Chamberlain Hotel London, BEDBUGS! Beware!

ozma83

Hello,

I am writing this both as a vent and a warning (and also to ask for advice).

If anyone is planning in coming to London and needs a hotel, DO NOT even look at the Chamberlain Hotel. Despire being (apparenly) 4*, it is only in the prices - they aren't scared in charging you £250 and over a night for a room - the service is appalling, and they have bedbugs!!!

Now with the vent: I actually stayed there because of a competition I won - an all expenses paid trip to the launch of a company's new products + dinner and hotel stay.

Obviously (since I don't usually use a lot of expensive hotels, obviously) I was thrilled as it seemed a nice night ahead. I went with my boyfriend. The dinner was awesome, then we went to the Chamberlain and checked in.
The room, I have to say, was nothing special or fancy, I was expecting more for a 4*, but surely wasn't gonna complain.

Anyway at 3 in the morning my boyfriend woke up as he could feel like he was being bitten, and in fact, as soon as we were up we found a bedbug and killed it.
I hadn't been bitten, he had one bite on his hand.
So we called reception and they sent someone up who acknowledged the problem and said he was going to tell the manager. Manager then calls us and tell my bf that he was going to move us to another room.

At this point I was pretty upset as, for frick's sake, it was a prize, we didn't need to stay there other than for the competition, and now we had bedbugs?? My main concern was that I am paranoid about taking them back home.

So anyway, we wait but none called us, so we called them and the manager said he didnt have any available rooms and could do nothing for us!:eek:
I was pretty angry that he even thought we were going to stay there, so after arguing with him apologising and saying "There's nothing I can do" over and over (nothing!?!? Are you kidding me?? ) we asked him to call us a cab and to PAY FOR IT (he didn't even want to do that).

We got home at 4, and washed EVERYTHING - we didn't have a luggage obviously, only overnight clothes and a bag, but we washed everything and showered.

Now, I am paranoid still - do you think I should be worried about any bedbug following me home? I even steamed our shoes with the hairdryer.

Please please let me know what you think- I kinda feel like crying.

paddyrg

The bedbugs won't have followed you if you took precautions. Sadly bedbugs are becoming more resistant to the pesticides they use, and it's a really big problem in New York, even amongst the superpremium hotels.

I guess with a full hotel, what else could the manager do? But you certainly have a right to feel aggrieved. And as you didn't pay for the room, your options are limited as a full refund will be £0 anyway! Sadly, may be worth putting down to bad luck.

FWIW, the star system describes the facilities, not the niceness per se. London hotels are, to a man, small and expensive, you could pay £400+ for an unremarkable double, or over £100 for a premier inn. Personally, I like a small private, starless hotel I found near Holborn/Russel Square - £80/night for a small single, but always clean, quiet (overlooks a private park, so more bird noise than traffic!), decent breakfast, and just a short walk from everything central. No stars, but everything you need

nearlyrich

Bedbugs are everywhere in hotels, occupational hazard of my job but fortunately they don't like me too much unlike some of my colleagues.

shaun_from_Africa

Why now write to the competition organisers and inform them of the problems?
They might offer you something, and even if they don't, it may help ensure that that particular hotel doesn't get chosen as part of a prize package again.

Sooler

ozma83 wrote: »

...

Now, I am paranoid ...

Please please let me know what you think- I kinda feel like crying.

As you stated, the issue is that you are paranoid:D

ozma83

So do you think I shouldn't be worried? I got a call from the hotel general manager this morning, and surprise, she said that they called in pest control and they said "there was no insect activity" apart from one squashed on the bed (by us) who, she thought, looked like it might have been a mosquito.

I told her I'd seen it with my own eyes when it was crawling, that I can tell the difference between a mosquito and a bedbug (come on.... ) and that most of all, why would I wake up at 3 in the morning and ruin my night which was a prize by making up that we found bedbugs? I guess they might have dishonest people going for upgrades but really, if we were that sort of person (which we are not) there was no rooms available anyway, so why would we have done that? Not even to get a free ride home as we already had a car booked to take us home as part of the prize? 0___0