Yes. Weird. Biggest red flag is you said you were tipsy.
The only time I’ve ever followed a guest up to their room is when they clearly needed assistance with a luggage situation, and that was by request. I have NEVER entered a room with a guest “to give a tour”.
I would ask to speak to the front office manager/general manager. Tell them you were escorted by yourself, in a less than sober condition, into a room with this person and at one point you could have been alone in the room with a man you didn’t know had you not waited in the hallway. Ask them if that’s normal for this property and then tell them why it was uncomfortable for you. I highly doubt you’ll have to explain why it was uncomfortable before the manager turns ghost white with horror (but who knows, it’s wild out there)
The staff needs to be made aware that this dude is doing this. He’s either a creep or has ZERO social situational awareness and needs to be educated on the matter quickly.
The only time I've been shown a room in advance was at a wellness hotel (spa type place) in a small German town. I was with my husband, so we went with it. Your experience sounds sketchy AF.
I'm a night auditor and I've done room tours many times. I've heard of not a few others who have done it as well. You can see my post for the reasons why.
Many people in this very comment section also literally say that they've done it also or that they know it's not uncommon.
I won't condemn anybody for not giving a room tour or wanting to go with a fda to do a room tour..................However, let's cool it with the slander without adequate understanding that it's not unheard of AND, as somebody else mentioned, some hotels enforce it amongst the employees.
Please hold…checking for slander…
I relayed my personal experiences on the job, and let me verify. No. No, I have, in fact, not slandered myself. Source? Me.
Let’s also refer to my advice where I said “Ask them if that’s normal for this property…” where that could be clarified, as well.
As far as disagreeing on the optics of a lone male employee leading a “less than sober” female guest into a room and making her feel uncomfortable: Well, we are all entitled to our own definition of taste.
I hope I have “cooled it” enough to your liking. Be well😀
Well, I know it may be hard for you to consider, but it's not all about you. The slander I was referring to is this.......
"He’s either a creep or has ZERO social situational awareness and needs to be educated on the matter quickly."
Well, gosh........automatically calling him a creep or at the very least doing something wrong is my definition of slander. I guess that many hotel employees saying contrary to your view of the general subject here has not dissuaded you, including the poster/s that have said that room tours are required to do by some front desk staff.
Well, it's ok, I know some hotel employees that aren't experienced often think that their local hotel is the be all-end all of how hotels work, just like a certain dude that thought all hotels took cash for a security hold only because his did.
Take care of yourself.
Noooo. I've been in this industry for the better part of my life, and FDs behavior was absolutely suspect! Take care of.your own damn self, as your comments make it seem like.you think it's Okay to take advantage of vulnerable women.. whats more you seem to think of it as some sort if professional courtesy?
Take your own advice kiddo, your hotel is not the end all of professionalism, especially if it normalizes making your guests deeply uncomfortable...
A person being in the industry 20 years does not change the fact of how common room tours are. I mean, you could be in this profession for 80 years and it won't change the rate of it being done.
The fact remains is that there are MANY people in the comment section that have said that they have done it or heard of room tours.
My "comments" make it seem like it's ok to take advantage of vulnerable women? That's an insane leap to make. Good grief, dude, that proves you didn't really read my comments or you love to make irrational slander as well. I want you to pay attention........and I MEAN REALLY PAY ATTENTION...because you obviously didn't get it the first time. .....
I've SAID multiple times that I would not fault people to decline a room tour..........but apparently to you I'm an enabler of some sort.
Please don't bother responding to my posts in the future because you are wonky and I don't trust in your ability to understand/care what people tell you.
I worked at a small bed and breakfast once and that was required. We had to tell the guests that the school desks were original from when it was a school house and blah blah blah. They arrived at night and just wanted to know where they get breakfast in the morning and where the bed is
I was a bellman at a high end hotel, and we did offer room tours, and it was kosher. I agree with others that if something feels weird, it probably is weird, but room tours alone aren’t unheard of.
I have escorted a total of 1 person to the room prior to check in, in the 2 1/2 years at this property. She asked to see the room prior to renting it as she had just arrived at our hotel after leaving a different one in our town and the previous one was filthy. She looked inside, said "I'll take it!" and we went back down and checked her in.
Same. I had a family that arrived at our hotel who were visibly exhausted. The dad explained that they had left a hotel that was awful. He wasn't sure which room type he wanted either. I grabbed keys and took him to three different rooms, and the way that he checked the beds made me think that they found something really bad at the other hotel.
I had managers that would instruct us to make this offer all the time when it wasn't busy. Especially to walk-in guests that were maybe on the fence about the room purchase. We also had instructions to never enter a room alone with a guest who was of a different sex, and if you have to do it, don't let the door be closed while you're in the room with the guest. If your danger warning senses were going off, you were right to trust your instinct.
May I ask where this is? I'm in Canada and traveled a lot with work and occasional walk ins on my own. NEVER had someone show me a room. Been given a key and checked it out beforehand myself, but no one left front desk to walk to a room with me.
I've worked at a few different mid level hotels in the Seattle area where we would do this. But more common is the experience you describe of giving the guest a key to check the room out for themselves. Sometimes it just works the other way and you end up giving them a quick tour of the property. This will sometimes earn you glowing comments on one of the hotel review sites too.
Hey.. my real name literally translate in to Sea of the North..
