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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

In thinking the hotel were assholes?

137 replies

MrsFloppy · 18/05/2017 03:01

So we stayed at a Hilton Garden Inn last night in our way back from holiday.

Dh goes out to pick up take away so I order myself a glass of wine from room service.

It comes, I sign the cheque (and tip the person well) and then ten minutes later I get a call from a very amused dh saying he'd got a frantic call from the hotel saying 'some women not known to you was trying to purchase wine from your room'.

When he told them I'm his wife and asked what the problem was it turns out I signed the bill with my maiden name and that pulled up a red flag as it wasn't the same as the name the room was booked under which wasn't 'protocol'. HmmAnd that next time he'd have to order or sign!!

I know this is a small deal in the big scheme of things but for some reason I'm really fucking annoyed. It's pretty common for wives to have different surnames, or for a couple to not even be married.

OP posts:
TestTubeTeen · 18/05/2017 11:36

Have you now accepted the pints people (who have worked in hotels) have made about checking who is ordering and authorising stuff? Given the reports of unauthorised costs that people have had, from the pov of the hotel and guests?

So it wasn't sexist old fashioned stuff about names, it was about the card holder authorising expenditure.

Did you have a nice holiday?

Original poster
MrsFloppy · 18/05/2017 11:39

I have but as i said, we stay in hotels a lot and it's never happened before. And I didn't see the urgency in ringing him immediately rather than asking when he got back.

OP posts:
Original poster
MrsFloppy · 18/05/2017 11:39

I'd happily accept pints too.

OP posts:
PersianCatLady · 18/05/2017 11:54

OP - How would you have felt if you and DH had both gone out for the evening and another person had accessed your room and proceeded to order lots of expensive room service using another name and the hotel had not even bothered to question it?

hmcAsWas · 18/05/2017 11:57

I think you're being very dramatic. It seems like a sensible fail safe from the hotel tbh.

I am sure that they are aware that there are relationships where people don't share the same last name - but presumably this is usually picked up at the point of checking in hence avoiding this kind of problem. The issue seems to be your multiple personality - checking in under your married name and signing for room service with your maiden name. Hardly the hotel's fault

PersianCatLady · 18/05/2017 12:01

And where I live people do use each other's cards all the time
Even today with chip and pin cards, strictly speaking you should not either use another person's or allow another person to use yours.

Some shops in our area (mostly independent) have signs saying that they will not allow somebody to pay using another person's chip and pin card, even if they know the pin number.

Although, the only time I think that a shop would now that a card isn't yours is if it has MR on it and you are a woman or vice versa.

TheDevilMadeMeDoIt · 18/05/2017 12:02

The point about ringing him on his mobile is that they knew he would be the one answering it. Had they rung the room, anyone could have answered and pretended to be him.

And as to how they knew he had gone out, they didn't necessarily. Ringing a mobile gets the person wherever they are. For all they knew he might have been in their restaurant or lounge or something.

If they really did say 'some woman' it was rude, but calling them assholes and saying you're really fucking annoyed just because it's not happened to you before is, for reasons PPs have given, a bit OTT.

53rdWay · 18/05/2017 12:02

OP - How would you have felt if you and DH had both gone out for the evening and another person had accessed your room and proceeded to order lots of expensive room service using another name and the hotel had not even bothered to question it?

Is that a common hotel problem, people breaking into rooms to order room service? So common that's the conclusion the hotel would jump to, rather than asking OP's husband to clarify it was ok for her to charge stuff to room service? Really?

That's my next holiday catering sorted!

AppleOfMyEye10 · 18/05/2017 12:02

Agree with expat.

You would be very grateful if it actually was the case that someone was making a purchase on your room bill and they immediately called to verify.
But oh no you prefer to be dramatic, and all look at me how 2017 feminist I am. Seriously get over it.

Original poster
MrsFloppy · 18/05/2017 12:12

Seeing as ds was running around like a mad bastard I'd have happily paid their massive room service bill for them to watch him for a couple of hours. Grin

Do people really break in to other people's hotel rooms with toddlers and order room service? I'm staying in the wrong hotels!

OP posts:
Original poster
MrsFloppy · 18/05/2017 12:15

I get the point about ringing his cell now.

Would be a bit pointless to ring me in the room and ask me.

I still think their wording was rude. And it's not protocol for that hotel as we've stayed there a lot and it never been a problem.

