What is fair compensation for such seriously awful Sheraton experience?
#61
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Paris, Chicago, Rome, London, St John
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Posts: 796
I agree that the staff member was doing his job and probably did not speak English. Strange that you came out naked and flashed him. I would think you should get no compensation other than perhaps points. You were not in the USA. Many foreign countries / cities have a different feel of nudity. Example in Amsterdam, the shower room / locker room is coed.
#62
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
Programs: AAdvantage - PLT Pro, United Premier PLT, HHonors - Diamond, National - Ex. Elite
Posts: 31
Hotel did more than enough...
Gotta say, I am with Newman on this one.
Heck for 2 free nights, forget 2 seconds, I'll give you 10 minutes. We'll have a coffee!
Bigger problems in the world.
Heck for 2 free nights, forget 2 seconds, I'll give you 10 minutes. We'll have a coffee!
Bigger problems in the world.
#63
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Union county, NJ
Programs: Mileage Plus Gold
Posts: 7
Compensation law of physics
I think there are a couple of decision points when compensation is offered. First, was a request made? The OP indicated she reported the issue both in person and on the survey, but not if any compensation request was made or implied. That the GM offered what was the simplest thing to do with a few clicks to refund the stay is probably adequate based on
Second, how bothered the OP appeared to be in her communications. It she obviously seemed to be bothered by it, I would hope the GM would also somehow offer a VIP experience for the next stay, to at least preserve future business.
Lastly what level of service the the hotel purport to offer? Although not on the level of worst case denied boarding compensation if the hotel has advertised total satisfaction I may have expected more. And local cultural norms on several levels could affect this.
Personally I think the best option would have been a choice of compensation (refund , giftcard, points etc) would be best especially if this was a company card charge where a refund is of no use to the OP and may incur an embarrassing expense report explanation. My reimbursements for daily per diems are reviewed against hotel room night stays reimbursement requests.
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Second, how bothered the OP appeared to be in her communications. It she obviously seemed to be bothered by it, I would hope the GM would also somehow offer a VIP experience for the next stay, to at least preserve future business.
Lastly what level of service the the hotel purport to offer? Although not on the level of worst case denied boarding compensation if the hotel has advertised total satisfaction I may have expected more. And local cultural norms on several levels could affect this.
Personally I think the best option would have been a choice of compensation (refund , giftcard, points etc) would be best especially if this was a company card charge where a refund is of no use to the OP and may incur an embarrassing expense report explanation. My reimbursements for daily per diems are reviewed against hotel room night stays reimbursement requests.
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Last edited by WestfieldTraveler; Oct 16, 2018 at 7:06 am Reason: Clarity
#64
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Kobe, Japan
Programs: Bonvoy Platinum, IHG Diamond, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 1,496
Personally I think nothing is due. There was no intentional abuse, gawking, pictures taken, comments etc...right?
It is rare a week doesn't go by when a cleaner (usually female) doesn't enter a toilet (washroom) I am using in Japan. And any time I stay at hotel with a public bath it is more often than not a woman that comes throught the locker room to collect towels and straighten things out.
Americans get so stressed over nudity, its as if the Puritans were still controlling the a large section of the society (yet porn and sexuality are everywhere).
It is rare a week doesn't go by when a cleaner (usually female) doesn't enter a toilet (washroom) I am using in Japan. And any time I stay at hotel with a public bath it is more often than not a woman that comes throught the locker room to collect towels and straighten things out.
Americans get so stressed over nudity, its as if the Puritans were still controlling the a large section of the society (yet porn and sexuality are everywhere).
#66
Join Date: Jun 2014
Programs: AA Gold, OW Ruby, IHG PLT, JB Mosiac, Delta Silver, VA Silver, AK MVP, Hyatt Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 151
A maintenance guy has a work order to fix something in a locker room. He goes in, leaves the door open, and works on whatever he's been assigned. He presumably wasn't menacing, as he would not have left the door open if he were. He may or not speak the language the OP was using, or if it was English, may not have understood her as her written English is poor so her spoken English might be rough. He might not have known what her problem is, as she left her clothes out instead of putting them in a locker, and for whatever reason left her towel on a bench instead of taking it to the shower area. From her own description, she was behaving more oddly than the maintenance guy was.
