slashd0t

I've had this happen quite a few times actually.. Checking into a hotel to find out i've been given a key to a room that's already occupied!! I'm just curious to hear any other stories of this happening. All times this has happened to me the guest had been out, but, walk in and see all of their cloths and personal items!!

While this is clearly a security risk and defiantly an invasion of privacy, all the hotels staff have ever done is apologize and give me free breakfast etc. I'm always curious however if they compensate or even mention to the guest that someone else has had access to their room while they were away!!

Anyone else run into this regularly? (It has happened twice at the same hotel believe it or not and i've only stayed there twice )

railroadtycoon

Similar threads in other forums:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=488839

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=534897

Kettering Northants QC

Happened to me twice. I have no idea how it happens, it surely can't be that difficult for a computer to work out that a room has already been occupied. I've never been on a plane or train and found someone with the same seat reservation.

Why is it, hotels can't seem to work, what I would think were straightforward issues out. For example, I only ever seem to have problems with billing and credit card problems at hotels? Never happens at the Supermarket or the Petrol Station - Only ever at a Hotel

I recently checked into the Holiday Inn Heathrow to be told I had already checked in. I explained that I had only just arrived, I showed them my reservation and they explained they must have another Kettering Northants staying, I said that I thought that was highly unlikely and could they make sure I wasn't going to get billed for 2 rooms on my credit card. I was assured I would not be. Low and behold the following month I get billed for both rooms DESPITE having only signed one bill!

Similar thing happened at the Intercontinental, Sydney - signed one bill when I left, was charged for another room on my credit card bill - hotel just didn't enter into any communication with me and I had to file a despute with my credit card company that took 4 months to resolve!!

Orion

About two years ago I checked into the Embassy Suites Hotel near the Denver Airport, went up to my room and entered only to find that my suite was already occupied. A brief conversation revealed that the occupant and I shared the same first and last names. I returned to the front desk and was assigned another suite. This one was really mine - I think.

elll

When I checked into Hilton Hawaiian Village they gave me cardkey to an occupied room - the privacy latch was on, so when I went to open door it only opened the couple of inches....I just left and went back to front desk. HHV gave me b'fast coupon as comp for inconvenience.

esv

At the NH Budapest, not only was my room, um, busy but so were its occupants, having sex on the bed as I walked in.

On planes it's happened several times that I found someone in my seat with the same seat assignment as I. Usually means it's op-up time. ^

MCTUBBS

Previous life - Front Office Manager for hotels. Unless the guest you walked in on called, we probably would pretend it didn't happen. Why does it happen?

Unfortunately, it's not as uncommon as you would believe.

In my current life, at the Four Seasons Las Vegas, I was checked in to an occupied room.

One story swapped amongst hoteliers is the boutique hotel which opened with a desk staff recruited from a modeling agency. The staff didn't really 'get' the whole check in process. Opening night it was discovered that the clerks had made keys and given them out to a number of rooms, but completely skipped the step of checking the guests in to the hotel. But they looked good while they did it.

infoworks

Once, many years ago, late night check in, my key opened into a room complete with sleeping woman. Another time, full of luggage but no one home.

Had someone try to open my room door once, but they didn't get in!

Nothing like it in many years though.

mattm199

Another reason to use the security latch when you're in the room...
(also handy if housekeeping went to the knock-and-enter-immediately school!)

infoworks

I think that's the only school they went to! They also seem to have this knack of knowing when you are "in the bathroom" and wish to enter, and if it's not housekeeping, it's the mini bar police or any of the sometimes (it seems) never-ending line of workers who must have access to your room!

Green Dragon

I grew up in Miami. First thing you do is check the room for people, make sure windows/patio is locked, and put that security latch across your door. Oh, and put the Do Not Disturb sign on. Not that this stops all housekeeping staff! I've had them 'knock-and-enter-immediately' even with the sign on - and then get stopped by the security latch. I yelled from my bed 'can't you read!? DO NOT DISTURB! I'm sleeping!'

Doppy

Be careful - some people here would love to shoot someone for being assigned a room that was already taken:

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=660580

cordelli

Hapended to me a couple weeks ago or so. The moron at the desk explained that the day girl did all the gold and diamond cards, and after they assigned me a room, they gave it to somebody else. Because the card was reswipped my card didn't work, so I went down, told them the card didn't work, she ran it through again, and it worked just fine. (didn't know somebody else had the room yet).

The card worked just fine, somebody said something as I was opening the door, she wasn't happy.

The clerk said she was supposed to have checked the computer to make sure the room I was assigned in the morning was not assigned during the day, she didn't do that, she just printed the receipt, and handed me the key.

Always use all the locks, if they were smart enough to get it right all the time, they wouldn't be manning the desk at a hotel at midnight.

Absinthe

YES ~ this happened to me once...and the other person was there in the room when I opened the door! (sleeping, luckily!). But the hotel did NOTHING for me. No free breakfast OR apology.

huts

Given the number of nights I've spent in hotel rooms over the last ten years, I actually find it amazing that this has never happened to me. I've also never had anyone else walk in on me, although that is probably helped by the fact that I am religious about putting the "Do Not Disturb" sign out whenever I'm in the room (and often when I'm out of the room as well, e.g. if I go downstairs to work out or have a meal).

I would also repeat the earlier advice to always, always, always use the security latch whenever you're in the room. Like some others have mentioned, it's worth getting into the habit of always doing it immediately after you enter a room, before you get distracted unpacking, checking out what channels you get on the TV, etc.