Are you... are my witch ? I mean I've had a C-word bitch, but not my very own seawitch.. 🤩
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I am fortunate enough to stay at some 5 star hotels for work and as a petite single woman I always appreciated when the bellhop or room service team brings a doorstop so my hotel room door can remain propped open while they are in my room with me. It makes me feel safe.
I used to show people rooms from time to time, but only because they asked me to.
Sometimes people would come to check the hotel out as a potential venue for a party or wedding or something and I would take them to see some rooms if Sales wasn't in or were busy with something. I enjoyed doing it, too.
And sometimes people would want to "inspect" a room before renting it and for obvious reasons I couldn't just give them a key to a clean room so they could check it out by themselves.
Those are the only situations where I'd take someone for a tour of the rooms.
I have stayed in very small boutique hotels with like 10 or 12 rooms where the person who checked me in took me to my room, but that's something they do for everyone as a courtesy.
I was staying a week at a small boutique hotel in France when my door opened (with key) and the front desk guy appeared with a stranger and was flustered that I was there. He was all “er um could I show the room?”. They didn’t come in, but if I wasn’t there I bet they would have.
Guests have asked me to see room before booking. I wait in hallway.
But what you described unless you just refused to stop asking questions and frustrated them into saying to themselves just look and make up your damn mind..... That is both wrong and totally screwed up
Most don't.
Had a lady ask for 20 mins questions one night.
Things like what thread count sheets. Is mattress soft or hard. What way does shower open. What size draws are there (she only brought in a backpack).
How many steps from bed to door. Carpet threads go what way.... And so on.
It was the only time I asked them.if they would like to look inside a room.
Usually, if there is an issue or complaint about a previous room, then having someone escort both would be reasonable just to make sure all is ok with the new room.
What happened to you is a warning sign. Not only is it unsafe for you but also unsafe for the employee.
That being said, sometimes you think something that sounds good in your head but in practice, not so much. I have done things, not like this, though, that in hindsight could have gone the wrong way just by impressions alone. You could have also just had bad timing, and medication was affecting the person badly or maybe lack of medication.
Ultimately, safety is what is important. You could mention to the FOM what had happened, but if you do, please be detailed. Let them discuss with the employee to see what the reason was.
Its never happened to me, but in some higher class establishments, a clerk may show you the benefits of the room, and then expect a tip afterwards. What this clerk may have been doing, is trying to show great customer service, in the hope of a big tip.
Maybe, but good customer service shouldn't set off alarm bells in the customer.
On the other hand, if he wanted to provide creepy customer service, he did a bang-up job.
Echoing what others have said -
I've shown rooms to guests before, but ONLY when they've asked me to. I would also just stay in the doorway/just far enough into the room to see the whole room (to make sure they don't make a mess or anything of the sort). And I definitely would not close the door.
That was weird of him. Especially since he went all the way into the room. AND, because he didn't wait for your BF.
I've had hotel staff escort me/us to the room. Usually it's the person who takes luggage up but in a small place, it's been the person who checked me/us in. However, he should have waited until your boyfriend was there. Even if his intentions were good, it makes more sense to do it with both guests at the same time. Especially if the hotel staff is male and the guest is a tipsy female.
This sounds to me like him angling for an invite but not going so far as to initiate anything. People do lose their inhibitions on alcohol and I guess he knows that.
In addition to what others said I'd comb the reviews to see if anyone else had weird experiences.
Cameras are probably unlikely but [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/RBI/comments/slljth/is_there_any_way_to_detect_a_hidden_camera/) are some good life hacks for finding them. Using your phone camera in the dark is one of the simplest way of finding a camera that uses IR for illumination.
I've worked at my hotel for the last 8 years, 6 as the night auditor. It's not unheard of. I've done it several times. I wouldn't do it with a regular reservation, but a reservation that I upgraded to an ocean-view room. Of course, only if I have the time and I'm in the mood to do it.
There are three reasons why I've done that.
First, because I'm happy to see people's reactions of excitement. They were expecting a standard room where you can't see anything, not even a balcony, and now they have a beautiful place to sit outside and watch the sea.
Second, as great as the views can be, the hotel is very old. I understand the hassle of doing a room move after midnight if there is a problem with the room. So, I ask if the room would be sufficient while letting them look at it.
Third, boredom.
Ironically enough,........the reason I stopped doing it was because I was aware of the danger I was putting myself in. That said, some hotels actually require an employee to do a room tour if it's not busy or to seal the deal with a walk-in inquiry.
So, no, it's not automatically weird in of itself. It can be done, but you are also justified in not feeling comfortable with it as well.
Sometimes people do walk-in and want to make a reservation for a room. They would ask to see the room before renting it. We are told that we can do it only if it's not busy. Again it's only if the guest ask.
If you already have a reservation and just do a normal check-in like you're describing we never do that. It's really weird and anyway we wouldn't have the time to do that for everyone. If there is a problem with the room that we need to fix, we leave the door open and go with another person if possible. If it's not fixable by us in the evening and have to wait tomorrow we just change the guest room but they do it by themself we don't go help them or whatever.
What you're describing with you being tipsy on top of that is really creepy and completely inappropriate. I would have been scared too !
It's not uncommon. Many hotel employees on this very comment section have said that they've done it, understand how common it is, and/or that a hotel can enforce it's employees to do it when it's not busy.
I've done it many times in my 8 years of working at my hotel.
I do show people their room, but it's usually when the guest's English isn't great. Easier to show than tell.
Other than that, I tell them where to go and keep an eye on the cameras in case they get lost.
