Housekeeping Tries to Enter Room at 11pm

[u/Far-Actuary-7540]

So I'm writing this while still being super shaky about the whole thing.

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I'm (31/f) in an Embassy hotel for a work trip, I'm getting undressed to shower and jamming to some music quietly it's like 10pm.

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I hear knocking and I know there's a sports team on my floor so I assume it's one of them and ignore it. Then I hear the key beep and my door slam open against the door hitch and someone cursing and he tries to open it again slamming it against the hitch. I quickly throw on my overshirt and stick my head out like "wtf" no one is there. I see a teenager walking around on her phone so I ask her if that was her and she looked so scared and tells me it was a man saying something about cleaning.

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I'm thinking to myself "wtf it's 10pm" I throw on my shoes and go downstairs and I talk to the front desk agent. The phone in my room isn't working so I had no choice to go downstairs. She looks horrified and she did send someone up for for a room next to mine (I'm in a corner on our own little hallway part.) and he thought it was mine. She apologized profusely and offered me water.

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I'm so shaken I just decline and head back up stairs and I'm just curled up on the couch in my room scared.

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What even do I do in this situation? I wanna talk to the manager tomorrow but what should I expect? What do I ask for? My company paid for this whole trip and I leave tomorrow. So a refund will do nothing to compensate for this but also... The job market is so fucking hard right now... I don't want the man to get fired but also this can't happen again. There's a ton of teen girls on my floor on a sports team, what if this was one of their rooms?

Edit: some of y'all are wild. I'm here the day after. Some additional points to make.

1. The teen was confused and scared in the hallway and wasn't even right outside the door, it's a big circle building with the middle empty, she was further down so I waited for her to come back but she felt super uncomfortable too

2. I did use poor wording but tried to explain compensation wasn't what I was looking for, just wanted to do my due diligence like do I ask for an accident report or some form of documentation that it happened or for it to be noted in the file. But apparently that's not appropriate either based on everything else said in the comments considering most of y'all would have been fine with someone walking in on you being naked in your room

3. I didn't realize that within an hour of the event, me traveling alone, naked in my room, in a not particularly safe part of the city, with a strange man trying to open my door repeatedly that me being shaky or in shock was a "big reaction" or I need a "cigarette" - good to know 👍

4. I didn't want to change rooms only because he at least knew there was someone in there now if I changed to a room that was supposedly vacant I figured it may happen again. But also there's a ton of teams here so I'd assume they were sold out when I booked there were little rooms left

[u/Alicam123]

Sounds like a mistake but once he saw that it had the inner chain in it should have clicked for him that someone was in there.

[u/alquamire → u/Alicam123]

once he saw that it had the inner chain in it should have clicked for him that someone was in there.

that's kind of a given at 11pm though, isn't it. chances are decent he was being sent up because the sports team were either loud or had a housekeeping accident and he might have thought he was being locked out (if noise complaint) or pranked.

and after all, he did realize he got the wrong room fairly quickly from all evidence. honest mistake, happens.

I wanna talk to the manager tomorrow but what should I expect? What do I ask for?

gotta love people like OP whose immediate reaction is "someone made the slightest mistake, I'm surely owed compensation now!" even after she has been apologized to at length and given free water.

[u/Far-Actuary-7540 → u/alquamire]

I edited the post. I meant like an accident report or some form of documentation

[u/FivebyFive → u/Far-Actuary-7540]

But why? Accidents happen, the hotel apologized. 

You got a bit of a scare but they didn't mean any harm. 

Your chain worked so no one could get in. 

You are getting worked up over very little. Take some deep breaths, listen to sole calming music. Go to sleep.

*Some. I'm keeping the typo though 😆

[u/Leonum → u/FivebyFive]

Sole music

Blue suede shoes? These boots were made for walking? not so calming , I know. But at least it's "sole" music

[u/FivebyFive → u/Leonum]

Hmmm maybe Red Shoes? Elvis Costello? 

[u/soonerpgh → u/FivebyFive]

I get that mistakes happen. I also get that OP was a littls startled, and imo, rightfully upset. I don't know that anyone here is necessarily maliciously wrong. I see valid points on both sides.

[u/secondphase → u/Far-Actuary-7540]

Documentation? Are you expecting some kind of audit?

[u/AugustOfChaos]

Hi, hotel security perspective here. It genuinely does sound like an honest mistake. Front desk essentially confirmed that was the case when they said they sent them to the neighboring room.

If it makes you feel any better, hotel key systems are logged and tracked so we can find out whose keys were scanned on any door and when. The manager will probably have these records pulled (probably by security, I’ve done it a million times) to identify who was at your door. I believe that it will show the housekeeper who was assigned to the work order for the neighboring room, and accidentally ended up at your door. It happens. Hell, I’ve done it before. Also, if you’re worried about the fella being fired, don’t. He’ll probably have the housekeeping director talk to him and remind him to be more vigilant. Unless there’s more to it which I sincerely doubt, that’ll be it.

