Be careful who your guests are!

[Princess Fiona]

I found this rather disturbing and scary tale of UK police being called to question a hotel guest on FT and hope that it is a a one-off :shock:

A UK Hilton has police raid my room, says I was running a brothel - FlyerTalk Forums

 

[Fantic125]

When are you there next?

 

[Simo]

OMG, that is really bad,

I would be taking it up with corp management.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

BTW, Dominique Strauss-Kahn would like you to PM him...

Just seems like a knock and question thing happened.
l'd just have another Scotch and shrug it off...

BTW, Dominique Strauss-Kahn would like you to PM him...

LOL!

 

[Isochronous]

Re: BTW, Dominique Strauss-Kahn would like you to PM him...

That's an extraordinary scene. I would have made a loud public scene in the lobby until they gave me some serious compensation.

 

[amaroo]

Maybe the title should read - Be careful where you stay:!:

 

[QF WP]

Maybe the title shouldn't read "raid" and should use a more appropriate words - it paints a quite different picture

 

[Mal]

Interesting story. So racial profiling of his wife (and her friends) coupled with a police crack-down on prostitution in the area led to over-zealous hotel staff reporting "something suspicious".

Not much different to a "nosy neighbour" dobbing you into the police for something imagined, although I can't work out where my opinion sits over the issue.

 

[Major]

I would asking my solicitor to forward an appropriately worded letter to corporate HQ demanding an explanation and a public apology

 

[richie9x]

The reminds once I was in Singapore I was staying at hotel in separate rooms with a colleague from China. She was an absolutely beautiful girl. I shared a taxi back to the hotel with her. I was walking through the lobby with her to the lifts. Someone from the front desk ran over and asked for her id and said that temporary guests had to be registered. It turned out they thought she was a prostitute. I thought it was quite funny. But she didn't take to kindly to it and she is very strong willed. She gave the staff at the hotel a real talking to they were cowering away by the end of it. A manager appeared from the back office, he didn't fair much better.

By the end of it she received quite a few apologies from some quite high up people at the hotel chain. Also she received 2 weeks free accommodation.

 

[kpc]

As always, it is fraught with danger to try and judge someone on appearance!

 

[harvyk]

If this was me, I'd be at a minimum insisting on a full refund of the amount I paid for the room. I would also be looking at some other form of compensation. I'd also be asking for the managers head on a plate, calling the police and then becoming "unavailable" to deal with any consequences is anything other than professional.

 

[drron]

The real story in that thread though was the total failure of the GM who the OP knew from previous stays.I would certainly have asked to see the GM in such a situation and would expect an apology.
Sometimes however a hotel's assumptions may be positive.A few years ago we were staying at the NY Hilton.My business partner and his family were flying in 2 days after we arrived.Cyclone Katrina's remnants were west of NYC so their plane was delayed.We went back to our room and came back down to the foyer when we heard that the plane had arrived.Our friends had arrived and were being hassled by the front desk staff.I had booked them a suite and the woman checking them in thought that it was suspicious as my partner is Chinese,his wife though is English.As I arrived in the foyer I was spotted by their children who ran to me saying quite loudly-"Ronnie".At which point the agent turned to the wife saying-"Why didn't you say drron was your father".She has been my daughter ever since though mrsdrron's story is that she came from a previous relationship as mrsdrron is far too young to have a daughter that age.
Every time that I went to the desk or concierge after that I was asked about my daughter and 4 grandkids.So because of an argumentative front desk agent I got an instant family and we have stayed that way ever since.

 

[Anna]

Someone from the front desk ran over and asked for her id and said that temporary guests had to be registered. It turned out they thought she was a prostitute.

I've had this happen to me in hotels in Singapore (once, when staying by myself) and in Adelaide (twice - once alone and once when it was a group of us). It's actually quite upsetting, especially when you've just got back from a day's sightseeing and you're wearing cargo pants and a T shirt - not exactly hooker clothes.

 

[pagingjoan]

I've had this happen to me in hotels in Singapore (once, when staying by myself) and in Adelaide (twice - once alone and once when it was a group of us). It's actually quite upsetting, especially when you've just got back from a day's sightseeing and you're wearing cargo pants and a T shirt - not exactly hooker clothes.

No matter what you were wearing, this is incredible. How were you approached by the management - in Adelaide, for instance?

 

[UP4014]

It all sounds a bit weird, surely if the hotel management suspect something you get the junior to be stationed at the lift lobby to 'assist' guests and note a few things like head count going to certain floors before this sort of jumping the gun.

I guess they are managers who are the type that always think they are right anyway. :shock:

Matt

 

[drewbles]

I just read the entire 8 pages on this. It seems to have stemmed from a previous stay where the OP's wife had a black lady and another from an Eastern European nation in the room whilst OP was not in. Then, supposedly, the housekeeping maid saw a video camera in the room, put 2 and 2 together and got 84.3, and reported it to the management and then police became involved.

Ridiculous really!

 

[Princess Fiona]

Ridiculous really!

Agree
Even more ridiculous that it occurred in that well known hotbed of human trafficking: Dundee

 

[rechoboam]

I would have laughed my head off, ordered a martini and Savored the best dinner party story I would ever have for the rest of my life. I think some of the responses were a bit over the tip, it's not like anyone died.

 

[TonyHancock]

I would have laughed my head off, ordered a martini and Savored the best dinner party story I would ever have for the rest of my life. I think some of the responses were a bit over the tip, it's not like anyone died.

I'm with you on that. I know everyone is different so appreciate that some may be offended, but quite frankly I would have been dining out on the story for the rest of my life.