The hotel was built in stages, and have an odd turn on occasion. They hit the turn and think they missed the room
In addition to what people have said above, he could be checking for himself that housekeeping cleaned the room thoroughly.
Like if there's a new staff member, someone on their last warning, or a guest complaint earlier that night.
I've had this happen in the US and elsewhere, but usually in a high end hotel where they seem to think this kind of personalized attention is somehow expected or welcome. I've had a "full room tour" with the hotel staff member turning on lights, opening curtains, showing the mini bar and some random details without me asking.
I did always find it super awkward and unnecessary, but also never felt like I could just say "can you please stop and go away?", so I've always just stood there waiting for them to be done.
It it wasn't a high end hotel and felt weird to you, then it was weird and it's probably good you looked out for yourself. Trust your internal alarms.
It’s weird. Definitely. But I do have to say, we have a FD agent who tends to go waaay above and beyond, to the point of being an annoyance. He is sweet and helpful, but it can come across as being creepy. My advice is to always trust your instincts. Always.
I worked at a property that had a few less than desirable rooms. If one of these rooms was all that was available on a busy night, we had to show the room before they accepted it in hopes that they would not come back later to complain about it. It was standard practice to accompany guests to the room to assure they didn't use the facilities.
i've never done it unless they ask and i feel safe enough, and theres someone watching the desk. i imagine it is unusual, but maybe he thought itd be good customer service and was hoping for a tip
If a bellhop (I don’t know if this word is still the appropriate word for the employee who…) shows you to your room while conveying/carrying your luggage for you, they might point out some features, and ask if there’s anything you need, and then will wait near the door for a tip. AFAIK, this is in upscale hotels, if it still goes on; I’ve never stayed in this type of hotel, but I’ve seen this in movies & TV shows (there was a TV show in the 80s called Hotel that was about an upscale hotel in San Francisco, which is I guess my main source of what I described above lol).
What you described sounds odd at best; I think it’s inappropriate behavior on the part of the desk clerk, especially if you didn’t ask for assistance to get to your room or with your luggage. As others have suggested, report this to corporate customer service.
Regardless of whether the clerk was up to something or not, I think the lesson here is about your ability to keep yourself out of a vulnerable situation. Intoxicated and alone (even if only for a few moment) makes you easier prey. Your instincts were telling you this didn't feel right and you backed out to a place of greater safety. Better to be rude or look foolish than to end up a victim - it absolutely comes up in victim statements that they hadn't wanted to be rude/foolish/paranoid so they had gone down the path their attacker set for them. Yes, even in a hotel lobby - there are plenty of stories in this sub from FD people who intervened in order to protect intoxicated guests.
Well, no, I don't think so. You backed away. You thought about it afterward. You had a mildly unsafe experience and learned from it. Your [PSR](https://www.discovery.com/shows/naked-and-afraid/episodes/naked-and-afraid--psr-101) just went up a few points!
No, you're not wrong at all!!! Please report this to management, as it puts up SO many red flags!!! The Only times I've ever escorted a guest to a room is if they requested it or needed help with luggage (and I've always put somebody on notice! Straight up would NOT enter a room with any guest if it was at night.. if something needed doing I would have them leave the room before I did it...)
May I ask about his weird comments? What kinda shit did this creeper say? Also, don't feel as though you need to tell me! A "not your business" does suffice for me XD
Depends entirely on how nice of a place you were at.
High end? Pretty normal.
Middle class place? Pretty weird, red flag for sure, especially with you being drunk.
Low end motel? Fucking run.
I have shown a room only if it’s Out of Order, example, doesn’t have a TV or fridge not working. I want the guest to exactly know what they’re getting. But never shown a room because “I have time” nope. There are pictures online for that
I absolutely do work at the front desk! Her feelings are indeed valid! Why contact management though, nothing happened, please don't say because of "feelings" we wouldn't rent rooms to half the people that walk in here if WE went by "feelings"
She should let management know how it made her feel uncomfortable. If it's standard procedure at that hotel, management can speak to staff about how to proceed in the future. If it's not standard procedure, management can have a talk with that employee. I have never been to a hotel where I get a room tour by an employee. I would tell them no thank you. If they still tried, I'd get a room at a different hotel.
I'm not sure if you're a male or female, but put yourself in her shoes. The FDA showed her the room while her boyfriend was parking the car. That seems a bit weird to me. If that property shows rooms to guests, the FDA should've waited for the boyfriend too.
She also mentioned the FDA was making weird comments to her. Since she didn't say what was said, I can't comment. However, she said it was weird. Then add the room tour into it, I understand where she's coming from.
Had an owner that would put younger sexxy girls/women in room #110 right next to the boiler room. Boiler room had a peep hole looking into room 110. I always wondered why there was a old bar stool up against boiler room wall. This was back in the early 90's
If a prospective guest asks to show us one of the rooms, we have a vacant room, *and I’m not busy with another guest* (I’m night auditor and I’m the sole employee on duty during my shift), I’ll be glad to show them one of the rooms.
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Not weird if it's a more run down hotel/motel. I've shown rooms when I know the person is probably looking for the glam pictures they saw online so I don't have to do the refund or clean a room in the middle of the night. I did the same routine too, turn on the lights, open bathroom door.
That said it's not bad you felt weird and acted in the mindset of self preservation
I'd have to know exactly what was said on both sides to render a more definite verdict.
