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?

Scary how often this seems to happen.

Good!
It's unfuckingacceptable. You need to roar!

Yes, make a fuss, that's shit.

This happened to me years ago. I was staying at a hotel (a really expensive hotel) for a friend's big birthday. In the middle of the night, a staff member used another key to open my bedroom door to let a man I'd never seen before in. The staff member and the man said he was looking for his wallet that had been stolen and they were checking some of the rooms including my room.

I was in my twenties and while really confused and unsettled, I didn't do anything about it because I didn't want my friend to find out what had happened. To this day I wish I had kicked up a huge fuss.

This is how a business woman was attacked during a hotel stay in America.

This is also how people can be trafficked.

If I were you I would have left the hotel room and sat in reception until breakfast before leaving early. I would have also demanded that hotel staff escort me to my room to collect my belongings and wouldn't have waited around to shower.

I would have reported the staff member to CEO and everyone who is known to hotelier businesses.

It doesn't matter what they offer as an apology, you can't undo an attack.

That's absolutely awful OP. Yes - you definitely need to escalate this .

But thanks for letting us all know - a useful reminder for people to double lock their door and / or wedge a chair in front .

Premier Inn let my abusive husband (now ex) into the room I had booked in my name only, cos he told them he was my husband.

I'd like to think staff should be trained to only give keys to the person booked to stay in the room.

It's happened to me before, both ways. Best (worst) time was when a very drunk woman tried to get into my room, I went to the door and told her she was in the wrong room, she then came back with the receptionist who proceeded to try and persuade me that my wife needed to come into her room!

Dude, that was not my wife.

This happened to me and my younger sibling once. I was 16, and he’s 3.5 years younger than (circa 10 years ago I think). The McDonald hotel in aviemore. I put the chain across, as I do as standard in a hotel room. We’d been in bed maybe like 10 minutes, when the door opened, not fully the chain was on. My sibling went to the door, and this older couple were at the door and the receptionist had given them the same room as us, for some reason. I’d told my sibling to tell them the receptionist had given them an already occupied room and to go back to them. Anyway, then we went asleep and thought nothing more of it.

I have no advice, or saying you should do what I did. Obviously happens quite regularly.

Absolutely make a fuss.

I spent many years travelling alone, the chair and much more always go against doors as soon as I’m in the room. Same if adjoining rooms, doors always blocked.

This isn’t an unusual story, I’ve heard it so many times. My parents went travelling with a bunch of others in their age range, a very older reserved couple walked into their room only to find it fully occupied and in use by another couple. Apparently the couple barely spoke for days afterwards 😬

Definitely escalate this.This is more serious than a broken kettle or lumpy mattress. This warrants a more vigorous response than a free breakfast.

So basically if you’re escaping abuse or being stalked don’t stay at a premiere inn as they will just let your ex or stalker up. Into. Your. Room. At. Night. Wow. I’d put that on Twitter if you haven’t had groveling by tomorrow, with the other peoples stories here too, tag them and someone with lots of followers and see what others chime in with.

Codlingmoths

It isn’t unique to PI. Just so readers know in case they feel more secure in other hotels.

These stories are horrendous! I travel a lot with work and always put the chain on the door if it has one, or a chair up against the door.

Raise merry hell OP!

It doesn't sound malicious, but even if it wasn't ill intent that is not okay in any way shape or form. Even had you been a lone male traveller that would not have been acceptable.

Its a misunderstanding that could have horrible horrible consequences though. They shouldnt have made that mistake, and they should have been mortified and a LOT more apologetic than they were.

Put this all over Twitter/X and tag Premier Inn. I bet you got zero sleep after all of that happened. They should refund your room cost as well as breakfast.

There's no way that someone else should have been given a key to your room.
How does that even happen?! Completely unacceptable.
To offer prices of the breakfasts back as a refund?!
Total pisstake.

Wow! Just booked a hotel in Manchester for a friend, and I considered THAT Premier Inn. So glad I didn’t choose it, as I would have been so worried for her. They need new policies or staff re-training ASAP! This isn’t even the first time I’ve heard about this, and it was Premier Inn last time too (NOTE: @EpicAlice shared one, and I don’t think I saw it on Reddit, so there must be at least three times it’s happened).

We had the receptionist at Premier Inn wake us up at 1am as they’d given us the wrong room. We didn’t move rooms btw or even open the door, I just told him to go away.
I complained to reception the next day as they refunded the room, breakfast and the evening meal. They said it could take a month to go through.

Are you sure they didn't adjust the cost of the booking rather than put through a refund? If it was an authorisation initially, you wouldn't see a refund coming through.

Complain.

I wouldn't email I would send a letter, in a card with a coloured envelope with 'private, to be opened by addressee only' on it so it looks like a birthday card.

I'd also tweet them, that usually gets a reaction.

Hope you get a fast response Op

Good God this is disgusting.

Go to the top, the CEO.

And I would ask for the receptionist to be sacked - she put you at tremendous risk. She's either a thicko or she simply couldn't be arsed doing her job properly. She certainly didn't give a toss about security.