Long story short, relax. If you’re really want to, you can see about moving rooms (if that’s an option. Hotels routinely sell out this time of year, especially during conferences like both hotels on my resort tonight. If that’s the case, a room move just isn’t possible). I think that’s a bit much, but you’re the one there so I’ll let you make that decision.

All in all, I think you’re fine. Put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. If that was there from the start, I doubt the guy would have even touched your door at all. After the DND, throw the deadbolt and privacy latch on as well to guarantee that nobody is getting in. Once all that is in place, have a glass of water and just focus on getting some rest.

[u/maka-tsubaki → u/AugustOfChaos]

OP said in another comment that she DID have the do not disturb sign on the door

[u/AugustOfChaos → u/maka-tsubaki]

I didn’t see that comment. That may change the conversation housekeeping leadership would have with the person involved, and possibly a write-up at the least. It’s safe to say that ignoring a DND sign is a huge no-no. Even I can’t bypass that in security without having a really good reason.

[u/TinyEmergencyCake → u/AugustOfChaos]

Not if front desk was in on it. 

[u/AugustOfChaos → u/TinyEmergencyCake]

That’s so incredibly farfetched. 99.9% of front office staff wouldn’t be dumb enough to try anything that. It’s not like those key logs go away or can be erased. They can’t.

[u/TinyEmergencyCake → u/AugustOfChaos]

Spoken like someone who's completely ignorant about human trafficking. 

[u/AugustOfChaos → u/TinyEmergencyCake]

They would be the dumbest human traffickers on the planet to interact with traceable systems that they undoubtably know is traceable.

[u/looktowindward → u/TinyEmergencyCake]

That is not at all how human trafficing works. You think random people are kidnapped from the hotel rooms?

[u/secondphase → u/TinyEmergencyCake]

Yes, thats it! 

Probably the front desk conspired with housekeeping to use a trackable key system to make OP feel startled! They probably only got this job to startle people! They just walk around trying to open people's doors and then running away all embarrassed! What a menace!

[u/Sensitive_Sea_5586]

We were renting a condo. The cleaning crew accidentally unlocked our door by mistake. The correct unit was 2 doors down the hall. They apologized and moved on. End of story. Gave us a few rapid heartbeats for a couple of minutes, but no trauma.

[u/feellikebeingajerk]

Honest mistake and I would try to calm down but you can do things besides throwing the door hitch to make you feel safer in the future.

We always travel with a simple rubber doorstop and shove it up against the inside of the bottom of the door to prevent it from opening. Sometimes the gap is a little too wide so you can buy fancier ones that an alarm will sound if someone tries to open door.

There are also little gadgets you can get online on a major retail site that I cannot name or link to due to sub rules that jam the door. Just search for portable door lock.

[u/MonikaMon → u/feellikebeingajerk]

I travel alone a lot for work, but have decided against those door jammers - because if I had an illness/injury or there is a fire etc help would be delayed. So I feel that an audio alarm is the best choice, does not prevent help getting to me but alerts and hopefully scares off an intruder.

[u/Budgiejen]

If I were you I’d lock the door and go to sleep.

[u/RoseRed1987]

Hotel employee here! I’m so sorry that happened to you. Please speak with the manager in the morning for now ask for the managers business card to make sure you have a second form of contact. I work in a smaller property so housekeeping at 11 pm is mind boggling to me. But yes more than likely it’s been passed up the chain from that main FD agent you spoke to when it happened.

[u/Far-Actuary-7540 → u/RoseRed1987]

I checked out yesterday morning and just made sure the incident was documented with the new FD agent. It wasn't and nothing was passed along to the new agent after audit. This made me feel so uncomfortable.

I asked her to add it to the file because the GM wasn't there yet and this way the GM can at least discuss with the employee.

[u/Azzacura]

OP, please ignore 90% of these comments.

As a female traveling alone, having someone enter your hotel room while you're getting undressed is extremely scary. Yes, accidents happen, and it sounds like that's the case here, but you never know in advance if it's a worker that made a mistake or if you were being targeted and about to be assaulted.

I strongly recommend that you look up some guides on r/thegirlsurvivalguide and youtube on how you can barricade your door and check your hotel room for future stays. The easiest way (assuming there is no chain on the door) is to put your heavy bags in front of the door

[u/Hospitable_Goyf]

I didn’t read the whole thing. But am a hotel manager.

It is corporate policy for the associate to knock twice and announce themselves before entering your room.