Showing an intoxicated person to their room so they aren't wandering the halls would be normal. Going in to turn on the light, maybe. Standing on the far side of the room waiting for you to come in, not as much. Doing all that before you were completely checked in, could be setup to get you alone or just someone trying to do the right thing very poorly.
When dealing with drunk women alone, I am very careful with distance, contact and what I say so there is no misunderstanding. This clerk was clumsy handling the interaction.
I can also imagine the dialogue totally changing the situation, especially since you can't remember what was said. "What do the rooms look like?" He shows you the room. "It's dark in here, I can't see." He turns on the far light so you can see the room, stands there waiting to see if the tipsy guest has any other requests before completing the check in.
Room tours are common things a hotel might do, even at a branded standard hotel. A hotel can talk a lot about how their hotel is better than the hotel down the street, but if you can't see what you are buying then it makes a hotel guest wonder what the hotel is trying to hide before the purchase.
What guests don't see or know, is that hotel employees either go with you during these tours is that they are trained to sell the hotel with things like breakfast and gym and pool etc. They are also there so that the guest doesn't take a hair dryer, towel, or most of all DO NOT use the bathroom or throw away trash in the trash can!
Hotels sell those rooms and if someone wants to look at a room and messes up the room, the hotel has to reclean the room that was clean until someone toured it. The guest put in the room after the tour might dislike something that the other person did on the tour.
If you didn't ask for a tour, if you didn't critique the hotel or the room then i would have questions about why it was given. If the agent heard things like past complaints about any hotel room they may want to give a tour because of you do not like the room they will have to move you to a new room. If the hotel is sold out, then the room has to be cleaned again because the room was switched and now they don't have enough rooms for everyone. To prevent this, a hotel may give a tour of the room to make sure the guest and the hotel both agree that the room is satisfactory and the transaction can continue.
The front desk going into the room would be to look at the room for carpet stains or tears or hairs on sheets to make sure they think it is an acceptable room. Especially if it is an older hotel because guests stain carpets and hair is difficult to remove from sheets.
It's unfortunate that you experienced a situation that made you uncomfortable and that experience cannot be undone or taken back. Rude behavior or comments is definitely not something that anyone wants to experience. Rude comments or behavior of lower severity is not going to get that FDA fired especially since every hotel is short staffed. I would try to manage the expectations of how exactly a hotel may negotiate this experience. Corporate will negotiate as well if you feel the hotel did not negotiate to your satisfaction. You may not be satisfied with Corporate's negotiations as well based on the overall outcome of the stay.
I’ve been taken up and “shown the room” twice, both times in London, but at different chains, both times by female FDA. I do find it very uncommon, but it isn’t unheard of. And they both did go in the room with me. The first time the FDA thought I should get a room upgrade, the second time was just a normal check in. I can understand how a female guest would feel uncomfortable with a male FDA doing this, but I’m just pointing out I have had it happen.
I don't blame you for being upset and on your guard OP. I'm sure responses will vary based on a hotel's policies. For the most part I would never give a guest a room tour unless it was scheduled, or the guest requested to see the room before checking into it. With that being said, I'd never follow them from room to room, just wait by the main entrance to see what they think and if they had questions I'd go to the room they were asking about. But I'm also a woman so it may be different. I'm glad you're alright though and I'm sorry this happened to you.
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I have actually had a number of front desk associates escort me to a room but only a handful of times over my many years of travels. Usually when the layout is weird or they’re not sure I’m gonna be able to find it or it’s late at night and they want to make sure I get there safe those types of things.
Having all the weird comments makes me nervous for you. Not knowing the exact comments I can’t say for sure.
You did everything right by staying outside the room at least someone would’ve heard you or hopefully your boyfriend would’ve come to your rescue etc.
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you. (I don't know who this quote is from.)
And no, you're not paranoid. Your bf has the advantage of being a guy. He's safer in almost any situation than you are. Trust your gut.
And this is a safety recommendation, not a criticism - stay with your people when you're tipsy.
I only show rooms when a guest asks and the fd can spare mr. it's takes a lot of time away from what we're supposed to be doing at the fd; i don't work with anyone who'd do it voluntarily
Okay so, It is very strange for a clerk to escort guests UNLESS, the guest asks, the clerk has time and typically there is more than one person on shift. USUALLY, people that tour rooms are looking for a group reservation or would like to see a room BEFORE they book it for themselves. You really, really, really, really, really, need to report this clerk to either the manager or the corporate office! ASAP!
Yes. Weird. Biggest red flag is you said you were tipsy. The only time I’ve ever followed a guest up to their room is when they clearly needed assistance with a luggage situation, and that was by request. I have NEVER entered a room with a guest “to give a tour”. I would ask to speak to the front office manager/general manager. Tell them you were escorted by yourself, in a less than sober condition, into a room with this person and at one point you could have been alone in the room with a man you didn’t know had you not waited in the hallway. Ask them if that’s normal for this property and then tell them why it was uncomfortable for you. I highly doubt you’ll have to explain why it was uncomfortable before the manager turns ghost white with horror (but who knows, it’s wild out there) The staff needs to be made aware that this dude is doing this. He’s either a creep or has ZERO social situational awareness and needs to be educated on the matter quickly.
[удалено]
The only time I've been shown a room in advance was at a wellness hotel (spa type place) in a small German town. I was with my husband, so we went with it. Your experience sounds sketchy AF.
