AIBU - shouldn’t be woken up by hotel staff at dawn every day?

[ICantGetNoSleepHere]

Name changed for this. I work away from home twice a month and generally use one particular hotel chain, which over the years I’ve found to offer comfortable beds and security for a lone female traveller at decent prices (if booked in advance). I’ve paid £185.a night of that is relevant.

I’m staying in one I haven’t stayed in before - this is my third night. On each night, at 4:20am one of the bedroom doors near me has slammed shut. (You know how most hotel rooms now have those auto close features and this one has heavy doors.). It’s very loud and has woken me. It takes me ages to get back to sleep. (I can’t wear earplugs as they cause me to get ear infections.)

The first time it happened I just figured it was a careless guest leaving for a flight but when it happened again last night I figured it must be a staff member, most likely their breakfast chef. I mentioned it to reception, who initially denied it but eventually admitted that their breakfast chef sleeps in for the first part of the week. I asked them to ask them to be/ bit more careful with letting their door slam as it must disturb a number of guests.

It’s just happened for the third time. WIBU to email the manager in hopes they can resolve it? I’m due to stay here again in a fortnight as it’s near a conference I am attending but I honestly feel sick at having had so little sleep during this stay. (I have a demanding job and didn’t get back to the hotel till about 11:30pm last night. I closed my door very carefully so as not to disturb other guests so I know it is possible to come and go with very little noise at all.). I can’t remember the last time I had to complain at a hotel and this isn’t about compensation or anything like that, but for this amount of my employer’s money per night I feel that I should be able to expect the kitchen staff not to wake me at dawn! AIBU?

As well as making a written complaint, stick it on all social media. They'll listen then.
It's likely that he's doing it on purpose. I know what some male chefs are like.

Oh, also I got back last night and my hair products/straighteners etc were in a tangled mess on the desk and definitely not how I had left them in the morning. I was also only left 1 mug which was clearly gritty with dishwasher soap, but I wonder if the concierge spoke to the chef yesterday, who has told the housekeeping staff and that was their little protest?

Can you ask to change rooms?

i am leaving this morning otherwise I would.

Stay somewhere else. It seems the staff can't be trusted to respect your sleep or your belongings.

I would definitely be having a word with the manager about your things being messed around. That is so childish if someone has gone to the trouble of tangling your things.

I would definitely complain and put a review online, for that price you should expect more.

Email the hotel manager (if one exists) and give them a chance to fix before your next visit.

I wouldn’t visit again, but I’d definitely complain and not just to the manager of that hotel but to HQ. I’d also leave a review online.

Messing with a customers stuff is incredibly personal and unprofessional. What’s to say they haven’t done other things or worse to other customers as well?

Don't go on social media. But speak to the manger and ask your room to be moved. Maybe a different floor will fix it?

I've had a similar situation before, it was caused by an 'over-enthusiastic' door mechanism of a fire door that the staff went through in the small hours. It was solved by moving to another room - if you're in a similar situation again ask to move.

(As an aside - and as a frequent business traveler - that's a LOT of stuff to travel with just for your hair! Are you Rapunzel?)

£185 a night sounds like a huge amount to me. I’ve just booked a night away in a room the looks lovely for much much less than that. Are you staying in a generally expensive city? I wish my job meant free trips away!

I wouldn’t go back again after this. Would definitely complain.

This is my final night here of this stay else I would.

I’m in central London. £185 is relatively cheap. My employer’s limit is higher but like you I can’t bring myself to spend more. I book a few months in advance to get decent rates and benefit myself from the membership points which I feel is fair.

I am away for 8-10 nights a month on average, and I do enjoy being free of domestic responsibilities, but it does impact on home life and isn’t always as glamorous as it may seem!

Hairdressers tell me I have “good hair” but it’s a pain in the arse for me. I need a really good heat protectant as it’s a lob and I have highlights. It won’t hold a curl except with that particular tong (curl spray, texture spray and hairspray) and if I don’t curl it I need to run the straighteners over it to stop it mushrooming. Dry shampoo for volume and to cut down on washing. It’s a dull tone job in itself!

(I am attempting to grow it out but perimenopause isn’t helping.)

I hate hotels where you can hear door slamming. I stayed in London about a month ago and the listing said the rooms were soundproof, I was gobsmacked that they actually were I didn’t hear a peep and initially I was dreading the fact they had placed us right by the lift as well. It was a park plaza hotel.
Also messing with your stuff is disgusting!

Email Hotel Manager leave bad review on line and take your business elsewhere

Yep, hotel stays sound glam until you're spending close to 100 nights a year in one....

All I can suggest is a written complaint to HQ.

Keep a note of the room number so you can try and avoid it or even that entire floor in the event of having to use that hotel again.

Email the manager and put on social media.

We had a similar noise issue in a London hotel . It was the staff arriving early doors and congregating outside our window chatting and laughing as if it was a normal time of the day . We didn’t complain because we were only there 3 nights but just didn’t go back

I’ve never paid that much for a Premier Inn type hotel in London. In fact I’ve just booked for a stay later this year, £109 a night in Westminster.

OP, if your toothbrush was out when the cleaning crew came in don’t use it. Bin it and get a new one on your way out. If they’re twats enough to do that then I wouldn’t trust anything.

I have had a couple of bad experiences at PIs, unfortunately.

I get free nights with this chain thanks to the loyalty scheme which I use for pleasure. I probably wouldn’t stay here if I was footing the bill myself though!

Oh bollocks. I used it last night. (It was in its case but left in the bathroom.)