Night Terrors: Mercure Bendigo Schaller

[Cloud9]

Four hours since I just dropped the keys and came home. I had booked in here to escape the smell of paint fumes while I do some decorating.
Not impressed. Not impressed at all.
Copy of the review I dropped on TripAdvisor.

I write this, still shaking, after an absolutely abysmal experience at Bendigo Schaller.
I was awakened at around 3:40am on 24 July by someone trying my room door incessantly for over a minute. That was frightening enough. When I challenged them, they said they had the key for the room and the card was clearly marked as the same room number as I was in.
Well, what had been a relatively pleasant stay and reasonable sleep suddenly malformed into a very uncomfortable and shaken awakening. The only thought that crosses my mind is how much worse it would have been were it my wife - or any woman - staying here alone.
I tried phoning the out of hours number at reception, which simply went to voicemail.
There are some serious questions about diligence here, if someone had indeed been given a key marked with the same room number. And there are further questions about responsibility when the out of hours number is left to go to voicemail. It's now 40 minutes on from when I made that call and as yet there has been no attempt to respond.
Caveat emptor.

 

[samh004]

Was it a key card where it wouldn't work, or an actual key that did work but you had the night chain across the door so they couldn't open it further than that? Because it sounds more like someone forgot their room number if a key card that wouldn't work. If the key worked, but you were saved by the chain across the door, that's a different story and I'd be writing to the manager.

 

[Cloud9]

Was it a key card where it wouldn't work, or an actual key that did work but you had the night chain across the door so they couldn't open it further than that? Because it sounds more like someone forgot their room number if a key card that wouldn't work. If the key worked, but you were saved by the chain across the door, that's a different story and I'd be writing to the manager.

The card, thankfully, wouldn't work.
Regardless, it still shakes one the hell up. And if, as the bloke on the other side of the door claimed, his card was clearly labelled for 205 then it's not a case of forgetting room number, but rather someone having written down the wrong number.

The thing that leaves me seething is an out of hours number going unanswered and us now being at 10am and not even a courtesy call by way of return to apologise and investigate what had happened on their part.

 

[Kerrodt]

Are the cards printed with the room number on them? Was yours? Most of the cards that I have seen don't have room numbers printed on them as they are recycled and are generic cards that can be re-programmed with any room details to provide access at subsequent check-ins.

 

[Cloud9]

Are the cards printed with the room number on them? Was yours? Most of the cards that I have seen don't have room numbers printed on them as they are recycled and are generic cards that can be re-programmed with any room details to provide access at subsequent check-ins.

No, but if the guy received them the same way I did, the card holder would very clearly have had the room number written on it - mine did in two locations.

 

[kamchatsky]

20 years ago I had a similar experience in USA where I checked in normally and was given the room key. I went in and then went out for dinner. After dinner, I returned and saw a distressed woman and police onsite. I asked about it and she said that someone had stolen her identity and checked in her room and she could not check in. Then I discovered the reception checked me in with another person's room. I told them and showed the police my ID and credit card used to check in. It was all sorted out afterwards.

I lodged a complaint to IHG about this incident. They gave me 20000 IHG points (1 night's stay at that property) as a result of the inconvenience.

 

[gaz0303]

That sucks…but I’d like to read the review from the other guy. He would have had no room for the evening.

 

[Cloud9]

That sucks…but I’d like to read the review from the other guy. He would have had no room for the evening.

If he was genuine, I feel for him. Esp with nobody on hand or answering out of hours calls...

 

[Daver6]

I had worse at the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. About an hour after checking in and half naked, another guest used her card to enter my room. They had checked her into my room and given her access with a card.

 

[Cloud9]

So...

Just had the "Rooms Division Manager" on the phone. They wanted to apologise for me being disturbed in the night. Now, that's curious.

They didn't seem to know about me phoning the out of hours number, and they didn't know I'd left a voicemail. She did mention that a guest had been given room keys labelled for my room, so my guess is that the bloke was genuine and she's only learned about this after the fact when they've checked out / gone to reception this morning. She apologised for the disturbance and hoped it hadn't inconvenienced me; bizarrely, she sounded shocked when I said it actually left me frightened and led to me leaving immediately afterwards.

Absolutely no offer of any compensation for the fright, inconvenience, or ruined sleep.

They said they'd investigate why the out of hours call wasn't picked up. But I think that's really a case of trying to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted.