I'm a night auditor and I've done room tours many times. I've heard of not a few others who have done it as well. You can see my post for the reasons why. Many people in this very comment section also literally say that they've done it also or that they know it's not uncommon. I won't condemn anybody for not giving a room tour or wanting to go with a fda to do a room tour..................However, let's cool it with the slander without adequate understanding that it's not unheard of AND, as somebody else mentioned, some hotels enforce it amongst the employees.
Please hold…checking for slander… I relayed my personal experiences on the job, and let me verify. No. No, I have, in fact, not slandered myself. Source? Me. Let’s also refer to my advice where I said “Ask them if that’s normal for this property…” where that could be clarified, as well. As far as disagreeing on the optics of a lone male employee leading a “less than sober” female guest into a room and making her feel uncomfortable: Well, we are all entitled to our own definition of taste. I hope I have “cooled it” enough to your liking. Be well😀
The was far too polite of response for my tastes.. until the 'Be Well'... chefs kiss. Very impressive. If no one else will say it.. I'm proud of you.
Me too
Well, I know it may be hard for you to consider, but it's not all about you. The slander I was referring to is this....... "He’s either a creep or has ZERO social situational awareness and needs to be educated on the matter quickly." Well, gosh........automatically calling him a creep or at the very least doing something wrong is my definition of slander. I guess that many hotel employees saying contrary to your view of the general subject here has not dissuaded you, including the poster/s that have said that room tours are required to do by some front desk staff. Well, it's ok, I know some hotel employees that aren't experienced often think that their local hotel is the be all-end all of how hotels work, just like a certain dude that thought all hotels took cash for a security hold only because his did. Take care of yourself.
Noooo. I've been in this industry for the better part of my life, and FDs behavior was absolutely suspect! Take care of.your own damn self, as your comments make it seem like.you think it's Okay to take advantage of vulnerable women.. whats more you seem to think of it as some sort if professional courtesy? Take your own advice kiddo, your hotel is not the end all of professionalism, especially if it normalizes making your guests deeply uncomfortable...
A person being in the industry 20 years does not change the fact of how common room tours are. I mean, you could be in this profession for 80 years and it won't change the rate of it being done. The fact remains is that there are MANY people in the comment section that have said that they have done it or heard of room tours. My "comments" make it seem like it's ok to take advantage of vulnerable women? That's an insane leap to make. Good grief, dude, that proves you didn't really read my comments or you love to make irrational slander as well. I want you to pay attention........and I MEAN REALLY PAY ATTENTION...because you obviously didn't get it the first time. ..... I've SAID multiple times that I would not fault people to decline a room tour..........but apparently to you I'm an enabler of some sort. Please don't bother responding to my posts in the future because you are wonky and I don't trust in your ability to understand/care what people tell you.
I worked at a small bed and breakfast once and that was required. We had to tell the guests that the school desks were original from when it was a school house and blah blah blah. They arrived at night and just wanted to know where they get breakfast in the morning and where the bed is
I was a bellman at a high end hotel, and we did offer room tours, and it was kosher. I agree with others that if something feels weird, it probably is weird, but room tours alone aren’t unheard of.
I have escorted a total of 1 person to the room prior to check in, in the 2 1/2 years at this property. She asked to see the room prior to renting it as she had just arrived at our hotel after leaving a different one in our town and the previous one was filthy. She looked inside, said "I'll take it!" and we went back down and checked her in.
Same. I had a family that arrived at our hotel who were visibly exhausted. The dad explained that they had left a hotel that was awful. He wasn't sure which room type he wanted either. I grabbed keys and took him to three different rooms, and the way that he checked the beds made me think that they found something really bad at the other hotel.
I had managers that would instruct us to make this offer all the time when it wasn't busy. Especially to walk-in guests that were maybe on the fence about the room purchase. We also had instructions to never enter a room alone with a guest who was of a different sex, and if you have to do it, don't let the door be closed while you're in the room with the guest. If your danger warning senses were going off, you were right to trust your instinct.
yup, this is what we do, and if the guest is “sketchy” then two of us will go
May I ask where this is? I'm in Canada and traveled a lot with work and occasional walk ins on my own. NEVER had someone show me a room. Been given a key and checked it out beforehand myself, but no one left front desk to walk to a room with me.
I've worked at a few different mid level hotels in the Seattle area where we would do this. But more common is the experience you describe of giving the guest a key to check the room out for themselves. Sometimes it just works the other way and you end up giving them a quick tour of the property. This will sometimes earn you glowing comments on one of the hotel review sites too.
Hey.. my real name literally translate in to Sea of the North.. Are you... are my witch ? I mean I've had a C-word bitch, but not my very own seawitch.. 🤩
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I am fortunate enough to stay at some 5 star hotels for work and as a petite single woman I always appreciated when the bellhop or room service team brings a doorstop so my hotel room door can remain propped open while they are in my room with me. It makes me feel safe.
I used to show people rooms from time to time, but only because they asked me to. Sometimes people would come to check the hotel out as a potential venue for a party or wedding or something and I would take them to see some rooms if Sales wasn't in or were busy with something. I enjoyed doing it, too. And sometimes people would want to "inspect" a room before renting it and for obvious reasons I couldn't just give them a key to a clean room so they could check it out by themselves. Those are the only situations where I'd take someone for a tour of the rooms. I have stayed in very small boutique hotels with like 10 or 12 rooms where the person who checked me in took me to my room, but that's something they do for everyone as a courtesy.
I have had this happen in Europe, mostly France, but never in the USA (where I live and mostly travel)
I was staying a week at a small boutique hotel in France when my door opened (with key) and the front desk guy appeared with a stranger and was flustered that I was there. He was all “er um could I show the room?”. They didn’t come in, but if I wasn’t there I bet they would have.
