justspg

extremely doubtful. I assume you were gold at that time? More likely a room change occurred and your key packet was set for a previous room and was changed in the system. If someone paid attention they would have caught it before giving you the key.

Steve M

Another problem I see with it is that it's well above the "damages" incurred. Sure, the OP had his sleep interrupted, but to be compensated an entire night's stay is to say that he got no value whatever from that night, which is far from the case. I'm happy for him that he got what he got, but I think it it goes far beyond "compensation" (possibly into "good-will jesture" territory which isn't bad in of itself).

Barnaby100

Happens all tne time. I checked into a room to find a woman emerging from bathroom. I am also female- we laughed it off.

One of my colleagues is very prone,!

She is elderly and shall we say rotund.

1st time she had bought a new dress and stark naked she was trying to get into spanx. Door opens and handsome young italien guy comes in. Screams, drops bag and runs away. Hotel came up to retrieve bag.
A few weeks later she is telling us that she no longer travels naked and has got a nightie. That same night she was asleep. 4am and she wakes. Light has gone on and someone is on the bed. Guy had already been for a pee in tne dark. He is mortified. Apologies profusely. We met him at breakfast. Lovely guy

Recreation

The average person might very well be honest. It's the anomaly who ruins it for everyone.

vandalby

As far as I've read, we still haven't heard the full story from the OP. The key question here is was the bar lock / chain lock / deadbolt set? In simple terms:

If the OP didn't take advantage of all the locks, it should be personal responsiblity and asking the hotel for compensation is just out of bounds.

If the OP did take advantage of all the locking mechanisms and something failed, then go ahead and demand compensation (although personally, I think it's a petty issue to do so).

So how about it AndrewTravels, can we get the full story?

clublounger

Providing a key to an occupied room is a HUGE offense. So many above discuss the responsibility of the actual room guest using the deadbolt. As big a concern to me is when I'm NOT in the room and someone is given a key to it.

Either circumstance is unacceptable in my opinion. Compensation to the guest and re-training of employees are a must from the property when this happens, as I see it.

jason8612

Yup. I was gold. That's also a possibility.

Travel Pro

Agreed. Surprised that so many feel that this is no big deal. Hotels should be held accountable when they screw up. Providing a key to an occupied room is bad, deadbolt or not. I always deadbolt my door as I don't rely on the hotel always doing the right thing... or to guard against someone just trying to access my room w/o a key. It makes good sense to use the deadbolt, but the OP's problem was CAUSED by the hotel, not by the OP.

So, here's a related incident that happened to me 2 months ago at a Starwood resort (please don't ask for the name). Think this warrants some degree of compensation?

It's 3am and I'm awakened by what turned out to be someone trying to enter my room... although, I don't realize that's what's going on yet as I'm sound asleep. I have the deadbolt engaged and the DO NOT DISTURB sign is on the doorknob. I hear a lot of talking in the hall. I'm half asleep, so I'm just thinking this is some people being loud in the hall... or am I dreaming? Then, I hear what I think is people trying to get in through the connecting door to the room I'm in. This door doesn't have a deadbolt, just a regular lock... but it was locked. At this point I am awake with my wife and we ask each other what the heck is going on. She says she thinks someone is trying to get into the room... she's freaking out. My son, 8 years old, is still asleep (thankfully). Then I hear someone on a radio in the hallway. I get out of bed and go to the door to see if I can see through the peephole and understand what's going on in the hallway. As I approach, the door opens (to the extent it can with the deadbolt latched) which scared the heck out of me, as they try again to get into the room. I yell "What are you doing?" I hear a man say "sorry" and close the door.

I immediately called down to the front desk and the lone desk clerk was horrified to hear from me. He had been on the radio with the security officer so he was shocked to know that the room was occupied and how much he screwed up. The clerk had issued new keys to this family who had booked the connecting room for the night I was there, and were due to have both rooms after I checked out. Since their plane had arrived late due to a snow storm (a clue, not a beach property)... and it was 3am... the system had mistakenly already processed my checkout. So, even with my DO NOT DISTURB sign, and even having seen the deadbolt engaged, the security officer still went ahead and was trying to get into my room since the front desk insisted my room was vacant. My question to him was simple... when you see a room has a DO NOT DISTURB sign and the deadbolt is engaged when you open the door, don't you think the room is most likely occupied? He admitted trying to get in 3 times!... and also trying the connecting door ... and that he screwed up royally. He wrote a nice letter of apology to us.

This was very disturbing to say the least... my wife and I couldn't get back to sleep. I was so glad that my 8 year old remained asleep during the whole thing, and have never mentioned it to him.

Management was VERY apologetic. We received SPG points equivalent to 3 free nights at the property... which seemed appropriate.

jb3t

This is a first. I check in at the hotel today. They give me the key. I head up to the room and stick the key in the door. I open the door and walk in and immediately notice the TV is on, the ironing board is out, clothes thrown about the room. I walk in a step, notice all this and as soon as it registered, I got the heck out of there. I think the person was in the bathroom. It was a tad freaky. I ran down the hallway.

I go downstairs. Tell the front desk agent. She gives me a new key and I go up to that room and there is a small-sized refrigerator sitting in the middle of the Room.

Third room was OK. Not my day.

Moral... Use the latch.

Braindrain

It's happened to many of us before. The first thing I do when I enter the room is to use the deadbolt.

Doc Savage

About once a year.

niteowl94

Just happened to me last week in Istanbul Turkey, I walked into my assigned room to see a woman sleeping in "my bed". I agree that it happens about once or twice a year but that's why I use the latch when I'm in the room and the do not disturb sign when I'm out.

Forstbetrieb

Think I am lucky so far. Never got an occupied room but had a lot of staff visitors so far...

travelswithmyself

have to say, happens alla time :P

(OK about 5% for me, which is 5% too many)

jb3t

Wow... I'm closing in on 500 SPG stays and it's never happened to me before. The front desk manager was at the front desk when I went down after I tried the second room (the one with the fridge in the middle of the room) and was very apologetic. I had no issues as things like this happen. I actually thought is was kind of funny. Anyway, she threw some points my way and reached over and shook my hand. It was a nice gesture that I don't think I deservd.

I'm easy going but had I been the one in the room, I might have been a tad upset. However, I don't think he noticed as I think he was in the bathroom.