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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

If you were at a a hotel and asked for a room key…

78 replies

LastToBePicked · 29/10/2021 10:29

What ID checks (if any) would you expect?

We were staying at a hotel recently and DH arrived separately to me after I’d already checked in. I had told him our room number and sent him all the reservation details.

When he turned up at reception he just asked for a key for the room number and they didn’t ask him for any confirmation details at all (not a name or anything).

Is this unusual or not? It struck me he could have been anyone rocking up and asking for a room key. But maybe it’s fairly normal in hotels (particularly those where you hand your key in when you leave the building) to just ask for the key based on the room number?

YABU - this is normal
YANBU - no, the hotel should ask for more ID before handing over a room key!

OP posts:
CoffeeRunner · 29/10/2021 10:32

I think YANBU to have hoped for more ID checks to be carried out.

However I also had a very similar experience at a hotel earlier this year so I'm not really surprised.

RedCarsGoFaster · 29/10/2021 10:33

Hmm, same actually now you mention it - I've had it before as well. Definitely worth raising this with management.

girlmom21 · 29/10/2021 10:36

Had you booked the room for two? Often you can leave your key with reception when you go out. If there's 2 people in the room they'll give you two keys.

They'll assume that, if you know the room number, and only one person has checked in, that you're the second person.

I do agree that they should do some kind of check but you generally only book under one name.

They'd also lose a lot of custom because people having affairs etc will book under false names.

Lots of business customers rooms will be booked under a secretaries name too.

Shoxfordian · 29/10/2021 10:37

Did you book for two people? It’s probably a fair assumption to make that he’s the second person

onetwothreeadventure · 29/10/2021 10:38

ID or, in its absence, details about the stay or home address, something that corresponds with the booking info.

I don't travel much in the UK but have always been asked above in the US - seems mad to give an unidentified person a room key just because they asked

Coop80 · 29/10/2021 10:38

It depends if the receptionist knew the booking was for two people in a room and your DH had said my wife has checked into room xxxxx could I have my key please? I can see how that happened tbh if he just said i need the key to room xxxx tyen yeahnthats awful

RedCarsGoFaster · 29/10/2021 10:39

@girlmom21 if you were already in a room though, you would have checked in so would know what name is booked under. Same for affairs etc.

Handing a random person a room key because they've said "can I have a key to room 123" isn't OK.

And I'm now going to make sure my hotel room doors are locked when I'm in then forevermore....

ElftonWednesday · 29/10/2021 10:39

I'd expect them to ask his name, check the name that was on the booking and if his name wasn't on there, to not give him a key until they had checked with you first.

Deliaskis · 29/10/2021 10:41

I have had the opposite experience, asked for photo ID checking into a London hotel (just me wanting the key to the room I had booked and already paid for) despite me having the payment card I made the booking with, plus many forms of ID on my phone (like COVID vax record, bank account app, etc.). The person on the desk said 'we've had a few cases of fraud'....and I wondered what kind of fraud I could possibly be committing given all the ID and payment information I had with me?

Sorry to hijack, it just seemed ironic that hotels seem to range from no checks at all to several hurdles to overcome to get to your own room.

Maskless · 29/10/2021 10:41

That'a actually terrifying.

Say a predator was sitting near reception desk pretending to read a paper and heard you being told the room number.

He could go get a drink at the bar to kill an hour or two then ask for the other room key let himself if and rob/rape you!

girlmom21 · 29/10/2021 10:42

@RedCarsGoFaster oh I agree - I was just mentioning that requesting ID wouldn't necessarily be feasible.

They could confirm booking information or something similar.

SpangoDweller · 29/10/2021 10:44

@Maskless

That'a actually terrifying.

Say a predator was sitting near reception desk pretending to read a paper and heard you being told the room number.

He could go get a drink at the bar to kill an hour or two then ask for the other room key let himself if and rob/rape you!

This is why hotels should always show you the room number on your cardboard key wallet and never say it out loud. I’ve had to call out reception staff on this a few times, especially when staying somewhere by myself.
FluffyBooBoo · 29/10/2021 10:44

Say a predator was sitting near reception desk pretending to read a paper and heard you being told the room number

Any time I've been in a hotel in the last five years, they are very careful not to say the room number. I think it's policy for most chains.