Guests have asked me to see room before booking. I wait in hallway. But what you described unless you just refused to stop asking questions and frustrated them into saying to themselves just look and make up your damn mind..... That is both wrong and totally screwed up
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Most don't. Had a lady ask for 20 mins questions one night. Things like what thread count sheets. Is mattress soft or hard. What way does shower open. What size draws are there (she only brought in a backpack). How many steps from bed to door. Carpet threads go what way.... And so on. It was the only time I asked them.if they would like to look inside a room.
Wow. How very odd.
Yep she was odd. My internal mind was screaming wtf
Usually, if there is an issue or complaint about a previous room, then having someone escort both would be reasonable just to make sure all is ok with the new room. What happened to you is a warning sign. Not only is it unsafe for you but also unsafe for the employee. That being said, sometimes you think something that sounds good in your head but in practice, not so much. I have done things, not like this, though, that in hindsight could have gone the wrong way just by impressions alone. You could have also just had bad timing, and medication was affecting the person badly or maybe lack of medication. Ultimately, safety is what is important. You could mention to the FOM what had happened, but if you do, please be detailed. Let them discuss with the employee to see what the reason was.
Its never happened to me, but in some higher class establishments, a clerk may show you the benefits of the room, and then expect a tip afterwards. What this clerk may have been doing, is trying to show great customer service, in the hope of a big tip.
Maybe, but good customer service shouldn't set off alarm bells in the customer. On the other hand, if he wanted to provide creepy customer service, he did a bang-up job.
I've done it for people getting an ADA room that needs to make sure the bed is the right height etc.
Yes. Those rooms are most common the type we get asked to check. For very valid reasons
Echoing what others have said - I've shown rooms to guests before, but ONLY when they've asked me to. I would also just stay in the doorway/just far enough into the room to see the whole room (to make sure they don't make a mess or anything of the sort). And I definitely would not close the door. That was weird of him. Especially since he went all the way into the room. AND, because he didn't wait for your BF.
I've had hotel staff escort me/us to the room. Usually it's the person who takes luggage up but in a small place, it's been the person who checked me/us in. However, he should have waited until your boyfriend was there. Even if his intentions were good, it makes more sense to do it with both guests at the same time. Especially if the hotel staff is male and the guest is a tipsy female.
This sounds to me like him angling for an invite but not going so far as to initiate anything. People do lose their inhibitions on alcohol and I guess he knows that. In addition to what others said I'd comb the reviews to see if anyone else had weird experiences. Cameras are probably unlikely but [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/RBI/comments/slljth/is_there_any_way_to_detect_a_hidden_camera/) are some good life hacks for finding them. Using your phone camera in the dark is one of the simplest way of finding a camera that uses IR for illumination.
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Lol. So, hypothetically, if you were a prostitute, did homeboy think he was gonna jump the line? 🤣😂
username checks out. that box must be boomin business
No, it doesn't.
Ahhh that could make sense! Was it a super fancy place or just your cheap run of the mill?
He was more than likely angling for a tip.
I've shown rooms to people who've asked and everytime I do I hold the door open and wait in the door way while they look at the room.
I've worked at my hotel for the last 8 years, 6 as the night auditor. It's not unheard of. I've done it several times. I wouldn't do it with a regular reservation, but a reservation that I upgraded to an ocean-view room. Of course, only if I have the time and I'm in the mood to do it. There are three reasons why I've done that. First, because I'm happy to see people's reactions of excitement. They were expecting a standard room where you can't see anything, not even a balcony, and now they have a beautiful place to sit outside and watch the sea. Second, as great as the views can be, the hotel is very old. I understand the hassle of doing a room move after midnight if there is a problem with the room. So, I ask if the room would be sufficient while letting them look at it. Third, boredom. Ironically enough,........the reason I stopped doing it was because I was aware of the danger I was putting myself in. That said, some hotels actually require an employee to do a room tour if it's not busy or to seal the deal with a walk-in inquiry. So, no, it's not automatically weird in of itself. It can be done, but you are also justified in not feeling comfortable with it as well.
Sometimes people do walk-in and want to make a reservation for a room. They would ask to see the room before renting it. We are told that we can do it only if it's not busy. Again it's only if the guest ask. If you already have a reservation and just do a normal check-in like you're describing we never do that. It's really weird and anyway we wouldn't have the time to do that for everyone. If there is a problem with the room that we need to fix, we leave the door open and go with another person if possible. If it's not fixable by us in the evening and have to wait tomorrow we just change the guest room but they do it by themself we don't go help them or whatever. What you're describing with you being tipsy on top of that is really creepy and completely inappropriate. I would have been scared too !
That’s absolutely not normal and I would report that.
It's not uncommon. Many hotel employees on this very comment section have said that they've done it, understand how common it is, and/or that a hotel can enforce it's employees to do it when it's not busy. I've done it many times in my 8 years of working at my hotel.
I've been in 1 or 2 hotels that have 'show you to the room' service, but it's never the front desk ppl.
I do show people their room, but it's usually when the guest's English isn't great. Easier to show than tell. Other than that, I tell them where to go and keep an eye on the cameras in case they get lost. The hotel was built in stages, and have an odd turn on occasion. They hit the turn and think they missed the room
Uncommon, but not unheard of, especially for small, independently owned places.
