Hotel Security and Room Access
 

Hello. Long time lurker on flyer talk but this is my first post ever. I am a weekly business traveler and this is a first for me. I searched the forums the best I could but I don't see anything about this so I thought I would throw it out here.

I am at a hotel and went out to dinner for the evening. Upon returning I discovered that my key was not working for my room so I return to front desk to get it reset. After a lot of strange activity by the lobby staff, I am finally told that while I was out at dinner, another traveler was given access to my room by mistake. (several different versions of how/why that happened). The other traveler went to the room and upon noticing that it appeared to be already occupied, he returned to the front desk and was given a new room.

So basically I am told that a complete stranger was given access to my room while I was out. Maybe it was an honest guest who was only in my room for 2 seconds. Or maybe it was someone who looked around for as long as they liked. Nothing seems to have been taken or tampered with but how would I ever REALLY know?

I know honest mistakes happen all the time in every line of work. But I cannot help think this is a REALLY BIG DEAL. The more I think about it the more angry I get. I am curious if anyone here has ever had anything similar happen to them and if so, how they responded to this. I just cannot help but think how much worse this situation could have been and not sure how to respond appropriately.

Thank you.

Checking two parties into the same room happens more often than you might think. It's happened to me a couple of times. IMO it's only a big deal if something was taken or messed with. Otherwise I would just let it go. No harm no foul. Whether you want to stay at the property again is up to you.

Which is why I always put a do not disturb sign on my door when I'm out for the evening.

I can tell ya I have been give a key to an occupied room on more than one occasion...I even walked in on someone asleep in their bed once...it happens on a regular basis.

Only countermeasure you really have is to put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door...but then you will not get housekeeping.

As a general rule, never leave anything of value out in a hotel room.

If I am in the room the sign is up, door is locked, and security lock is engaged!

Thank you for your feedback Kacee. I tend to lean in your direction here as well that it is not a big deal the way this situation played out. But I am also very aware that things could have been so much worse. It is that irrational fear of what could have happened that has me more troubled than what actually happened.

Great advice Arthurrs and PAX62. I will definitely use my "do not disturb" sign more liberally in the future and take better care to make sure my latch is in place when the room is occupied.

Solid advice. I'm pretty careful about using the safe.

Two of my partners had laptops stolen from their room while they were in trial.

At the Downtown Greensboro Marriott, I walked in while someone was in the shower. He never knew I was there, but I was in the CL waiting for a different room when he came in and exploded that his key no longer worked because they let someone else into the room. He never had any idea I was the one let in and was sitting right there.

The the Greensboro Airport Marriott, I couldn't get into my room because the person asleep had put the chain on the door. It was midnight. I went back down to the front desk. The person in the room had called down and I could hear him screaming over the phone.

In both cases, a room had been blocked for me but given to someone else.

At the Asheboro NC CY a man bringing his delightfully nerdy ten yo son to visit the zoo was given my room key. The two of them walked in with enough luggage on a cart to work for a family of twelve for a month. He left the son and luggage with me and went back down to the front desk. It was only when her returned that we realized he had just left his kid with a stranger in a hotel room! I promised not to tell his wife, should I ever meet her.

IMO, it happens frequently, but for some reason mostly in NC.

Like others have posted, it's happened to me a couple of times. At least in an upscale hotel, the chance of someone taking something is very small because the hotel knows who they are.

That person was probably as spooked as you are.

Yeah, I've been given keys to occupied rooms a number of times. I've also had someone walk in on me once while I was working at the desk, and would not be surprised if that has happened other times when I wasn't in the room. The main point is, if someone wants to get into your room for thievery or espionage, or an investigator looking to see if you're cheating on your spouse on the road or something, they're not going to check in to the hotel in the hopes of accidentally getting your key. They're going to fool the front desk into thinking you're the guest, or will pinch a key from housekeeping or someone else working at the hotel. Or go in through a balcony.

The people who get keys accidentally are almost certainly random travelers like you just trying to check into a hotel.

That is my sentiment as well...yes, you could get the nefarious individual that will exploit the situation but more likely than not they are just gonna be a fellow traveler that is more ticked off that they were given the wrong room than someone that seizes on the potential opportunity to rifle though the room.

...now, if you were staying at a Motel 6...maybe different story!

I was given the key to an already occupied room. I walked in the room and noticed clothes draped on the bed and could hear the shower running, presumably with the occupier of the room in it. I turned around and left and I'm quite certain that the guy in the shower had no idea whatsoever that I had ever been there. It creeped me out a little.

Back at the front desk... they are full of apologies and I'm looking at the perplexed face of the lady trying to find me another room. Hotel is full.

Then she informs me that they have a room they never put any guests in - I can have it if I want, but she suggests I check it out first.

Top floor, effectively a brand new room - the bed was new, the couch was new, the bathroom was new but... the room was underneath (or sufficiently close to) the elevator motors. Although it wasn't noisy, there was noticeable vibration from the motors. I took it and slept ok; it was only for one night.

I wonder how much that design failure cost the hotel?

You would be amazed (or in some cases horrified) by the number of people who have access to your room during the day, maids/housekeeping, managers at all levels, maintenance, contractors, etc. Could be dozens. If you can live with them, you shouldn't have a problem with the one who accidentally opens the door and leaves a few seconds later.

If something is missing, report it. If not, have a nice day.

Me and my wife stayed at a rather upscale property in Asia once, and right in the middle of our love making my wife starts screaming. A couple stood 2 meters from the bed and looked liked they had seen a ghost. Not sure who got most embarrassed, them or us, but I wrote an email to the GM and got 250.000 points and the stay for free, as a compensation. Mistakes happens, and we have stayed at the same hotel several times after this incident.

There are places you pay extra for that ;)