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)

Don't know if anyone shared this article yet, Telegraph discussing the trend to do away with privacy. I have so far avoided booking such a room, but have regularly ruled out somewhere when I've see this is the set up. Who? What? Where? Why? I'm none the wiser. article is shared/gifted so should open up for those without subscription. I love the photos, good on them for showing the reality.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/dd5d7d66d0ae1df0

the answer to the poll they've run is 94% of 15,000 so far say that no they would not book such a hotel room.

Telling someone else how to feel about privacy is not a good way to placate a customer

That's awful. Hotel rooms are expensive and when paying that much you want everything working.

It's often because the only window in the bedroom is behind the door, which looks like the case in the picture. So you keep the benefit of maximum natural light in the bedroom most of the time but frost it when you need privacy.

Obviously that's all well and good, until it doesn't work!

I agree. If a hotel uses technology such as this in their rooms then they have to be fit for purpose.

Do their twin and family rooms have the same set up? 😕

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VSUDO-Privacy-Frosted-Pattern-Sticker/dp/B09NXC29HJ/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?crid=XJ4EVF0BD6F4&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GqlZwUO_dfi1xYlipj8T7nlx1HSO74ErmUsybF_-Fn4NL7edBXP6Bpr42yFYl4S6yw-KXgolnQbcLTL7-20-e8cxIHhSadSovOV_yLCNkmRfjrZhKKSph8V1zYs9oRiHkfWmlPVR2S94xyfg48kwHsDLKp0t3d_vuOMiydNpzSR3kepFCTWEFghqXNV_T-VZc5BsNmgHYPwws2HTl-SOTlQBES3XG5l8TQ0cSHaAz08A3puqHCmn0vRbIGXvkmLdTDCiZ78KeZYhgNXO7_mWvN7kapYivkhiL6MHtfYnM8I.nQyC1VaqThdjbfx3BVjdAaHIingJLbgyyUoLfHA-Zk0&dib_tag=se&keywords=black+out+window&qid=1771339981&sprefix=black+out+window%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-3-spons&aref=Q7SJAj8bXY&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

Id write a complaint to the hotel and suggest that as maintenance state its a recurring problem, they order some black out film for the times its not working. Its not up to them to dictate others privacy when using the bathroom.

No she isn't.

Most of us want privacy.

@Hotelhorror I would write a savage review on TripAdvisor.

Despite most mumsnetters enjoying it. I refuse to shit in front of anyone!

30 years married and loo doors alwsys shut.
I absolutely wouldn't be happy with this and their attitude is appalling.
Stinking review and quote them directly.
Extremely unprofessional.

Funnily enough I was talking about this with friends last week. Then saw the newspaper article today. Now this thread!
No one, not one person, has liked this setup or found any positives in it whatsoever. People would prefer to stay elsewhere. It’s absolutely mind-boggling that this “design” has taken off.

No one wants it!!

I wouldn't ever book a room with the toilet and bathroom in the bedroom, usually there's a little corridor, what did the ad say, did you look at the room layout online before you booked. It is really horrible and hotels just want to cram as much in.

This is my OH's worse nightmare. He even hates en-suites with proper doors 😂

I really hate his type of bathroom set up.
And it limits the use of the room.

The other year I went away with my youngest teen DS. Twin room. Opaque bloody bathroom . No young teen needs to see their mother showering/poo-ing.

My partner changed my stoma bag when I was going through chemo and too sick to do it myself so we would find a situation like this funny. Having said that in the early days of our relationship I’d wouldn’t have been happy about that bathroom. YANBU

What a weird concept - why would anyone want to see someone on the loo - apart from the ones who like golden showers and people pooing on them etc

Seriously? I don’t want anyone watching me in the loo. Frankly watching someone else take a shit might be someone’s valentines kink but it’s a guaranteed ick for me 💩

It’s not just the (very important!) privacy factor; I don’t want to be lolling on my posh hotel bed, sipping wine, eating chocs and gazing upon a bloody toilet!

(I've seen these fairly often but IME usually there's a physical barrier instead of or as well as the ability to make the glass opaque.)

IF they specifically advertise this type of bathroom, including the privacy switch, as a feature of the room (no small print saying en suite layout may vary, etc.) then they should provide it. It seems like the possibility of malfunctioning is common, and the spare part is routinely needed but they did not have any on site. They would normally offer a room change, but they had no spare rooms. The comment about how people get used to it was unprofessional (and emphasises again how this is a known problem, and yet they advertise this feature and don't stock up on the part to fix it when it predictably stops working). So I agree - overall, bad service, and it really doesn't matter if someone else wouldn't have noticed/minded. Your options were also limited - had you asked for your money back and left the hotel, you'd have been stuck finding anther place last minute on a very popular night.

They could have bought some sort of blackout adhesive and covered the glass

I’d want a full refund too. Been together 15 years, never once seen each other on the loo. I know a lot of people don’t care but this is an absolute no-no for us both and I would have been horrified if it was our first night away together!

I’m with you. I wouldn’t want to be sat relaxing on the bed, able to see my boyfriend taking a shit right next to me.
I can see it’s the Village Hotel chain. We stayed at one of these for a wedding a couple of years ago, for two nights. On the first morning, the day of the wedding, we were woken up by a member of staff knocking on our door at 8am saying they’d come to fix a problem with the internet. We didn’t have a problem with the internet. The next morning, day after the wedding, we were woken just before 9am by housekeeping as they mistakenly thought we’d already checked out. We were really pissed off! So I wrote an email complaining and we got sent a £50 voucher. We were able to use it in the restaurant and luckily we have a Village in our local area, so went for a free lunch. Definitely worth sending an email or something!

My DH’s ex apparently used to go for a shit in their en-suite and leave the door open so she could talk to him while she was doing it. She thought he was uptight for minding, apparently. 🤢

Privacy left my relationship in our teens, this man has really seen it all, but I with a new partner I would be a lil uncomfortable.

To be fair though, even with our hideous lack of boundaries aside, I wouldn’t book a room with a see through bathroom in the first place just because it’s a bit odd.

Speak for yourself, thirty years together, 27 married, pushed out three children myself, DH present each time. I still don't want him watching me on the bloody toilet, not vice versa!