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AIBU?

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Original poster

To be livid at this hotel stay

230 replies

Butternutter01 · 02/08/2020 01:00

Staying in hotel in Scotland. Single woman, travelling alone.

It’s gone midnight on a Saturday and I was fast asleep, only to have the door open and two men walk into my hotel room?!

Got dressed and went downstairs to reception as frankly I was concerned for my safety. The night manager is basically blaming this on me, saying he has no record of me being in the room, so apparently not his fault?! Yet they assigned me the key on Thursday night!

Went back up to my room, my key now doesn’t work. Back downstairs, oh it’s because we have no record of you. Yes but that’s not my fault?! Booked online weeks in advance, checked in fine AFAIK.

AIBU to be livid at this?

OP posts:
Leflic · 02/08/2020 13:55

Is “ getting away “ with non payment better than bringing it to the managements attention and getting less compensation but potentially it might stop it happening to someone else if it a training issue or computer glitch.
A moral dilemma.

TJ17 · 02/08/2020 14:05

@Lacey2019

I would be furious! This happened to me years ago with an estate agent doing a viewing...I was in the bath in my flat, door open on the bathroom and they walked right in!!!!😂😂😂 can’t believe the person didn’t go over the asking price
Omg 😮🤣🤣🤣

The stuff of nightmares!! 😅😅😅

sergeilavrov · 02/08/2020 14:18

@TestingTestingWonTooFree You do have to actually wedge the door, I saw someone else said they just leave them loose, but that renders them pointless as they would have to be perfectly aligned to ensure they aren’t simply pushed out of the way.

I agree that if someone panicked when a fire alarm went off, they could forget they were there. If someone knows they won’t panic, however, they can be useful in a fire as the level of heat on the wedge can indicate whether the corridor is safe without opening the fire door. They can also help block smoke getting into the room.

It’s very, very easy to create a master hotel door key. To protect yourself, never keep the envelope with your room number on it. Just take a picture of it, and then put it in your room’s trash. That makes it more difficult for people to target you.

CatandtheFiddle · 02/08/2020 14:32

The Night Manager sounds seriously incompetent & unprofessional. You really should follow up with e hotel's manager and make a complaint.

If you weren't checked in correctly that is the hotel's error.

Mermaido · 02/08/2020 14:44

I stayed at a very famous hotel/spa last year and when I got to my room I opened the door and there was a man sat on my bed!
Mistakes happen and this hotel was very apologetic and gave me a hugeee upgrade and complementary wine, chocolates, fruit basket.

ChaToilLeam · 02/08/2020 16:17

I travel a lot for business on my own, and always use the same hotels - most of them family run (and with old fashioned keys that you leave at reception), but also some chains, which tend to have keycards. I always put the chain on the door if there is one and sleep in PJs. If someone came into my room in the middle of the night I’d be scared shitless and raise merry hell.

user1471447863 · 03/08/2020 11:55

Happens all the time in hotels, moreso with the electronic keys as they can activate as many as they wish rather than finding the physical key is out.
Happened to a colleague who had checked in, and was relaxing on the throne watching TV through the bathroom door into the room when someone walked in. The person walking in did ask what he was doing in his room, the response was pretty much "i'm quite clearly having a shit, and I think that makes it my room'.

honeygirlz · 03/08/2020 12:10

I would be pushing for a full refund or a complimentary stay. That is crap.

We stayed in a hotel a few days before Christmas and there was an Xmas party happening that night. We expected there to be noise but by 2am it was still loud and we got no sleep.

We complained to the manager the next morning who said a certain amount of noise is expected. We demanded a refund but got a complimentary night's stay. We came back to a suite not over Xmas, so I would definitely push for a refund.

Jaxhog · 03/08/2020 12:26

To all those who think the Op overreacted. A friend of mine was in a respectable hotel on business in India when this happened. Fortunately, it was just one man and my friend woke up as he tried to assault her. She's strong, fortunately, and managed to escape. In the time it took to run to the night porter, he stole her jewelry, money, and passport. She was glad that was all he got. She moved hotels.

This happens.

I would expect a refund of your stay, a voucher and a sincere apology.

Polnm · 03/08/2020 12:36

Happens all the time in hotels.
You were not hurt in any way
The usual compo is a load of points or a bottle of wine.

Great stories to dine out on

We were in a hotel with work and out for dinner. One of our party decided to go back to their room as they had bought some new clothes from John Lewis and wanted to try them on and return some the next day

2 in the morning I was woken by a man screaming and the slamming of doors. Next day at breakfast everyone was asking if others had heard it.

Colleague arrives. She had bought Spanx and wriggled into it to try clothes on. She couldn’t get them off and was hot and bothered (and a bit drunk) and fell asleep on the bed with no top on and just Spanx. She was in her 60s

She woke in the night to the toilet light coming on. As she stirred she felt someone on the bed. She sat up and there was a young man who then screamed blue murder and ran out of the room leaving the door open. He was European which is why non of us could work out what was being screamed. He left his suitcase and sent the night porter to get it back

She got an upgrade on the next stay and some points.

