Hotel 3 am fire alarm
Feb 11, 2019, 1:00 pm
#16
Moderator: Luxury Hotels and FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Palo Alto, California,USA
Posts: 17,891
I had this problem on a cold night at a Manchester airport hotel. It was a false alarm. The hotel handed out space emergency blankets, those foil things, to everyone standing outside.
The next morning on checkout, they gave everyone who asked or even just complained a 30% discount, without protest. If you didn't ask, you didn't get. So despite all the self-righteous posts above, it does appear that asking was a good idea.
The next morning on checkout, they gave everyone who asked or even just complained a 30% discount, without protest. If you didn't ask, you didn't get. So despite all the self-righteous posts above, it does appear that asking was a good idea.
Feb 11, 2019, 3:18 pm
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SEA (the REAL Washington); occasionally in the other Washington (DCA area)
Programs: DL PM 1.57MM; AS MVPG 100K
Posts: 21,478
On some occasions, yes, I expect compensation. For example, the time I stayed at a hotel and a group of trouble makers pulled the alarm several times. The hotel told me 'this always happens when we allow groups like [that]' so in that instance, yes, there was something the hotel could have done to prevent it (not accepting the group) so I expect to be compensated. A genuine fire, or accidental trigger, then no, I do not.
Feb 11, 2019, 3:53 pm
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Pittsburgh
Programs: MR/SPG LT Titanium, AA LT PLT, UA SLV, Avis PreferredPlus
Posts: 31,048
You "probably" won't be in a car accident each time you get in a car, so don't bother with seat belts?
You 50% probably would have been fine...
Feb 11, 2019, 10:55 pm
#19
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: bay area, ca
Programs: UA plat, , aa plat, marriott LT titanium
Posts: 4,836
Many years ago there were a couple of high profile hotel fires in ?Las Vegas which were quite publicized b/c many were hurt or killed needlessly. There was a lot of education about locating the nearest fire exits 1st thing when entering a hotel room. This is what I taught my children to do when they were little - don't know if they still do it, but I do.
Feb 14, 2019, 6:35 pm
#20
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: BNE / LHR
Programs: QF Gold
Posts: 1,603
Asked for 30,000 hilton points (cost of 1 night) as compo after a 3am fire alarm.
UK property, staff were useless and playing on their phones, no organisation nothing. Middle of winter stuck in a carpark for over an hour.
UK property, staff were useless and playing on their phones, no organisation nothing. Middle of winter stuck in a carpark for over an hour.
Feb 17, 2019, 4:31 pm
#21
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: DUS
Posts: 30
This reminds me of when I was called from the front desk at 2am to double-check if I still was to use the airport shuttle that I had booked the night before. The receptionist was talking about "this morning", I was thinking about "tomorrow", I couldn't think with clarity... All very confusing. I wanted to put a serious complaint the next morning, but they got away thanks to a 15 people line. Obviously never been back.
Feb 18, 2019, 6:05 pm
#22
Join Date: Nov 2013
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum; Amex Plat; Four Seasons; Fairmont; HH; etc.; "Retirees-In-Training"
Posts: 658
Two items:
First, many years ago, at my first professional conference, I was showering early in the morning, carefully washing my (long) hair, not rushing at all, trying to stay relaxed before my first-ever presentation. The bathroom fan was noisy, but "no problem"; what did I care?
i *finally* opened the bathroom door and stepped into the little hallway to the bedroom, and WHAMMO... all sorts of noises. It took me a while (TOO long!) to realize those were alarms. I was wrapped in a towel, with dripping wet hair.
I sat on the bed and dialed the hotel operator, who, thank goodness, actually answered. I asked if there was a fire, and she chirped something like, "Didn't you hear the announcements?" (Uh, obviously that would be a "no"!) There had been a malfunction of the alarms, and we were all supposedly instructed to ignore the noise.
Several issues... IF I had been prone to a heart attack, that would have done it...
But then, with the alarms still going, what IF there were a real emergency?
Second: I don't like heights [understatement, but flying is okay, oddly], so we try to avoid true highrise hotels (and office meetings when possible).
But I have a bad foot, so IF we were on a very high floor, I would have trouble getting down, and I certainly couldn't do it quickly beyond maybe one flight.
That is terrifying.
What DO hotels do with guests whom they know to be handicapped, e.g., those in wheelchairs/accessible rooms, anyway, in a real highrise building?
(And they typically would not know I had a problem.)
