Man let into my Premier Inn hotel room late at night

[jennylamb1]

Looking for opinions. While staying in a Manchester Central Premier Inn, reception gave a key to my room to a strange man who gained access to my bedroom at 10.30pm at night when I was in bed. As a lone female traveller I was obviously very upset and went down to reception to find out what was happening. Receptionist apologised and said that the man had the same name as me- it wasn't the same name- and even if it was, she shouldn't have given him a key. To make things worse, I ended up in the same lift as him up to my room and he made a somewhat sexually suggestive comment which made me wonder if he was deliberately trying to get into women's rooms. Obviously didn't sleep well after double locking and putting chair up against the door. Complained about it and she offered to credit the breakfasts I'd booked which I accepted at the time. Been waiting 15 days for the refund to go through, which I've already had to chase up and which they reassured would clear within 15 days and which hasn't.
I'm now thinking that I didn't make enough of a fuss over this given the issue of safety for lone women and the additional poor service on top. Should I email the CEO and make a big thing of it?

This is from 2021 it makes me wonder about another deep Brexit impact.

www.bbc.com/news/business-59048014

Yes, you need to take this further. And since that man had a booking (as you think he had) they have his name and other data and can contact him. The sexually tinted remarks in the elevator don't really help in excusing him I think. So yes, contact the CEO and the PR department with all the data you have.

But that is what has been said. He engineered it, he got her room number in the lift although they were in the lift together after the incident, tell the police it could be a pattern. Reception messed up, it is a bad mistake but he wasn't a rapist, he left the room but he is being accused of all sorts. Premier Inn made the mistake they need to own it, being given a key to an occupied room is not the fault of the person who thinks they are going into a room allocated to them.

When I walked into a room with a couple in the bed having sex it was not my fault, in that case it was Travel Lodge who got it wrong but it certainly wasn't me.

I'm not blaming the man that walked in on OP, so I don't know where you are getting that from, although he is sexually suspect as he made lewd comments.

My point is that the next man that walks into a lone woman's room in the middle of the night might well be a rapist/murderer, which is why the consequence to the staff that make this 'mistake' should be dismissal. The 'mistake' should be taken as seriously as the results could end up.

It’s not clear how it happened.

It could have been a mistake on the part of the receptionist so he wandered into her room innocently. But for all we know he may have talked the receptionist into giving him OP’s key. The receptionist claimed the man had the same name as her so either she got confused by the name or she thought he was OP’s DH. He could have overheard OP’s last name and fooled the receptionist.

Oh I'm not talking about this one man in particular, I'm talking about the stance the hotels should take on this.

Firstly they should sort their electronic systems out, and then if a staff member fucks up or doesn't double check, they should be sacked.

The receptionist made the mistake. She shouldn't have just given him a key to a room booked by OP even if he said his name was Father Christmas.

Maybe I got it from you posting as a reply to where I was talking about people accusing him of being a serial rapist.

I also said it was the hotels fault and Premier Inn need to deal with that. You seem to want to start an argument so I'll leave you to it.

Yes we know she made a mistake. But we don’t know if the mistake was because the guy tricked her into giving him OP’s room key or she simply gave him the key of room that was already inhabited.

Oh come on, you think it is ok for a hotel receptionist to be tricked into giving out a key to a predator. I think it should result in said receptionist getting the sack.

You’ve misunderstood my post.

But the receptionist shouldn't be able to be tricked, she should call the room phone/the persons mobile to check.

I was responding to the poster who claimed that it was not the man’s fault and it was the receptionist’s error alone. I’m saying we don’t know that.

It was the receptionist who made the mistake, the man made an odd comment in the lift but I'm not 100% sure he was up to anything.

I’m saying it doesn’t matter what the man did, the receptionist is fully to blame as she should never have given a key out without permission of the person in the room.

We know that already. The discussion was simply whether it was her error alone or whether he was up to no good.

Exactly this but you know the receptionist was female and he was a man so it has to be his fault on MN.

Thanks for this , I’m now checking my reservations for next week and hope to find alternatives . Never had those problems with P Inns but have been attacked and no way need to risk that again. I’m also buying the door stopper .
Safe rather than sorry

This happened to us in New York, we had one disaster after another. Our flight was cancelled at 5am, due to fly at 9am, we arrived 10 hours late, our transfer hadn’t been rearranged so we were abandoned in the airport and when we eventually got to the hotel after midnight we got into our room and it was someone else’s!
Luckily they were out still but that was sheer luck on everyone’s part. I would have been mortified. Reception apologied and moved on in seconds. Like it happens all the time

@jennylamb1
Have you had a response from them yet OP?

I would have expected an urgent response from them asap!

No, had an acknowledgment of receipt last Wednesday. If I don't get anything within a couple of weeks I may take the journalist who offered to put it in the paper up on it

Just talk to the journalist, it’s a really important point for women’s safety not just for this chain.

@jennylamb1 I'm sorry OP I don't think this is acceptable at all.

This is a security issue that needs to be responded to asap.

Anything could have happened to you.

Their lack of response is only showing how much they prioritise people's safety. Particularly lone women and children.

I'd go to the papers and blow up their social media.

I'd be VERY careful about giving any interview to a journalist

Why not use social media so you have control of the information you put out there, even set up a parallel or separate account so your actual socials are private? (Or make them private).

Unfortunately the relationship of the media to the truth is very shaky and they want to sensationalise things.

Your privacy will not be protected at all.

You may find the story ends up containing all of your personal details (so any weirdos out there can track you down ) and written up in the most dramatic way possible to make you look ridiculous.

Your age, location, job, how you look, details of your family and where you live... That will all be out there, on the internet, forever.

Obviously those don't matter, the main thing is the hotels safeguarding. That's the facts you want out there

But that's what the papers want to print.

If you have any photos of you looking attractive or in a tight dress on your socials, the journalist will take those and use them to turn it into a more clickbaity story, so they can write it up like a "sex crime" to get more hits. Either you'll be painted as an attention seeker or as a victim.

They certainly won't have your mental health or safety as a priority.

@WinterWhine

Excellent and well written advice for the OP (and people in general) there.