Tossed out of a hotel - please help!

Handsome_Homer

Hello, I would like some help. Basically, I had a problem with a hotel and don't know what to do now. Who do I complain to?

Here it is. I booked a room for two nights and gave them my credit card no. When I turned up at nearly midnight the receptionist started having an argument with me and wouldn't let me sign in. I was calm all the way through and said ok, let's call your manager, so we did and he started telling the man all these lies, I wouldn't do X, I wouldn't do Y. Eventually he let me speak to the manager and I said, I don't want to cause any problems, all I want to do is sleep, I have to work tomorrow, and the manager said, fine, fill in the form, there's no problem. So I start to fill in the form and the receptionist snatches it off me and says no, I can't stay there. I ask why. He says he doesn't have to tell me, it's his hotel. I said, I just agreed with your manager. He says, We're full. Right on cue - quite funny really - a couple walk in and ask for a room and he gives them one.

This goes on for a while, me remaining calm and asking why he wouldn't let me stay. He was quite offensive to me at one point, but I stayed calm and eventually said, I need to work tomorrow and I booked these rooms. I don't want any problems. Let's take two minutes apart to calm down and then try again. I walked off and came back. He was having none of it. Eventually he called the police and said he felt threatened by me. I went outside to wait for the police and made a note of everything that happened. When they turned up, I got the reference number and their names. They were obviously on my side because I was sitting calmly while the man was raving inside. I had to go to another hotel.

If you have read so far, thank you. I don't know what to do now. I thought I should complain to the manager, to the hotel chain and so on. It wasn't just the offensive tone, it was just the bewilderment of being refused for no reason. I was well dressed, had not been drinking or anything. It was bizarre.

What should I do?

Thank you in advance.

-Homer

UKTigerlily

Obviously I only have one side to the story, BUT I think you've been treated unacceptably & should complain to the manager & the hotels head office. There is no way anyone should be treated this way, as a guest you're their customer & assuming what you've said is accurate, you should've recieved professional & friendly service not the opposite! The manager should've been called back when the police were called & should've dealt with the receptionist! Beyond belief, hope the second hotel were more professional? Which hotel was this btw?

LouBlue

Goodness me! How bizaare!!! Well, from what you have said, you MUST complain to the hotel, their head office and anyone else you can think of! They should have given you a decent reason why you couldn't stay there, especially as you had paid by credit card. Good luck - let us know how you get on.

asharon

what was the initial argument about ?

I am not saying you were out of it, but from the things you have said it sounds like you had been drinking although in control ?

Timmne

You'll find that night managers at hotels are usually like this!!

The hotel I have just finished working for had night managers that wouldn't have been out of place as prison officers. You obviously don't know what you did, but you will have done something (to him it will have seemed like something, like blinking for example) to get his back up.

Hotels usually like to be told if you're likely to arrive after 11pm just "so they know", although as you were nice about it I can't see why he got so ratty!

If it were a Marriott I know that being told about it, Marriott international (based in washington) would take a very firm view and have this guy put on a disciplinary. Marriott (sorry to keep name dropping but I know only one hotel chain this well!) have strict brand standards and arguing with a customer is never a good thing. If a customer became abusive, the front office staff should retreat and let the duty manager/police to with it.

The short answer to your query is tell the General Manager of the hotel (I know ours was avery important man and was very well respected and listened to by staff!) and see what happens. If they refuse go higher, but do it calmly!

black-saturn

How about contacting Trading Standards?

DrFluffy

Write to the chain's Head Office, and cc in the manager at the specific hotel you had issues at.

When complaining state exactly what you want. If it is compesation say so, if it proof that the individual has been disciplined, again state this. Also give them a time frame in which to respond.

Ask if the area is covered by CCTV/camera (often is - for the reason of providing 'evidence' of people doing runners/being aggressive etc), and inform them you want them to keep it, as you might rely on in as evidence for whatever... I think (but check on this) that they have to then retain the CCTV footage... If you are lucky it might back you up.

Rex_Mundi

I showed this to my OH who has worked for a large multinational hotel company for many years.

Her feeling is that it would have to be a serious situation for the receptionist to refuse you to stay. She also said that calling the police is a very serious situation, and wouldn't be one the reception staff use unless they feel something has got completely out of hand, or feel very threatened.

I find it hard to believe the staff member acted this way without any reason. Something must have caused them to act like this.

OH said if you want to complain, you write to the chains head office, and send another copy to the hotels general manager.

DrFluffy

Rex_Mundi wrote:

I find it hard to believe the staff member acted this way without any reason. Something must have caused them to act like this.

I used to work in the 'hospitality' industry, and to be honest, it wouldn't surprise me at all... I've had similar experiences as described above with night managers and receptionist missing their obvious vocation as prision wardens...

Calling the police is the perfect way of covering up incompetency/blatant discrimination, so again - something that again wouldn't surprise me (although I recognise that this represents the minority)...

Timmne

Rex_Mundi wrote:

I find it hard to believe the staff member acted this way without any reason. Something must have caused them to act like this.

I would visit one of the night managers at my old place to see this in action if I were you!

It's amazing really, hotel management are all really great people and have time for anyone, until 11pm when the night management clock in! (Obviously I'm still talking about my old hotel Rex, please don't take offence!)

Rex_Mundi

I still cant believe the OP turned up at the hotel, the receptionist didn't like the look of him, and kicked off over nothing. My feeling is there is more to this story than we've been told.