GC
First, many years ago, at my first professional conference, I was showering early in the morning, carefully washing my (long) hair, not rushing at all, trying to stay relaxed before my first-ever presentation. The bathroom fan was noisy, but "no problem"; what did I care?
i *finally* opened the bathroom door and stepped into the little hallway to the bedroom, and WHAMMO... all sorts of noises. It took me a while (TOO long!) to realize those were alarms. I was wrapped in a towel, with dripping wet hair.
I sat on the bed and dialed the hotel operator, who, thank goodness, actually answered. I asked if there was a fire, and she chirped something like, "Didn't you hear the announcements?" (Uh, obviously that would be a "no"!) There had been a malfunction of the alarms, and we were all supposedly instructed to ignore the noise.
Several issues... IF I had been prone to a heart attack, that would have done it...
But then, with the alarms still going, what IF there were a real emergency?
Second: I don't like heights [understatement, but flying is okay, oddly], so we try to avoid true highrise hotels (and office meetings when possible).
But I have a bad foot, so IF we were on a very high floor, I would have trouble getting down, and I certainly couldn't do it quickly beyond maybe one flight.
That is terrifying.
What DO hotels do with guests whom they know to be handicapped, e.g., those in wheelchairs/accessible rooms, anyway, in a real highrise building?
(And they typically would not know I had a problem.)
GC
Feb 19, 2019, 8:53 am
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 13,573
Two items:
First, many years ago, at my first professional conference, I was showering early in the morning, carefully washing my (long) hair, not rushing at all, trying to stay relaxed before my first-ever presentation. The bathroom fan was noisy, but "no problem"; what did I care?
i *finally* opened the bathroom door and stepped into the little hallway to the bedroom, and WHAMMO... all sorts of noises. It took me a while (TOO long!) to realize those were alarms. I was wrapped in a towel, with dripping wet hair.
I sat on the bed and dialed the hotel operator, who, thank goodness, actually answered. I asked if there was a fire, and she chirped something like, "Didn't you hear the announcements?" (Uh, obviously that would be a "no"!) There had been a malfunction of the alarms, and we were all supposedly instructed to ignore the noise.
Several issues... IF I had been prone to a heart attack, that would have done it...
But then, with the alarms still going, what IF there were a real emergency?
Second: I don't like heights [understatement, but flying is okay, oddly], so we try to avoid true highrise hotels (and office meetings when possible).
But I have a bad foot, so IF we were on a very high floor, I would have trouble getting down, and I certainly couldn't do it quickly beyond maybe one flight.
That is terrifying.
What DO hotels do with guests whom they know to be handicapped, e.g., those in wheelchairs/accessible rooms, anyway, in a real highrise building?
(And they typically would not know I had a problem.)
GC
First, many years ago, at my first professional conference, I was showering early in the morning, carefully washing my (long) hair, not rushing at all, trying to stay relaxed before my first-ever presentation. The bathroom fan was noisy, but "no problem"; what did I care?
i *finally* opened the bathroom door and stepped into the little hallway to the bedroom, and WHAMMO... all sorts of noises. It took me a while (TOO long!) to realize those were alarms. I was wrapped in a towel, with dripping wet hair.
I sat on the bed and dialed the hotel operator, who, thank goodness, actually answered. I asked if there was a fire, and she chirped something like, "Didn't you hear the announcements?" (Uh, obviously that would be a "no"!) There had been a malfunction of the alarms, and we were all supposedly instructed to ignore the noise.
Several issues... IF I had been prone to a heart attack, that would have done it...
But then, with the alarms still going, what IF there were a real emergency?
Second: I don't like heights [understatement, but flying is okay, oddly], so we try to avoid true highrise hotels (and office meetings when possible).
But I have a bad foot, so IF we were on a very high floor, I would have trouble getting down, and I certainly couldn't do it quickly beyond maybe one flight.
That is terrifying.
What DO hotels do with guests whom they know to be handicapped, e.g., those in wheelchairs/accessible rooms, anyway, in a real highrise building?
(And they typically would not know I had a problem.)
GC
Secondly, the procedures vary depending on location, both country you are in, and particular property. In some, there are designated 'refuge' areas, where people unable to evacuate by stairs are supposed to gather, and the firefighters know of these refuge areas. Well designed ones have specific airflow to reduce smoke, and fireproofed doors / walls. In at least one place, it has been a janitors closet... Some jurisdictions have elevators that can be used during a fire (both for fire fighters and those who cannot manage stairs) but typically these cannot be operated by guests. Some properties have evacuation 'chairs' which staff or a companion could operate in an emergency.
If I knew I would need assistance evacuating in an emergency, I would tell the front desk when I checked in.