fwerfel

I am totally new to requesting a fair compensation for bad experiences, since this was my first real incident at a hotel.

The incident happened last Friday, while staying at a Hilton in NYC.
At around 3.30am, I was abruptly awoken due to an extremely strong smell of marijuana. It was so strong that it not only had woken me up, but I was already starting to feel high. Now, I am not a drug user (never have in my life, not even once), but I have been drugged once while on holidays in Morocco (long story...) so I know what it feels like.
When I got up to check where the smoke was coming from, I immediately noticed that there was a door between my room and the room next door, which was locked, but I assume it serves as an opening when the two rooms are booked for families. However, there was a gap of at least 1cm under the door, through which a very strong draft was coming into my room. I can only assume that the guests next door had opened the window.

So I had to get dressed in the middle of the night, go to the lobby, request a new room, pack my stuff (the didn't let me just move to another room and then have me move my stuff the next morning), and try to get some sleep in my room more than an hour later.

The whole experience was not only extremely upsetting, I would dare say traumatizing, and potentially very dangerous, I had to give an important business presentation that day. I'm sure the incident had a negative impact on how I performed, which in turn might have business implications.

While I appreciate that a hotel cannot prevent guests from illegally smoking drugs in the rooms, and the staff immediately took action, I do think it is unacceptable that a door immediately linking two adjacent rooms, rent out to separate guests, can have such a strong draft (it felt like it was storming...) coming through. Although I have no proof, the nextdoors guests must have disabled the smoke detectors (or they were not functioning), something that shouldn't be possible.

I was initially offered 5000 points by the manager on site, but only after asking one days later myself (!). I thought this was insulting, after which it was upped to 10000, and then 25000 points.
A reward night in that hotel is 80000 points.
To me this feels hugely insufficient. First of all: they should have offered a sizeable compensation without me having to ask for it. Secondly, first trying to get me walking with 5000, that is just fundamentally wrong.
Oh, on my last night room service brought a bottle of wine. Which I didn't drink (I don't drink wine while on business, unless i have to when dining with clients).

I hope some of you can give me indications of a correct compensation, and how to proceed. I honestly do think this incident was so severe, that taking it to a lawyer would make sense. But as a European, I don't know the first thing about the legal system in the US (the only thing we ever hear in Europe is that some person got a billion dollars from McDonalds for having a hair in their burger, or stuff like that), so please inform me if this would be a totally stupid move.

Two more (to me irrelevant details): I am a gold member with HHoners, and my new room wasn't cleaned when I got back to it the Saturday evening...

Thank you so much for your help!

ehallison

If I had to move in the middle of the night, I would have asked for and expected something close to the 80k points for a free night. I would try to escalate one more time to see if they will budge from 25k.

But no, I wouldn't contact a lawyer. All the other stuff like "I'm sure the incident had a negative impact on how I performed, which in turn might have business implications..." - I don't think Hilton is responsible for that. Sometimes you get a lousy night's sleep in a hotel and the best you can hope for is a free night,.

fwerfel

I agree that having to move in the middle of the night should be compensated with the equivalent of a free night. If that was due to let's say a broken airconditioning or something like that.

I was involuntary drugged. Not by the hotel, but the outline of the two rooms didn't prevent this from happening.

I understand I can't proof this had an impact on my performance, but it isn't that hard to demonstrate that having that sort of night, doesn't put you in the best possible shape either.
Of course, I do not have any proof. You can't take a picture or an audio recording of a terrible smell...

david55

To many of us it is a not a "terrible smell".

I would have put a towel in the crack of the door, opened a window, and called the front desk. They would have brought you up a key to another room w/o you having to march downstairs. Then they would have handled the situation next door.

Keep pursuing a free night.... you will get it.....less about your bad night but more about the publicity of illegal drug use in their hotel.

Often1

While smoke, whether it is marijuana or not, is annoying to more and more people, there is not much to be done other than offer another room and that is what the property did for you.

There isn't any compensation due for this, but the customer service gesture is something to make up for the annoyance.

Whether it is cigarette smoke, marijuana, loud noise or whatever, it's NYC and there is only so much a property can accept by way of responsibility if it's going to be able to do business in NYC.