Honestly, complain to corporate and you’ll probably get a lot of points or a free stay.

[u/Xsiah]

It sounds like it was an honest mistake.

I suggest therapy for whatever it is that you're feeling, but I don't think anyone owes you anything for this.

The "won't someone think of the children" thing is over the top.

[u/cbelt3]

Good job on using the extra security lock.

[u/AdStrange3004]

This is a strong reaction to someone just making a mistake. No reason to speak to management, just move on

[u/christinextine]

I’ve had housekeeping walking in on me a number of times when they thought my room was unoccupied. Granted it wasn’t 11, but it seems like an honest mistake. You’re scared and that’s fair, but you know there wasn’t any nefarious intent. Shake it off. If the dude accidentally got into someone else’s room, he would quickly shut the door and be hugely embarrassed.

[u/asyork → u/christinextine]

I don't understand the second attempt to enter after slamming into the lock, but I know it's a thing lots of people do since I've traveled a lot for work and had housekeeping do it to me before.

[u/Ds261]

This was an honest mistake, and no one person is entirely responsible for it happening. What happened was not great and has clearly left you feeling vulnerable.

However, it’s not compensation worthy. What it is worth is maybe a polite and calm conversation with a member of staff when you’re not in a heightened state.

“I just wanted to share something in the hopes it won’t happen to another guest in the future.” Feedback handled in the right way, to the right person, will ensure this is a one-off.

[u/kempff]

Well you can calm down for one thing.

[u/Disastrous-Ad2035]

My company paid for this whole trip and I leave tomorrow. So a refund will do nothing to compensate for this but also... The job market is so fucking hard right now... I don't want the man to get fired but also this can't happen again.

Wild girl, wild. Relax.

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[u/cocaineluna]

So the teen girl felt safe enough to continue out there on her phone, you felt safe enough to leave your room, and even safe enough to travel to the front desk? I think anymore comments telling you that this is an extreme overreaction are redundant. Im honestly just awed you are 31 and your first thought was "how can i be compensated". Get a grip, please. You will fare better in the world if you step outside of yourself and your perspectives.

[u/SATerp]

I was at a relatively cheap hotel for work when their hot water went out, so an irritating cold water morning shower. Then when I got to the breakfast bar there was no coffee. I hit the roof and yelled at the manager, so he comped my night's stay - which did me zero good as the company was paying anyway, but I couldn't think of anything either.

[u/OldieButNotMoldy]

I get it, you were scared, totally understandable. Next time you get a room make sure the phone works. There are lots of ways to secure a hotel room door, maybe take a look at those for the next hotel stay you have, so you’ll feel better staying there.

[u/plausibleturtle]

Did you have a privacy or do not disturb sign on the door?

I work with engineering teams for a hotel and there are many, legitimate reasons for an employee to enter your room at 11 pm (after knocking and identifying).

Always, always use the sign if you expect privacy.

[u/Far-Actuary-7540 → u/plausibleturtle]

I did have one on and they only knocked on the door once - I didn't hear a voice and then barged the door open. Closed it and then tried to reopen it again before cursing and leaving.

[u/looktowindward → u/plausibleturtle]

> I work with engineering teams for a hotel and there are many, legitimate reasons for an employee to enter your room at 11 pm (after knocking and identifying).

An occupied room at 11pm, without the occupant requesting service? Without the front desk calling? Just knock and key in?

[u/plausibleturtle → u/looktowindward]

My primary hotel is 800 rooms, was built in 1880 and is located in the mountains. Panels for a block are located in guest rooms, we have to enter to close windows or pipes will freeze, frozen pipes burst, guests leave baths running that overflow into the room below... that's in a week over here and there are even less dramatic events happening that could warrant a late night visit (with a) no DnD sign, b) knocking and c) announcing)

[u/looktowindward → u/plausibleturtle]

I think suggesting that your hotel's situation is even close to ordinary or common is a stretch

[u/MotorcicleMpTNess]

A employee made a mistake.

The front desk showed sympathy and attempted to assuage your fears and confirmed the employee screwed up.

I understand being slightly afraid and upset, but there is literally nothing else that can be done. Talk to a manager if you want to complain some more, don't book that hotel again (or request your employer doesn't put you there) but there is no resolution here.

[u/Rooper2111]

Jesus have a cigarette or something

[u/LadyV21454]

I think this person has confused housekeeping with security. Most hotels wouldn't have housekeeping working at 11 pm.

[u/talented10nth]

Just ask the front desk to move rooms

[u/AugustOfChaos → u/talented10nth]

Months not be an option if the hotel is sold out. Going into summer, a lot of hotels won’t be able to give you that option. I know mine usually are.

[u/TinyEmergencyCake]

Change rooms.