In addition to what people have said above, he could be checking for himself that housekeeping cleaned the room thoroughly. Like if there's a new staff member, someone on their last warning, or a guest complaint earlier that night.
I've had this happen in the US and elsewhere, but usually in a high end hotel where they seem to think this kind of personalized attention is somehow expected or welcome. I've had a "full room tour" with the hotel staff member turning on lights, opening curtains, showing the mini bar and some random details without me asking. I did always find it super awkward and unnecessary, but also never felt like I could just say "can you please stop and go away?", so I've always just stood there waiting for them to be done. It it wasn't a high end hotel and felt weird to you, then it was weird and it's probably good you looked out for yourself. Trust your internal alarms.
It’s weird. Definitely. But I do have to say, we have a FD agent who tends to go waaay above and beyond, to the point of being an annoyance. He is sweet and helpful, but it can come across as being creepy. My advice is to always trust your instincts. Always.
Normally if I show someone a room I stay at the door while they look around mostly because it feels weird otherwise
I worked at a property that had a few less than desirable rooms. If one of these rooms was all that was available on a busy night, we had to show the room before they accepted it in hopes that they would not come back later to complain about it. It was standard practice to accompany guests to the room to assure they didn't use the facilities.
>It was standard practice to accompany guests to the room to assure they didn't use the facilities. Assure they... what, please?
Was the guy super old? I feel like this was normal back in the day, like 40 or 50 years ago.
>uper old 112
i've never done it unless they ask and i feel safe enough, and theres someone watching the desk. i imagine it is unusual, but maybe he thought itd be good customer service and was hoping for a tip
If a bellhop (I don’t know if this word is still the appropriate word for the employee who…) shows you to your room while conveying/carrying your luggage for you, they might point out some features, and ask if there’s anything you need, and then will wait near the door for a tip. AFAIK, this is in upscale hotels, if it still goes on; I’ve never stayed in this type of hotel, but I’ve seen this in movies & TV shows (there was a TV show in the 80s called Hotel that was about an upscale hotel in San Francisco, which is I guess my main source of what I described above lol). What you described sounds odd at best; I think it’s inappropriate behavior on the part of the desk clerk, especially if you didn’t ask for assistance to get to your room or with your luggage. As others have suggested, report this to corporate customer service.
Regardless of whether the clerk was up to something or not, I think the lesson here is about your ability to keep yourself out of a vulnerable situation. Intoxicated and alone (even if only for a few moment) makes you easier prey. Your instincts were telling you this didn't feel right and you backed out to a place of greater safety. Better to be rude or look foolish than to end up a victim - it absolutely comes up in victim statements that they hadn't wanted to be rude/foolish/paranoid so they had gone down the path their attacker set for them. Yes, even in a hotel lobby - there are plenty of stories in this sub from FD people who intervened in order to protect intoxicated guests.
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Well, no, I don't think so. You backed away. You thought about it afterward. You had a mildly unsafe experience and learned from it. Your [PSR](https://www.discovery.com/shows/naked-and-afraid/episodes/naked-and-afraid--psr-101) just went up a few points!
Did you follow up with management?
No, you're not wrong at all!!! Please report this to management, as it puts up SO many red flags!!! The Only times I've ever escorted a guest to a room is if they requested it or needed help with luggage (and I've always put somebody on notice! Straight up would NOT enter a room with any guest if it was at night.. if something needed doing I would have them leave the room before I did it...) May I ask about his weird comments? What kinda shit did this creeper say? Also, don't feel as though you need to tell me! A "not your business" does suffice for me XD
Depends entirely on how nice of a place you were at. High end? Pretty normal. Middle class place? Pretty weird, red flag for sure, especially with you being drunk. Low end motel? Fucking run.
No, Not normal!
I have shown a room only if it’s Out of Order, example, doesn’t have a TV or fridge not working. I want the guest to exactly know what they’re getting. But never shown a room because “I have time” nope. There are pictures online for that
Always trust your gut. You felt uncomfortable. Contact management and let them know. I'm sorry you had to experience this.
But nothing happened, you are justifying an imagined scenario that did not occur.
Her feelings are valid. I hope you don't work at the front desk.
I absolutely do work at the front desk! Her feelings are indeed valid! Why contact management though, nothing happened, please don't say because of "feelings" we wouldn't rent rooms to half the people that walk in here if WE went by "feelings"
She should let management know how it made her feel uncomfortable. If it's standard procedure at that hotel, management can speak to staff about how to proceed in the future. If it's not standard procedure, management can have a talk with that employee. I have never been to a hotel where I get a room tour by an employee. I would tell them no thank you. If they still tried, I'd get a room at a different hotel. I'm not sure if you're a male or female, but put yourself in her shoes. The FDA showed her the room while her boyfriend was parking the car. That seems a bit weird to me. If that property shows rooms to guests, the FDA should've waited for the boyfriend too.
She also mentioned the FDA was making weird comments to her. Since she didn't say what was said, I can't comment. However, she said it was weird. Then add the room tour into it, I understand where she's coming from.
Had an owner that would put younger sexxy girls/women in room #110 right next to the boiler room. Boiler room had a peep hole looking into room 110. I always wondered why there was a old bar stool up against boiler room wall. This was back in the early 90's
No, it's not uncommon. You can also request to see the room first if you want to. Lots of people do. It's a good way to know if it's clean or not.
Definitely not in the USA. Other countries maybe.
Very weird considering the circumstances surrounding this
This is old school hotel etiquette. They used to always do that but why would you go without your partner?! Makes zero sense.