You can book into a suite at an ultra-luxury property and find a rock band or you can stay at a 2* place and find people who are considerate.

The middle ground here was not to get dressed and go to the FD, but to call down and have them send up the new room keycard while you throw your stuff in a bag so that you can head to your new room when the keycard arrives. The alternative is to soak a towel in water, roll it up and stuff it along the door. Won't get rid of what's in the room already, but it won't last if it doesn't bother you too much.

fwerfel

Sorry, should have made this clear. My first cause of action was putting a towel and stuff it along the door. Then open a window. I then tried to call down, but the phone in the room wasn't working (which I actually knew, cause I had unsuccessfully tried to call room service earlier that evening)

I also felt that I had to leave the room because I was getting very dizzy at that point in time. Believe me, it wasn't just a faint hint of smoke

Eujeanie

I'm unclear as to whether a hotel employee ever came up to your room to smell the smell. Would that not be proof that he/she could corroborate what you said happened?

You also could have used your own phone to call the hotel (instead of going downstairs), but of course that is Monday morning QB'ing since I'm sure you were flustered.

I'm trying to figure out the "wind" situation - surely if the windows can be opened (just for fresh air) it wouldn't cause a problem for the people next door.

Kacee

I don't see how this was the hotel's fault. There was a problem with your room caused by the guests next door, you asked to move, the hotel accommodated your request.

I would not request compensation nor do I believe any to be due.

smmrfld

+1. And you got points also. Stuff happens...your drama over traumatization, potential business implications, etc. doesn't add anything to the issue.

tynmar

Me personally in this situation, I would have asked to move to a "HIGHER" floor jokes aside, I would email HH and complain about the smell..they raise a case with the hotel to respond. Hint you are after a certain amount of points and move on. not sure what rate was paid etc but 40,000 HH points as a halfway marker would be my asking. Best of luck and do report back the outcome ^

loomis

It was not a hotel employee that was smoking in the room next door. An inconsiderate slob guest was. The hotel was a victim of a bad situation, just like you were.

They promptly moved you when they were made aware of the situation. They also did give you compensation when you had your hand out.

The talk about a lawyer is silliness. Sue the slob guest, not the hotel, if you want to waste your time going down that path.

PaulH1

I agree 25000 points seems quite fair.

i think I would of just blocked the bottom of door with something to stop smoke / smell and informed front desk to sort it out and not of bothered even changing rooms.

I have had much worse happen at hotels including an all night party in a Royal suite above us in Dubai going on from 2am to 7.30am i informed management on 5 occasions throughout the night party including physically getting dressed twice and going to reception and still party was not stopped and was allowed to continue all night it was so loud the ceiling was shaking.

Probably allowed to continue because the royal suite cost many thousands of dollars per night.....

No option given to us by management to change rooms as we had 2 interconnecting rooms one for us and one for our 3 children and the hotel was full.

After a long drawn out complaint with hotel I only ended up getting a basic refund of one nights accomodation.

It was the most stressful night of our lives it was also the eve of our 20th wedding anniversary !

So I would accept the 25000 points and put it down to experience.
Unfortunately there are so many inconsiderate guests in hotels.

Adam1222

Two things:
Saying things like you were "involuntarily drugged" is not going to help you; it sounds melodramatic and isn't really accurate given that term's common meaning.
Being a HHonors Gold member unfortunately is of little impact these days, given status matches and credit cards offering that status.

writerguyfl

If you want to continue trying to improve this service recovery compensation offer, do not under and circumstances use the term "lawyer" or anything similar when communicating with the hotel, Hilton HHonors, or Hilton Corporate. In most cases, that will immediately end the conversation and you will get referred to the legal department.

As for compensation, I would have been pleased with 5,000 points. This isn't the hotel's fault.

shonamac

Whether the smoke is the hotel's "fault" or not is moot, since the hotel has a duty to offer the guest a room where he can peacefully sleep and otherwise enjoy his stay. Anything that detracts from this, be it NYC noise or wafts of marijuana, deprives the guestl; ergo compensation is due.