and immediately and return to reception.

It's one of those things that just happens and yes, the doors can be locked from the inside (personally, I'd never bother because I would actually want someone to be able to enter my room if I was in danger or unwell).

i agree. a bit of a shock, yes, but there’s no need to overreact.

Slightly off topic but why are people sleeping naked in a hotel room? If there is a fire alarm in the middle of the night the last think you want is to wake up befuddled from a deep sleep to try and find clothes to struggle into so you can evacuate. If it was really dangerous at least some form of sleepwear will mean you don't have to get dressed.

As for the risk of someone entering the room, if there is no bolt or chain inside I wedge something under the door, usually the edge of a rubber flip flop. Though having heard these stories I'm buying a proper safety wedge device before my next trip.

Thankfully, I never had to deal with hysterical reactions to this from guests. The normal reaction is for someone to enter the room and, seeing someone else already in the room, realise the mistake and immediately and return to reception.

I'm not sure that being startled and scared when a stranger walks into your hotel room at 4am is "hysterical."

And the broken sleep is very very annoying.

This happened to me once at a fancy hotel in Birmingham - can’t remember which one but it was near the Mailbox and was booked with work - I walked on and was confronted with a man who was wearing only a towel who had just had a shower - I don’t know who was more stunned. The hotel manager upgraded me to a suite and gave me a bottle of wine for the shock.

at least you weren't bumping uglies. lol
Id ask for a refund or discount. That is so inappropriate.

I think you’ve failed to acknowledge the reaction of people already in the room, instead of the person walking into the wrong room.

I hope you don’t still work in customer service or hospitality.