LemonRedwood · 29/10/2021 10:45

This is normal but I do think there need to be more checks. Hotels need to update some of their systems. The way it currently works is I can book a double room and two of us will be staying in it but there's only one name on the booking and the hotel have no record of who the second person is, so a check wouldn't be any help at all. They tend to know the occupancy is 2 (for emergency evacuation purposes) but not all names. I think this should change.

In a situation like you describe, my mind always jumps to thinking that they could have just given a room key to an abuser that the person staying in the hotel is trying to escape. Hotels are generally pretty good at protecting those fleeing from DV (for example) but that totally depends on the person sharing that information with staff in the first place and, understandably, that doesn't always happen.

Original poster
LastToBePicked · 29/10/2021 10:45

DH arrived the following day and it was a large chain hotel so I don’t think they would have any basis to assume he was with me (different staff on duty etc).

By ID check I just mean something like giving the name the booking was under, not actually presenting your passport or anything!

I think on reflection it’s common but it stood out to me because I was concerned about DH getting into the room (I was out elsewhere when he arrived) so made sure he had all the reservation details.

It does just seem like a massive security risk though, if anyone can just ask for a key to any room without question.

OP posts:
StillSadAboutTiffanyMitchell · 29/10/2021 10:45

I work in a hotel and this is a big no no.
They definitely should have asked for some form of ID or came and asked you in the room.
Same goes for people in corridors with their key not working, we aren't allowed to open it for them, they have to go to reception and give details of the booking before a key is reissued.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 29/10/2021 10:47

@ElftonWednesday

I'd expect them to ask his name, check the name that was on the booking and if his name wasn't on there, to not give him a key until they had checked with you first.
Absolutely! I'm shocked posters think anything else is acceptable.
purplecorkheart · 29/10/2021 10:48

Shared a room with a family member a while ago. I arrived later. Had to give family members name. They rang room and asked her my name, asked her to speak to me to confirm I was who I said I was.

MrsTulipTattsyrup · 29/10/2021 10:48

@Maskless

That'a actually terrifying.

Say a predator was sitting near reception desk pretending to read a paper and heard you being told the room number.

He could go get a drink at the bar to kill an hour or two then ask for the other room key let himself if and rob/rape you!

This is why I always use Premier Inn when I’m travelling alone. They just hand you the card with your room number on it, instead of saying it out loud. And in London, when I check in late, I’ve even had one of the lovely guys at reception see me up in the lift to the area beyond which you need a key.
Original poster
LastToBePicked · 29/10/2021 10:50

@FluffyBooBoo

Say a predator was sitting near reception desk pretending to read a paper and heard you being told the room number

Any time I've been in a hotel in the last five years, they are very careful not to say the room number. I think it's policy for most chains.

Now you mention it that does happen, never thought of the reason.
OP posts:
ElftonWednesday · 29/10/2021 10:50

Someone could quite concertedly look over or listen for what your room number was, knowing there was a lone woman and ask for the key!

This terrifies me as I regularly travel for business and stay in a room on my own.

Original poster
LastToBePicked · 29/10/2021 10:52

@MrsTulipTattsyrup

Probably doesn’t help your confidence in Premier Inn to say it was a Premier Inn we were staying in that gave out the room key without question!

OP posts:
Original poster
LastToBePicked · 29/10/2021 10:57

@ElftonWednesday

Someone could quite concertedly look over or listen for what your room number was, knowing there was a lone woman and ask for the key!

This terrifies me as I regularly travel for business and stay in a room on my own.

Generally rooms can be manually locked from inside though can’t they?

I was less concerned about anything happening while I was in the room as I could lock it, more theft when I was out.

OP posts:
CounsellorTroi · 29/10/2021 10:59

This is why hotels should always show you the room number on your cardboard key wallet and never say it out loud. I’ve had to call out reception staff on this a few times, especially when staying somewhere by myself.

I think it depends what sort of hotel, busy city centre fair enough but in a quiet country house hotel the chances of predators hanging around reception are somewhat less.

Leftphalange · 29/10/2021 11:01

Worked in a hotel for many years. Name should always be confirmed before handing out a room key, and sometimes also asked for first line of address depending on the circumstances. YANBU and I would mention to management.