Now, I do understand in other countries this is not that big of a deal- culturally being naked in a locker room and seeing people naked in that manner is just not a big deal. But, even in Korea and Japan, they separate the sexes typically. You may co-ed bathe in the common areas but often the locker room/wash area is separated. But here, the OP stated that she attempted to shoo the worker away. Whether he understood her verbal language, her covering herself up, gesturing at him, etc. should have told him that she wanted him to leave clearly. Instead, he didn't.
While I'm not saying that she should be granted a million dollars for such a thing, and I do think the compensation was fair and just (and without a fight which is priceless), I don't think it's unreasonable to offer some compassion to OP for what happened. If you're all so confident in your nakedness and don't care that a strange person sees you naked then that's fine. But don't assume that OP feels the same. Perhaps the point OP was trying to communicate was more that the worker didn't leave than about being seen naked?
#67
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Dulles, VA
Programs: UA Life Gold, Marriott Life Titanium
Posts: 2,757
I have clearly written " He may or not speak the language the OP was using, or if it was English, may not have understood her" which you yourself quoted. I do not know what language was spoken.
#68
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 8
I had a seriously terrible stay experience with one of the property under Sheraton group last week in asia.
After workout in gym room, I went inside the lady gym bathroom for shower, there is no one inside there that moment. I placed my clothes on the bench, and just placed my shoes on the corridor.During showering, I heard someone get inside, then I step out the shower room after bath, when I going to take my towel next to my clothes, I notice that the bathroom front door is way open, and there is a male staff standing inside the bathroom!! While I am naked!!
I have told him to leave while I rush back to the shower room, but he was still staying there for fixing the equipment inside the bathroom.
I reported to the hotel immediately, the room manager had came to me for apologize, and promise will educate their staff for the normal standard like "send a female staff inside the lay bathroom first", "knocking and ask if any guests inside".....
Then after I finished the survey online for compliant this seriously issue , the GM email me to offer refund my entire stay (2 nights, around US$120/night) as compensation, and thats all...
I would like to ask what is the fair compensation for this horrible mistake made by their staff.
#70
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Kelowna Canada
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Posts: 110
I never get over how quickly flyer talkers attack the OP.
Public shower - like in the middle of the street? Get real!
Walk to your room dripping sweat over everything and looking disreputable? Double get real - and poor form.
Privacy in a shower in a Female Washroom (or Male for that matter) is important and should be fully secure. The hotel staff member made a mistake and the OP is entitled to reasonable compensation. I am surprised that the manager was reasonably generous.
It was a valid question and occasionally answered politely and properly.
Public shower - like in the middle of the street? Get real!
Walk to your room dripping sweat over everything and looking disreputable? Double get real - and poor form.
Privacy in a shower in a Female Washroom (or Male for that matter) is important and should be fully secure. The hotel staff member made a mistake and the OP is entitled to reasonable compensation. I am surprised that the manager was reasonably generous.
It was a valid question and occasionally answered politely and properly.
#71
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Dulles, VA
Programs: UA Life Gold, Marriott Life Titanium
Posts: 2,757
I don't think dripping sweat is disreputable, and since dripping sweat while walking into a hotel elevator is standard practice in a lot of hotels a lot of times during the year, I really don't buy that at all.
#72
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: DYKWIA, But I'm a "Diamond Guest" UA 1K/2MM
Posts: 2,238
The OP could easily be from any one of these places. For many, being seen nude by a stranger of the opposite sex is a humiliation that might not fade for years.
#74
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: DYKWIA, But I'm a "Diamond Guest" UA 1K/2MM
Posts: 2,238
Can't blame us. We USA'ians tried to take you over a few times -- 1775, 1812, 1836, Southpark. But it never seemed to work out. We didn't know how to deal with people who have good manners, so we slunk back south of the border....
#75
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Pacific Wonderland
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It is rare a week doesn't go by when a cleaner (usually female) doesn't enter a toilet (washroom) I am using in Japan. And any time I stay at hotel with a public bath it is more often than not a woman that comes throught the locker room to collect towels and straighten things out.