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Original poster

Hotel staff removed my belongings whilst I wasn't there

161 replies

Tothemoonandbackx · 31/01/2022 17:17

I didn't really know where to put this, so property seemed like the only place that seemed sort of, relevant. My partner has been working away and he's been stopping in Hotels. He's stopped in this certain hotel before and never had a problem. The other night, he had a disagreement with a staff member, nothing audacious. Just a bit of a mix up with the manager telling my partner he could do one thing, and the staff member saying he couldn't. So he goes to work the following morning and everything seems OK, he comes back to find the staff have gone into his room and packed all his belongings into his travel bag and suitcase and removed them from the room. Is this legal??????? And if it is or isn't, is there any specific law or site I can get this information from???? I've googled a thousand things and nothings really coming up on the legality of it all.

OP posts:
lumpofcomfort · 01/02/2022 07:41

The hotel sounds completely unreasonable to me but this is MN so naturally your DH will be assumed to be at fault. Get him to email the hotel manager. If he uses the place regularly I'm sure they won't want to lose his custom over something so minor.

Sweetmotherofallthatisholyabov · 01/02/2022 08:07

Both my husband and I worked in retail in large supermarkets and in mine you couldn't have cash on your person ever - it would have been a termination if caught. In his we tried the atm outside once on a night out and it was broken- the night shift was on and noticed us so brought us inside to use the one inside- I was having palpitations- and when that atm was broken the manager loaned him money out of the till. I was weak with the stress it was so polar opposite from my place- but it was a franchise so the managers had so much autonomy. My point is you just don't know, could be more to the story or could just be shit service. I'm inclined to think if they didn't attempt to notify him it's just shit service.

Meklk · 01/02/2022 08:08

I used to work in the hotels and I can say- NO ONE would do that for long term guest. Your husband did something serious. He is lying. And to be honest you look obsessed with it, he is not a child, can easily find another hotel.

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 01/02/2022 08:12

Is the guest house on Trip Advisor?
I think your DH should contact whoever owns the guest house, or the manager, complain about the lack of notice or warning of eviction from his room, and make sure he gets fully refunded (I'm assuming this did actually happen).
Then never go there again and give them a poor review for appalling customer communication.

ItSeemsRidiculous · 01/02/2022 08:18

I work in a hotel, yes we can go in a room and pack up someone's belongings but this rarely, if ever happens.
The only times I've seen it happen is when as a pp says, they've gone awol and we can't get hold of them.
It also seems a massive reaction to him bringing a takeaway on the premises (which is also shocking to me)

Has he actually been there and spoken to them to clarify what has happened and why rather than you focusing on the takeaway issue. I'd be more swayed to assume it was a mix up with the booking.

In our training we are told that the hotel is "our" premises so regardless of do not disturb signs or bookings we are still allowed to enter a room if we feel we need to. A conversation about being allowed to bring food in or not wouldn't generally fl under a reason to evict someone.

BringMeTea · 01/02/2022 08:18

IT'S NOT A HOTEL people. When you explained about the lack of desk or chair I was rather bemused. I think pp are correct. More like something off 4 in a bed. Could well imagine this scenario.

C8H10N4O2 · 01/02/2022 08:19

Either the place is Fawlty Towers (in which case it will have reviews on booking sites) or you don't have the full story.

In a time where hospitality is still struggling to recover small hotels cannot afford to lose good, regular paying customers who cause no problems.

RantyAunty · 01/02/2022 08:20

OP why don't you call the hotel yourself and ask them?

SarahDippity · 01/02/2022 08:20

If you put a scathing reply on TripAdvisor, chances are they will use the reply function and tell you the other side of the story. Because there must be another side to the story. For some reason, he is no longer welcome to stay there, and they wanted him out.

KedgeIsland · 01/02/2022 08:22

@lumpofcomfort

The hotel sounds completely unreasonable to me but this is MN so naturally your DH will be assumed to be at fault. Get him to email the hotel manager. If he uses the place regularly I'm sure they won't want to lose his custom over something so minor.
All people are saying is that no small hotel/guesthouse in Covid times is likely to jeopardise the income from a longterm guest booking for a trifle. Either there was some kind of significant misunderstanding, or the hotel had a bigger grievance than your husband has grasped.
SnipSnipMrBurgess · 01/02/2022 08:23

Om so what happened when they removed his stuff?

Did he speak to someone and ask where it is?

Where is he if he has no room to stay in?

If they revoked him access to the room how did he get in to see his stuff was gone?

Are you saying his stuff is gone and he hasn't said or done anything about it to anyone at all?

IntermittentParps · 01/02/2022 08:31

@SnipSnipMrBurgess

Om so what happened when they removed his stuff?

Did he speak to someone and ask where it is?

Where is he if he has no room to stay in?

If they revoked him access to the room how did he get in to see his stuff was gone?

Are you saying his stuff is gone and he hasn't said or done anything about it to anyone at all?

I thought all this too. It's a bit weird. Is he really so non-confrontational he'd rather be left without a bed for the night rather than say anything? And why is it only you trying to figure it all out from miles away?

The actual issue, legality etc, I don't know about, but I'd be pissed off with someone packing and removing my personal stuff.

Elieza · 01/02/2022 08:43

Why would a guest house or hotel kick out a paying guest over a McDonald’s or whatever. Seems bizarre.

