Prostitute checked into our hotel!

[GrumpyL]

Ok, so away in London for a couple of days with DH and DD (10). We were staying in a 4* Hotel which is part of a large chain of hotels, not a small independent. We went to reception about 10.30 on the 2nd morning and was met with a lady (who was very obviously a prostitute) being told her room would be ready in 5 mins and her handing over £100 in cash to the receptionist. The hotel is £250+ a night and check in is 3pm!

AIBU to this this made the hotel feel a bit icky and sleazy after I saw that? Husband and I spoke briefly when DD wasn’t listening and he said “well they have to work somewhere!”. Not sure if I’m turning into a prude in my old age, but I really didn’t feel comfortable in the hotel after I saw that. I’m sure for her, it was a safe and comfortable place to work and I know this goes on in hotels, I suppose just seeing it in broad daylight shocked me a bit. We knew what she was there for, the receptionist knew what she was there for, the man behind us in the queue knew what she was there for, maybe I thought she and the hotel should have been a bit more discreet if they allow this to go on in their hotel, especially when it’s a family friendly hotel and there were a lot of children around?

Thankfully I don’t know any man who has raped a vulnerable woman. Perhaps you need to keep better company?

I know my brothers, my partner, my son etc would never ever do this. They think better of women than that.

Of course they do.

Its ridiculous what do you people go to hotels for? The majority are having sex. Paid or unpaid... well that's nobody's business.

Of course they are rapists. Prostitution is being paid rape.

News flash! People shag in hotels!!

Yes they bloody well do! It’s not the norm for men to pay for sex. AND I also say this as someone who works in a male dominated £££££ industry and have been out with the lads on multiple nights out to the crack of dawn.

Even going to the strip club is really frowned upon in most of my male social circles. It’s not the fucking 80s anymore, thankfully most men now have grown up. Apart from the ones you know.

You have no idea who this woman was. Judging her on her dress code is ridiculous. Maybe some very 'high class' 'call girls' dress better than you! You seem to think a prostitute is identifiable by her clothes.

And even if she was a sex worker, why does that affect your stay?

There will be couples up to all sorts in hotels who - if the Moral Police came along- should not be there.

I don't know what the AIBU is, to be honest.

Unsure why you are so affected by the possibility of a potential sex worker staying in the same hotel as you. You have a room separate from all other occupants. Sex workers are vulnerable people (in my opinion) and need to minimise the associated risks as much as possible. If the lady was a sex worker, better that services are engaged in as safe a place as possible.
Also, you seem to have judged this lady to be a sex worker based on your initial impression. We all need to be conscious of the risk of stereotyping individuals in any situation.

How though?!
Has anyone actually managed to say what makes it so obvious instead of just sneering?

I don't know what you mean by 'was met with a lady'.

Yes love, I DID say sex workers are men or women already 😊

I feel like she was more likely doing the walk of shame after being locked out/a night somewhere, and or having an affair so dressed up for it during the day.

I don't think prostitutes have a uniform. Lots of non prostitutes wear revealing clothing. Another pp has just said she was accused of being a prostitute at a hotel when she wasn't. I don't think you can know

Not all sex work is rape

You need to explain how you could tell she was 'very obviously a prostitute' OP! Maybe she was paying the early check-in fee, or booking a room for a morning meeting, a couple of hours work, a travel break nap, an affair hookup.

There are a lot that are not obvious. No I'm not sheltered. I actually used to live in an area with a hotel that had hourly rates as well as daily rates.
A lot of those ladies were dressed as if they were heading to work at an office. Some even looked like your basic soccer mom.
So I would never assume someone's occupation by how they are dressed.

Oh dear, this won’t end well for the OP.

Was her name Roxanne?

I remember my daughter aged about 5 in a 4 Seasons Hotel or maybe an Aman hotel saying (luckily quietly) Why is that man kissing his daughter?

He was Northern European- she was Russian and she was booked for the weekend trip- they were there at least 4 days. You can often tell abroad as the men/agency supply the women with the clothes- standard size 6-8 but the shoes often don't fit them as that is a variable.

Paying in cash
looking malnourished
obviously high on drugs (in a functioning way, but it’s still obvious) at 10am
the receptionist taking cash and not asking any additional questions
localised accent, even if it’s just a twang against a foreign or uk based accent
looking slightly dishevelled but somewhat put together (think make up layers on none washed off make up layers)

honestly it’s very obvious, I live near the managed red light district in Leeds and it’s such a sad sad reality for these women, we are letting them down by making excuses for horrible men and turning blind eyes when it’s happening under our noses.

I wouldn't like it OP. I would send an email to the manager of the hotel. If it's cash, someone might be doing something that's not going through 'the books'. If it was a 4 star hotel I'm pretty sure that renting it out for prostitution isn't a standard business decision.

Of all the outrageous things I’ve read on here. This is up there. 😂😉

Please tell me what she was wearing that made her obvious so I know not wear similar next time I check into a hotel and you might be there.

and thats a fact😂😂

It’s often not what they are wearing see my post up thread. There are a lot of social cues and red flags.

It’s not being judgemental, it’s the same red flags you would assert for anyone who seemed vulnerable.

I’ve been mistaken for a sex worker before 🤷‍♀️ and also accused of going for a shag when entering a 5* hotel with my boss during the day. How do you know she wasn’t meeting her secret lover? Or going for a nap after being up all night?