Bizarre hotel experience- was it a brothel ? AIBU

[Mill46]

Arrived on business to city and decided to drop my bag before heading to conference . Booked hotel last minute . Wasn't cheap . Man meets me in street and takes bag showing me entrance to " hotel" next to door to betting shop . Ok a bit weird but I was in a hurry .i return later and let myself in with code and find my room is up 2 flights of a spiral staircase which I find hard to navigate ( won't go in to detail ) . So I ask weird guy who appears with bag if he had another room . He does - it's fine and I say I'll move to that one . Then he says he would prefer if I left . I'm now feeling a bit freaked out and think best to get the out of the place and away from weird guy . I ask him to reimburse me before I leave . He agrees then comes back and says his boss says no . I'm cross now and mention trip advisor - he then says he will pay me himself and gets me to accompany him to thencash point . He gets me the money and off he goes . Now in ianother hotel - but what the fuck was that all about - was it a brothel , should I get in tripadvisor anyway ???

I was born in Norwich and still live here almost 30 years later and never heard of mjb hotels! How?!
To the poster worrying about a visit it really is a lovely place. im very lucky to live in a nice place (most of the time)!

Lots of people holiday makers stay there, just read reviews on trip advisor. Unaware that it's a swingers hotel. It's only known as a swingers hotel locally in Cyprus.

I feel like taking a trip to Norwich just to visit The Beaches hotel

It is the Museum Hotel. There are lots of reviews on booking .com that mention the door being next to a betting shop, and having to use a code to get in.

But I don't know why the man asked OP to leave after she asked to switch rooms?! And the refunding from the cash machine....Very odd!

Museum Hotel Oxford Review
"Once you get over the underwhelming entrance you'll realise there's no reception desk here either. You let yourself in, find your room and can wander to one of the two lounges (the Scholar's Tearoom at the front is the far better of the two). And that's it for facilities – no bar, restaurant, gym or even parking. Staff may be milling about and are always available by phone but without a formal presence, the hotel lacks a bit of personality. In many ways it feels like a new concept in hands-off hospitality, though for some guests this may feel quite liberating."

I would hate an unstaffed hotel. I like to know that there is someone at reception to deal with any problems.

Now we know the name of the hotel I'm confused as to why the OP was asked to leave and initially refused a refund.

This type of hotel is not uncommon in london where they may have bought several unconnected hotels and you go to main hotel to register and then they redirect you next door but one or something for your room. Very disconcerting but no experience quite like yours!

She's just describing the scene when she talks about spiral staircase etc! I can see why you thought it may be a brothel because there is clearly SOMETHING elicit going down (literally- lol)!! We're all desperate to know the name of the hotel & where it was?? Do tell! Don't keep us in suspenders!!!

It's obviously the Museum hotel in Oxford CrazyolMama if you read the thread.

Cracking quote from a glorious review on TA :-

"The place was absolutely filthy and you have male and female liquid on the bed and they do not even change the sheets."

Liquid. Gulp.

This is NOT how I pictured the spiral staircase. Thought something more sinister and grubby!

I stayed in a homeless hostel in San Francisco (by accident!). there were three sex cinemas next door (most convenient) and a man waving a gun about in a park. Whilst sprinting strolling to the centre one day, a man offered my DH money for me.

I've never been in a brothel, so I am confused as to why you think it is? You seem to be quite sure...

I once walked past a hotel room in Moscow to see a woman spread eagled on the bed and a questionable looking male at the door.

I still don't think the entire hotel was a brothel

"there were about six men sitting around drinking cider. I stayed for one night but my bf insisted on driving"

Men drinking cider! Poor you. I'm so glad you survived your ordeal!

I went to that hotel in Norwich once, by mistake (booked hurriedly at short notice). We left about ten minutes after arriving and went to the Holiday Inn.

Op have you considered that maybe they thought you were a prostitute and they didn't want you bringing punters back to their perfectly respectable establishment?
Is there a hoteliers forum somewhere with a concierge asking advice on how to evict dodgy looking clients without causing a scene?

I'm fairly certain that it's not a brothel, isn't it connected to one of the nearby colleges? Lots of hotels/guest houses in Oxford are in multiple areas - I can think of a few that have a main building and annexe across the road, it's not uncommon. I don't get why the spiral staircase is significant without further explanation from the OP. What's odd is the behaviour - was it definitely someone from the hotel?

Whoever mentioned Geneva - I have stayed in (apparently) very respectable hotels in the middle of the red light district there. However, it transpires that the red light district of Geneva is every bit as organised as you might expect of the Swiss - a young female colleague assured me that she would have no concerns at all about walking through there alone at 3am I still got taxis and didn't travel alone though

Oh ffs sake op! Just tell us what made you think it was a brothel. If it was the staircase then you must be seriously precious. I promise I won't laugh. Well, maybe a teeny bit.

Does sound really weird, though I know there are some hotels in terraces in London where the reception is in one house and the "annexes" are next door. I actually lived in one in Bayswater when I was a student which was student rooms in term time and an hotel in the summer.

I certainly wouldn't expect to pay £200 for a room in a place like that.... And it is very odd to be refunded from the ATM! I agree, to me it sounds like the sort of place where "girls" pay a high price for a room for the night with no questions asked.

Did you hear about the people who have let through Airbnb and found that their homes have been used as pop-up brothels?!

Imalannister how weird! I drove past that hotel only a week or so ago and thought how lovely it looked.

I live in oxford and know the owner of this hotel.
I can confirm a spiral staircase does not a brothel make.
Weird assumptions to make.
The brothels in oxford are generally cheaper rooms with additional costs for extras.. glad you found somewhere else to stay. Did you not read the reviews before you booked?

useristired since you know the owner have you any insight/theory as to why the OP was asked to leave and initially refused a refund?