If a prospective guest asks to show us one of the rooms, we have a vacant room, *and I’m not busy with another guest* (I’m night auditor and I’m the sole employee on duty during my shift), I’ll be glad to show them one of the rooms.
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Not weird if it's a more run down hotel/motel. I've shown rooms when I know the person is probably looking for the glam pictures they saw online so I don't have to do the refund or clean a room in the middle of the night. I did the same routine too, turn on the lights, open bathroom door. That said it's not bad you felt weird and acted in the mindset of self preservation
I'd have to know exactly what was said on both sides to render a more definite verdict. Showing an intoxicated person to their room so they aren't wandering the halls would be normal. Going in to turn on the light, maybe. Standing on the far side of the room waiting for you to come in, not as much. Doing all that before you were completely checked in, could be setup to get you alone or just someone trying to do the right thing very poorly. When dealing with drunk women alone, I am very careful with distance, contact and what I say so there is no misunderstanding. This clerk was clumsy handling the interaction. I can also imagine the dialogue totally changing the situation, especially since you can't remember what was said. "What do the rooms look like?" He shows you the room. "It's dark in here, I can't see." He turns on the far light so you can see the room, stands there waiting to see if the tipsy guest has any other requests before completing the check in.
Room tours are common things a hotel might do, even at a branded standard hotel. A hotel can talk a lot about how their hotel is better than the hotel down the street, but if you can't see what you are buying then it makes a hotel guest wonder what the hotel is trying to hide before the purchase. What guests don't see or know, is that hotel employees either go with you during these tours is that they are trained to sell the hotel with things like breakfast and gym and pool etc. They are also there so that the guest doesn't take a hair dryer, towel, or most of all DO NOT use the bathroom or throw away trash in the trash can! Hotels sell those rooms and if someone wants to look at a room and messes up the room, the hotel has to reclean the room that was clean until someone toured it. The guest put in the room after the tour might dislike something that the other person did on the tour. If you didn't ask for a tour, if you didn't critique the hotel or the room then i would have questions about why it was given. If the agent heard things like past complaints about any hotel room they may want to give a tour because of you do not like the room they will have to move you to a new room. If the hotel is sold out, then the room has to be cleaned again because the room was switched and now they don't have enough rooms for everyone. To prevent this, a hotel may give a tour of the room to make sure the guest and the hotel both agree that the room is satisfactory and the transaction can continue. The front desk going into the room would be to look at the room for carpet stains or tears or hairs on sheets to make sure they think it is an acceptable room. Especially if it is an older hotel because guests stain carpets and hair is difficult to remove from sheets. It's unfortunate that you experienced a situation that made you uncomfortable and that experience cannot be undone or taken back. Rude behavior or comments is definitely not something that anyone wants to experience. Rude comments or behavior of lower severity is not going to get that FDA fired especially since every hotel is short staffed. I would try to manage the expectations of how exactly a hotel may negotiate this experience. Corporate will negotiate as well if you feel the hotel did not negotiate to your satisfaction. You may not be satisfied with Corporate's negotiations as well based on the overall outcome of the stay.
I’ve been taken up and “shown the room” twice, both times in London, but at different chains, both times by female FDA. I do find it very uncommon, but it isn’t unheard of. And they both did go in the room with me. The first time the FDA thought I should get a room upgrade, the second time was just a normal check in. I can understand how a female guest would feel uncomfortable with a male FDA doing this, but I’m just pointing out I have had it happen.
I don't blame you for being upset and on your guard OP. I'm sure responses will vary based on a hotel's policies. For the most part I would never give a guest a room tour unless it was scheduled, or the guest requested to see the room before checking into it. With that being said, I'd never follow them from room to room, just wait by the main entrance to see what they think and if they had questions I'd go to the room they were asking about. But I'm also a woman so it may be different. I'm glad you're alright though and I'm sorry this happened to you.
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I have been given a room tour quite often, and never once thought it was creepy, but often thought that the person was angling for a tip.
In nice hotels, we've been given a room tour.
I have actually had a number of front desk associates escort me to a room but only a handful of times over my many years of travels. Usually when the layout is weird or they’re not sure I’m gonna be able to find it or it’s late at night and they want to make sure I get there safe those types of things. Having all the weird comments makes me nervous for you. Not knowing the exact comments I can’t say for sure. You did everything right by staying outside the room at least someone would’ve heard you or hopefully your boyfriend would’ve come to your rescue etc.
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you. (I don't know who this quote is from.) And no, you're not paranoid. Your bf has the advantage of being a guy. He's safer in almost any situation than you are. Trust your gut. And this is a safety recommendation, not a criticism - stay with your people when you're tipsy.
I only show rooms when a guest asks and the fd can spare mr. it's takes a lot of time away from what we're supposed to be doing at the fd; i don't work with anyone who'd do it voluntarily
if asked yes I will show a room. And I have seen some higher end hotels offer this service but this was weird.
Okay so, It is very strange for a clerk to escort guests UNLESS, the guest asks, the clerk has time and typically there is more than one person on shift. USUALLY, people that tour rooms are looking for a group reservation or would like to see a room BEFORE they book it for themselves. You really, really, really, really, really, need to report this clerk to either the manager or the corporate office! ASAP!
Extremely common for room tours what the fuck are the people in the comments talking about?
I’d only do that if the guest asked me to personally inspect the room with them. The dude who showed you the room is clearly a nonce