To think the hotel were out of order with valentines stay/room?

[Hotelhorror]

I had a night away booked with my boyfriend on Saturday (the first time we had stayed overnight with each other).

It was a modern hotel with a glass window to the bathroom which was supposed to turn opaque when a button was selected. It was apparent this wasn’t working.

We went downstairs to reception to ask for it to be fixed, receptionist said they’d send someone to take a look. Maintenance man came up and said it was a common issue but he didn’t have the part needed (and wouldn’t have it until midweek) so he accompanied us back to reception again saying they’d give us another room.

The receptionist said there was no alternative rooms available as the hotel was full due to valentines and when this happens, couples have ‘seen it all before so just laugh about it’ and enjoy their stay.

I said this wasn’t acceptable and asked for the manager - who did appear from the back office but basically doubled down and said there was nothing they could do. She did offer us a voucher for a drink each in the bar (really!!) as a ‘goodwill gesture’.

As we had traveled some distance we decided to stay, and used the communal loos in the reception area whenever there was a need (luckily there was no need to in the night).

I found them thoroughly dismissive and am awaiting a response to my formal complaint to head office.

AIBU to find these customer service standards appalling?

Image attached of what I mean (this isn’t mine but from another review of same hotel of people unhappy with the set up)

Surely you could both agree to just look away.

Oh god I would hate this. I’ve been married before but nevertheless, I’ve never taken a shit in front of a partner and neither have I watched one.

What an ultimate turnoff. Ready to have some fun and then you are expected to shit in front of them beforehand! Imagine if you were wanting to douche before. 😆

Id have kicked up a storm OP, unacceptable!

Plus earplugs, nose clips etc....

Very poor management skills.

They clearly know that the mechanism is prone to failure and needs parts ordered in to fix, so they should at least keep rolls of privacy film as a short term solution.

A voucher for a drink at the bar is a bizarre and insulting idea of compensation, unless you're meant to go one at a time while the other uses the in room facilities.

Personally I'll never book anywhere with this kind of arrangement, or the feature bath in the bedroom either.

Oops! Silly me 😂😂

In the early days having to discuss it isn’t optimal for a romantic weekend. Obviously needs must and all that but ‘needs must’ isn’t really what you hope for as the bar for a romantic getaway.

We were in one such place in Egypt - nothing beforehand led us to expect this awful arrangement.

Complaining to management did nothing , but I eventually got a large refund from the Tour Operator

Its valentines day and place was full. They offered you drunk vouchers. I think that's fine

Surely you just close the door and ask partner to look other way.

Nobody is holding their eyelids open and forcing them to look. Why on earth use the communal toilets?! Surely much easier for the non-weeing partner to go out into the hallway if they really couldn’t possibly be trusted to just look at the opposite wall?

I would say a drinks voucher is fine. Possibly a bottle of champagne to the room.

That's not the point, though, really. Why on earth should you be put in that position? We've been married for nearly thirty years and I still wouldn't want my DH viewing me on the loo. It was excruciating enough (in every sense of the word) when I broke my hip and he had to lift me off the seat. I wouldn't have wanted him there for the duration!

Should have asked them to get some duct tape and tape up a sheet as a temporary solution.

Absolutely horrendous. I'd have demanded a refund and left the hotel.

I'm married nearly 20 years and we don't even use the same bathroom at home, never mind watch each other go to the toilet.

Even with the glass frosting over, can you still hear bathroom noises? I've never been to a hotel with this set up. What's wrong with concrete?

OP - you are not being unreasonable! All the posters who are saying they'd happily s**t in front of their DH have missed the fact that this was your first weekend away together (and I am also sure that along with any mystery they've lost all the romance in their relationships too). We used to use Village Hotels for work events but their customer service is really hit or miss so I am not surprised that they didn't deal with this well. Now that you're home I'd email them to set out how disappointed that you were with their response, spell out that you and your partner felt unable to use the toilet in your room throughout the duration of your stay instead using toilets in the public areas and ask them for a refund of the room. You could try looking for the CEO's email address online and directing it to him direct.

In future have a good look at hotel photos before booking because unfortunately glass bathroom boxes seem to becoming more popular and even when the frosted glass works there's not a proper seal around the door to stop noise, light or smell travelling. I've been with my DH for 20 years now, and I still would never choose to stay in a room like that. Solid walls and doors all the way for us 😂

Good lord. The door feature was broken and they did not have any alternative rooms.

What did you expect them to do exactly?

Formal complaint to head office? Christ on a bike!!

I have never heard of or experienced this concept before and hope I never do, who the hell designed this and who the hell would choose to install it?! Absolutely madness. YANBU!

You deserve a full refund!

I stayed in a hotel years ago in Lisbon with a friend which had the shower cubicle actually in the bedroom, luckily the toilet had a door. We had to each go down to the lobby when the other needed a shower (no frosted glass either).

Wouldn’t bother me with my partner of 6 years. Probably would bother me if I was dating a new partner.

I think all of these comments that are making out that it’s all good are so odd! I mean it’s very much each to their own and you do you. But personally I’m with you. I have been with my partner 12 years. We don’t need to see what one another does in the toilet and if it was when we first got together not a chance in hell!!!
I used to make him put headphones in if I needed the toilet during the day and watch a video on his phone 🤣🤣
I would definitely be expecting half of my money back or a free stay at another time.

I once stayed in a room set up like this with my sister! So ridiculous, what are they thinking with this nonsense. Wave at my sister from the toilet 🤣

so I would never want to have this hotel room and I would feel somewhat embarrassed if we ended up with it… however, I wouldn’t cry about it and we would manage to survive the weekend and I’d use it in the middle of the night rather than going downstairs. To answer your questions - At what stage of relationship, would it not have felt horrendous? - probably after childbirth I think, he’s seen how amazing my body is but also it’s not exactly dignified, when someone delivers your baby, they’ve really seen it all ! How would I be okay with it? Well, he is my husband who loves me, he’s a grown up who is aware of how the body functions and we would both be considerate by looking at the tv etc, it’s not like you would be staring in the window at the other person!

I wouldn’t use the loo in front of my DH (of over 10 years) and he doesn’t even like using the normal loo with proper door setups for a poo on holiday unless I’m out of the room - there is no way he’d be ok with a non frosted glass bathroom for even a night as he’d need a wee in the night / first thing and it would make him feel incredibly uncomfortable. (My exdh on the other hand would be absolutely fine with it)

I don’t understand why these types of rooms even exist - how do so many hotel designers think it’s a good idea?

I don't understand why these things even exist. Where's the demand? Is there some new drawback to walls I haven't heard of?
DH and I have been together forever, and we're fairly casual about closed doors for washing and peeing. But we do not want to see one another taking a shit or wiping our arses because of a known fault in the screen mechanism. I don't even need to see the toilet from the rest of room. Why would anyone want to?
ETA I didn't see the post above saying the exact thing I've just written. I expect we're not the first to be baffled.

YANBU. I dont want be seen whilst having a shit and have zero desire to see my partner of 15 years having one either!

I would have asked them to block it up with something paper or large towels it it’s open at the top