Either there has been a mixup between the staff and their manager who got the wrong end of the stick. Or it’s a small place where the boss is barking mad. Or your seemingly quiet DH isn’t so mild mannered when he’s alone. He’s been there regularly for weeks. I wonder if he’s tried to bring a friend back with him or he’s staggered in drunk as a skunk and vomited everywhere. Or something else and this was just the last straw for the hotel?

Whatever happened, I doubt you are in possession of the full story.

WeAreTheHeroes · 01/02/2022 08:46

@RantyAunty

OP why don't you call the hotel yourself and ask them?
Data protection - they won't discuss it with the OP.
Sparklingbrook · 01/02/2022 08:48

@Moonface88

I work in a hotel. There's no way this would happen without numerous attempts to contact the guest first, by phone if necessary if they're not on site. And a guest bringing lucrative repeat business staying 4 weeks at a time would never be removed like this over something so minor. There's something you're husband isn't telling you.
I've just read the whole thread and it does seem that there's more to this because otherwise it's a huge over reaction to do that over a takeaway.
LemonTT · 01/02/2022 08:49

The OP claims he is non confrontational but describes him confronting the team member and demanding to see the manager. He did this over a takeaway. Knowing it was against the rules and he been given special agreement to do it on the previous stay because of covid. What he was doing wasn’t standard and he knew it.

But he hasn’t confronted anyone over having his stay cancelled. He hasn’t gotten an explanation at all. Implying he knows exactly why his stay has ended.

OP not making a fuss doesn’t = not causing a problem. Even if it was just a problem in the eyes of the hotel. They would have told him why they did it when they returned his belongings. They weren’t packed and waiting on the doorstep with a refund.

Sparklingbrook · 01/02/2022 08:54

The hotel would be very Hmm to get a call on the guest's behalf. Be like your Mum ringing or something.

Looks like the OP has left the thread now. I guess we'll never know.

IntermittentParps · 01/02/2022 08:56

@LemonTT

The OP claims he is non confrontational but describes him confronting the team member and demanding to see the manager. He did this over a takeaway. Knowing it was against the rules and he been given special agreement to do it on the previous stay because of covid. What he was doing wasn’t standard and he knew it.

But he hasn’t confronted anyone over having his stay cancelled. He hasn’t gotten an explanation at all. Implying he knows exactly why his stay has ended.

OP not making a fuss doesn’t = not causing a problem. Even if it was just a problem in the eyes of the hotel. They would have told him why they did it when they returned his belongings. They weren’t packed and waiting on the doorstep with a refund.

TBF the OP doesn't say anything about it being because of Covid; it's because 'on two of the days, every week, the bar/restaurant doesn't open.' And she doesn't say he 'demanded' to speak to the manager, but 'asked if it was possible to'. While I don't disagree something odd seems to be going on, you are putting words in the OP's mouth and making assumptions.
JustUseTheDoorSanta · 01/02/2022 08:58

Room booking error seems unlikely. I used to stay in a particular hotel a lot, so I had a favourite room. The desk checked me into it once without thinking to look at the system and it was already occupied. We had a good chuckle over me saying "there's a man in my bed" and the receptionist's "sorry, would you prefer a chocolate?" Grin. They lost my booking once and found me a different hotel for the first night, and I forgot to extend my stay a couple of times so they called to ask if they should extend it. Mistakes happen on both sides, but are usually resolved without drama. That was a big hotel, my point is that certainly all the staff knew me as a regular and were therefore much more friendly, not less friendly. It could be one rogue nasty person here, but it seems odd they would pick on a regular because other staff would back up "nice quiet chap, he's no bother" and the manager is likely to know them. If they just wanted to exert power then surely a one-off visitor is a better target. That's why we need to know what they actually said when he turned back up at the hotel to be presented with packed bags.

sanbeiji · 01/02/2022 09:02

All the ‘i work at a hotel’ lol a professionally run chain hotel is different from a small guesthouse.

Email, call them, make sure nothing’s missing, plaster reviews everywhere you can find.

Get his colleagues to do the same.
That will teach them

sanbeiji · 01/02/2022 09:03

Also I’m assuming that nothing weird happened.
Not gonna extrapolate

NYnewstart · 01/02/2022 09:25

Waiting for the op to come back with further info.

starfishmummy · 01/02/2022 09:26

[quote Tothemoonandbackx]@TartanCulshie as I said previously he really really isn't the type of person to cause or fuss, or as you put it "ruffle some feathers" it's just not in his nature.[/quote]
He may not have "made a fuss" or "ruffled feathers" but there could be many reasons why he is no longer welcome.

Extra guest in the room?

starfishmummy · 01/02/2022 09:28

@sanbeiji

All the ‘i work at a hotel’ lol a professionally run chain hotel is different from a small guesthouse.

Email, call them, make sure nothing’s missing, plaster reviews everywhere you can find.

Get his colleagues to do the same.
That will teach them

But a small guesthouse wouldn't usually have a bar and restaurant . Sounds an odd set up.
HTH1 · 01/02/2022 09:29

If DP was told he couldn’t take the takeaway to his room and then ignored the staff member and did it anyway (because he thought he had been allowed to before), I can see why that would get their backs up.

I would say leave it (unless DP is due a refund for unused nights) and go for a proper hotel next time. Guest houses are often pettier (did you see the thread about breakfasts in such places eg half a slice of toast each but then removed from table if a guest doesn’t make it down) and more of a law unto themselves.