I'm not overly feminist. Although at one point on holiday I did get annoyed at the waiter who made sure dh had twice as much in his wine glass than me at all times.

OP posts:
YetAnotherSpartacus · 18/05/2017 12:16

YANBU - If hotels care about this sort of thing then they need to ask for names of all guests upon arrival! You are their (paying) guests and it is up to them to make sure that you are not embarrassed in any way. And I'm still wrapping my brain around how it might be OK for Mrs Smith to buy a drink on Mr Smith's credit card (if her name isn't on it) but not Ms White.

SapphireStrange · 18/05/2017 12:16

It's a bit weird that it's never happened to you before, IMO. I'd quite like to think that a hotel WOULD double-check if there was a question over names in connection to your bill.

But I don't think it's a good look for a hotel to be 'frantic'. A cool, calm phone call to confirm the name and that it was indeed you and not a freeloader who ordered the wine would be better for their image.

GoldTippedFeather · 18/05/2017 12:20

I can believe the Hilton were a bit arsey about it. They were probably scared they wouldn't get their money for what you had purchased.

I once stayed in one and the reception forgot to ask me to sign the right bit of paper which would have allowed them to take payment. We had no idea, went to dinner, came back and there was a letter pushed under the door, a phone message and a message on the TV blocking the channels saying we had to go to reception to deal with it. It's was £80 for fucks sake (I got a special deal through a website). They weren't one bit apologetic at the bombardment when I politely suggested they could have just explained at check out and then tried to charge us from items from the minibar we hadn't touched. They then got really arsey when I suggested someone go check the minibar to show we hadn't taken their overpriced food and drink.

Have never stayed in on again. It was just a huge hassle and crap customer service the whole time and I couldn't relax knowing I might be charged for something else. I know hotels are a business but the focus was so squarely on money and not at all on guests!!

user1492115574 · 18/05/2017 12:21

Is this the only problem In your life??? It's not even worth writing about. Get a grip.

OlennasWimple · 18/05/2017 12:21

The hotel did the right thing to ensure that unauthorized charges aren't being billed to a hotel room. I doubt they actually said "some woman" to your DH - surely this is just his non-verbatim retelling of the conversation?

And I say this as someone who had to sit in a hotel reception for two hours with luggage and two small DCs because the booking was in DH's name but he wasn't with us at check-in (we all have the same surname)

PersianCatLady · 18/05/2017 12:22

Is that a common hotel problem, people breaking into rooms to order room service?
I don't know but there are all sorts of different people in hotels.

Thing is checking takes two seconds, not checking could cost people money.

MaryTheCanary · 18/05/2017 12:26

I think the hotel should have a system which ensures that the surnames of both occupants can be listed.

Original poster
MrsFloppy · 18/05/2017 12:35

Olennas that's bloody awful!

OP posts:
Speakeasy22 · 18/05/2017 12:36

YABU. Just inform them at check in or booking that there are 2 different surnames staying in the room and then you can both charge what you want. Surely that's the normal thing to do? I think the hotel did the correct thing.

kali110 · 18/05/2017 13:57

They haven't done anything wrong here.
Why would they ring you to check?
It's not in your name. They rung your dh, rightly.
'I put my maiden name' no wonder other posters on here were confused.

TheMysteriousJackelope · 18/05/2017 14:27

DH took a group of employees to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. I don't know what they had done to the booking but they kept checking people into our room and giving them our room key. We were eating dinner in our room when one of DH's employees and his wife unlocked the door and walked in. At least we were doing something else.

They checked complete strangers in the following day.

Then they checked us out when we hadn't checked out and wouldn't let us charge anything to the room at all.

They weren't sorry at all either.

PersianCatLady · 18/05/2017 15:37

OP - What name did your DH give for you when he checked into the hotel?

Mrs Floppy or Mrs HusbandsName??

If he checked you in as Mr & Mrs HusbandsName then I can actually understand them being confused when Mrs Floppy signed the receipt.

Original poster
MrsFloppy · 18/05/2017 16:47

They only ask for the person who's checking in's id and name.

OP posts:
PersianCatLady · 18/05/2017 17:15

They only ask for the person who's checking in's id and name
Really?

Whenever I have stayed somewhere, they have asked for the names of the additional guests.

If they didn't ask this, then how would they know how many people were resident in the hotel in the event of a fire??

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