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?

You are paying a lot of money for an awful experience. I'd change hotel.

I wouldn't stay there again.
I'd email the hotel manager and someone at head office for the chain (look online to see where to send a complaint) and explain what happened and how the complaint was dealt with (ie. not at all) and also about your belongings being heaped up like that.
Then I'd leave reviews on google reviews and social media.

I need to run the straighteners over it to stop it mushrooming

Not the point of the post, but do you know you have wavy hair? I ask because I only found out I have wavy hair when I was 46 😂

I'm more shocked by the messing up of your stuff!

I wonder if the housekeeper wiped one side of the desk, plonked your stuff over to that side, then plonked them back, causing the containers to topple and equipment to tangle?

I'd like to think the housekeeper was being sloppy rather than vindictive, as that would be awful behaviour

Well quite. I do so every day (I live in a flat with a fire door and use My bottom as a substantial damper on the door so it just clicks shut.) Sadly, most people don’t bother (especially if they have their hands full) which is why we are where we are.

As I said, I’m fascinating!

Echoing what others have said: written compain to the manager and head office. Evidence of carelesness of your belongings, disrupted sleep and inaction from staff.
Be factual and highlight that you raised the issue of the noise and nothing changed, leading you a broken night's sleep for the third time. Say that you're a regular customer with a strong loyalty scheme, but will now seriously consider alternative options for your recurrent stays.

I’d send a photo of that to head office along with details of upcoming bookings. I’d also notify your HR of this particular hotel and put them on notice, so other staff are aware. Shoddy behaviour to mess with your stuff. I always have a ‘show’ toothbrush and an actual toothbrush hidden away. Dh thinks I’m insane.

But I’d rather be know that my toothbrush hasn’t be used by anyone but me. And it isn’t kept in my wash bag either!

Just change hotels, it’s not that difficult surely.

Not the point of the thread but very interested in the hair products you use. I can see Amika but can't make out the others, can you list as I think we have the same hair!

Where does it say the chef is male?

Ask to speak to the manager and follow it up with an email so there is written evidence. If you have already left include that photo in an email to the manager. I used to work in housekeeping and the hardest rooms to clean were the ones with people still in them just because of all their belongings.

We were told to move as little as possible and try to clean around things as best we could which meant sort of holding your item in place and dusting around it. There is no way we would have been allowed to do to your items what has been done in the photo. If it makes any difference I worked in a 4 star hotel.

This is the best thing about phones having cameras and being able to take photos as well as narrated videos so there is evidence. Sadly you will get some absolute arseholes who work in the hotel industry but raising concerns about their behaviour and writing a factual review on tripadvisor about your stay helps management manage their staff.

Given that 85% of chefs in London are male, I’d say that was a reasonable assumption by the pp. Given what women see every day of men’s behaviour, it was also a reasonable assumption to think it was a man. Not all men sure…. But always a man.

Yes. But it’s not good wavy, sadly. And it’s so thick that I have to have layers to remove weight, hence high mushroom risk.

I haven’t assumed that, just FYI.

I hate staying in hotels for this very reason. People are just arseholes letting fire doors slam behind them at that time of the morning. I'd be writing a very firm email to the manager and not staying there again.

We stayed at the Bow Tree. As sound proof as it can be, did not hear one single noise!

Anybody who allows a fire door to slam shut in a hotel is a bollacks. Anyone who talks loudly or shouts in a hotel corridor is a bollacks. Spent a fortune on a two weeks torture holiday in the summer. All I heard was slamming doors, shouting. Cleaning staff were the worst in the early hours of the morning they would wake the dead.
I travel a lot for work and always ask for the quietest room at the end of a corridor. But to conclude no one gives a flying F@@k about anyone else these days.

Not all male chefs slam doors.
I prefer banging pots and pans, and berating sous chefs for failing to add half a pound of salt to everything (ice cream excluded).

If your work allowance is higher stay somewhere else.

Been in your room, moving your stuff is worse than door slamming. I'd find somewhere else to stay.

I'd make a complaint about the noise and the mess on the table - and link the initial complaint to the mess.

And then I wouldn't come anywhere near that hotel again - they can't be trusted. And I'd tell them so.

In terms of where to stay, I'm in London regularly as well but with a much smaller budget and flit between things like the Hub by Premier Inn or the dump that is the Travelodge at Covent Garden (which I do not recommend at all to anyone who wishes to sleep), or The Tower Hotel when that occasionally drops into budget.

But I'm happy to traverse across London for work because I actually base myself near the show I want to see or the restaurant I want to eat in 😂.

Complain and ask for your money back and/or extra points for a free night in a different one. Then never stay there again. Which one is it? You should name and shame!

My experience of working in hotels is that this is unlikely.

I have provided a photo. I didn’t think about it immediately and thought they might have knocked it cleaning. But then I picked up the mug (there were previously 2) and the outside was all gritty. Coffee wasn’t replaced but otherwise the room looked fine.

I usually don’t have housekeeping as I am barely in the room and don’t need extra towels etc for a 3 night stay. I’ll
stick to that from now on. And my other preferred hotels. I am not good in the morning so try to be walking distance from the office so I don’t have to be around too many people on transport first thing.

Let’s see how they handle the complaint first. I’ll share my Google review once I hear back from the manager. (They weren’t in when I left and the previously chirpy receptionist was frosty with me at check out.)