ScorpioSphinxInACalicoDress · 03/08/2020 12:43

Jaxhog- and people have been murdered in hotel bedrooms. And died in fires. Etc etc.
What does your anecdote have to do with the OP?

WiddlinDiddlin · 03/08/2020 12:46

I'd be reasonably annoyed and expect them to take it seriously to ensure it doesn't happen again...

My most infuriating hotel stay.. wasn't... because despite booking the accessible room, calling on the day to confirm again I had the accessible room and would be checking in late as I was delivering an all day seminar somewhere across town...told this was fine...

Arrive to be told 'oh... we gave the accessible room to someone else who turned up without a booking to see if we had a room... you weren't here'... They weren't even in need of an accessible room, it just happened to be the last room at the hotel!

When she looked at the system, she could see I was booked, pre paid, and a note on the system saying when I'd be arriving (and I was actually half an hour early, 6pm instead of the 6.30 I'd expected, not like 3am or anything silly)... had NO explanation as to why they'd done this..

But couldnt chuck out the bloke in my room, and couldn't process the refund for FIVE BLOODY DAYS.

I ended up having to get the person hosting me (as its them that book hotels/pay for them as part of my contract) to find a different hotel, the only one available was a motorway services, not an accessible room, had to dismantle my wheelchair to get it in the room... and deliver the next days seminar knackered and stressed :(

Very much rabbit of negative euphoria there!

honeygirlz · 03/08/2020 12:49

I can't believe people are saying two men walking into your hotel room when you're a lone woman at midnight is not a big deal. I would be terrified!

hammie46i · 03/08/2020 13:11

I'm never staying in a hotel again after reading this thread. I had no idea how unsafe they can be.

SecretWitch · 03/08/2020 13:18

Hi, op. Sorry this happened to you. When I travel I have a little gadget that I put on hotel doors that makes it very difficult to open. I bought it on amazon for less than £20. I know nothing can make it perfectly safe when traveling alone but it does help me feel more secure.

Jackparlabane · 03/08/2020 13:32

I've stayed in many hotels alone for work, and it's not that I feel vulnerable, but I'm potentially vulnerable. Most rooms do have a chain or one of those elbow-shaped restraints and I always use those and double-lock the door, which is enough for me. I don't trust key cards as that means trusting both the system and the multiple staff all not making mistakes.

OP is justified in making a formal complaint to head office about what's probably one crap member of staff.

honeygirlz · 03/08/2020 13:39

how does the elbow shape restraint work?

hammie46i · 03/08/2020 13:48

@SecretWitch

Hi, op. Sorry this happened to you. When I travel I have a little gadget that I put on hotel doors that makes it very difficult to open. I bought it on amazon for less than £20. I know nothing can make it perfectly safe when traveling alone but it does help me feel more secure.
@Secretwitch - would you mind sharing, what is this gadget? Is there a name for it? I am scared by this thread as someone who was assaulted by men in the past. I couldn't handle a man bursting into my room.
SecretWitch · 03/08/2020 14:22

@hammie46i, I bought my adalock from Amazon in the US. I took a quick look on Amazon U.K. and they are available for about £7

To be livid at this hotel stay
Laundrywoman · 03/08/2020 16:52

@Polnm

Happens all the time in hotels. You were not hurt in any way The usual compo is a load of points or a bottle of wine.

Great stories to dine out on

We were in a hotel with work and out for dinner. One of our party decided to go back to their room as they had bought some new clothes from John Lewis and wanted to try them on and return some the next day

2 in the morning I was woken by a man screaming and the slamming of doors. Next day at breakfast everyone was asking if others had heard it.

Colleague arrives. She had bought Spanx and wriggled into it to try clothes on. She couldn’t get them off and was hot and bothered (and a bit drunk) and fell asleep on the bed with no top on and just Spanx. She was in her 60s

She woke in the night to the toilet light coming on. As she stirred she felt someone on the bed. She sat up and there was a young man who then screamed blue murder and ran out of the room leaving the door open. He was European which is why non of us could work out what was being screamed. He left his suitcase and sent the night porter to get it back

She got an upgrade on the next stay and some points.

Jesus! I thought I was having a shit day but after reading this...poor bloke. Grin
Grrrrdarling · 03/08/2020 17:29

@JuniperBeer

This is why I always lock hotel doors!!
By the sound of it the men were given a key as OP had not been registered as staying in the room.
Polnm · 03/08/2020 17:41

I one let myself into a hotel room and straight into the loo as you do to find a woman in situ on the loo. Apologised and left

Saw her in the bar later, they had given me a bottle of champagne but she only got white wine. We soon went to the desk together and sorted that one out

IntermittentParps · 03/08/2020 17:43

What terrible service, Night manager sounds like a numpty. Name and shame all over social media and write to head office too. I'd speak to your bank and see if you can stop payment being taken out. Although it'd be an outrage if they tried to do so now.

Zoejj77 · 03/08/2020 17:45

Would go mental at this

Polnm · 03/08/2020 17:49

Jesus! I thought I was having a shit day but after reading this...poor bloke. grin

Best bit was that she retired shortly after and our boss asked for funny stories and someone shared this, her leaving date coincided with the annual conference and so rather than sharing with team it was 350 people he told the story to.