 

[QF WP]

Wow, would be interesting to hear their call with the other guest. There’s a significant training point here. Double check name and room number before giving out keys.

Will be interesting to hear about any further updates and service recovery.

 

[kamchatsky]

So...

Just had the "Rooms Division Manager" on the phone. They wanted to apologise for me being disturbed in the night. Now, that's curious.

They didn't seem to know about me phoning the out of hours number, and they didn't know I'd left a voicemail. She did mention that a guest had been given room keys labelled for my room, so my guess is that the bloke was genuine and she's only learned about this after the fact when they've checked out / gone to reception this morning. She apologised for the disturbance and hoped it hadn't inconvenienced me; bizarrely, she sounded shocked when I said it actually left me frightened and led to me leaving immediately afterwards.

Absolutely no offer of any compensation for the fright, inconvenience, or ruined sleep.

They said they'd investigate why the out of hours call wasn't picked up. But I think that's really a case of trying to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted.

You definitely should raise a complaint to Accor on this, to see if you can get any compensation. Or at least, get Accor to come down on the hotel to never do that again.

 

[Cloud9]

You definitely should raise a complaint to Accor on this, to see if you can get any compensation. Or at least, get Accor to come down on the hotel to never do that again.

Already in hand.

Going for a lounge in a bubble bath for a couple of hours to compose myself.

Meanwhile, I'm just going to submit a formal complaint with a link to this thread. Easier than me having to type all the details out again.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Just ask for a refund under consumer law, the product was not fit for purpose, and you weren’t able to rectify the issue at the time as it went to voicemail.

 

[QF WP]

Already in hand.

Going for a lounge in a bubble bath for a couple of hours to compose myself.

Meanwhile, I'm just going to submit a formal complaint with a link to this thread. Easier than me having to type all the details out again.

Plus they can see how many people have read the thread.

 

[Cloud9]

For those who care to follow, this is what I've just issued to them formally through the Accor website's contact us page.

Good Afternoon

First and foremost, I invite you to review the details of the issue I write to you regarding, as I have posted on Australian Frequent Flyer: https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/threads/night-terrors-mercure-bendigo-schaller.114734/#post-2732158

I was awakened at around 340am, this morning, by someone attempting to enter my room. The door was tried for over a minute before I challenged the individual on the other side to back off as the room was occupied. The individual concerned said that they had been issued a key for the room I was in.

This left me considerably distressed, and I dressed and immediately went to reception to lodge a concern. Reception was unmanned. I tried the out of hours phone number. It was unanswered and went to voicemail. I left a voicemail detailing what had happened.

At just after 11am, I was telephoned by the Room Division Manager for the Bendigo Schaller hotel. She understood that I had been "disturbed" in the night; however, she was unaware that I contacted out of hours, and that the call went unanswered. She similarly was unaware that I had left a voicemail. I was offered little more than an apology for the inconvenience.

I have, subsequently, left reviews on Google and TripAdvisor as well as my forum thread with Australian Frequent Flyer.

This is - frankly - categorically unacceptable in terms of service provision. Having recently decided to move to Accor from a competitor's loyalty programme, I can only say that this experience makes me regret doing so entirely.

I offer Accor an opportunity to investigate, respond, and try to put right what has been an absolutely egregious and invidious experience.

I look forward to hearing from you in due course. Please be advised that this message will be added to the thread on Australian Frequent Flyer with only my name redacted for privacy reasons.

Regards
Cloud9

 

[VPS]

I was in bed in a hotel in Sydney many years ago when the painter let himself in to do some touch ups. I'm not sure who got the biggest shock but he ran very quickly

 

[jb747]

Years ago in London, I was sleeping in the afternoon, ready to depart on a flight that night. Awoke to some strange noises coming from the window area. And to my surprise it slid up, and a staff member proceeded to let himself in to the room via that window. Words were said, both there, and then down in the foyer when I tracked down the manager.

And in Singapore, one of our more famous (and much larger than life, in all ways) pilots came back to the hotel after a night out. He was pretty desperate to go to the toilet, and was much more so when his keycard didn't work. He prevailed upon a nearby cleaning lady to let him in, and rushed to the toilet. Whilst sitting there, as the relief washed over him, he looked around, and spotted a bunch female toiletry items. Realisation sank in. I feel for the poor occupant who had a bloke enter her room, demolish the toilet, and then leave.

 

[Kerrodt]

Years ago in London, I was sleeping in the afternoon, ready to depart on a flight that night. Awoke to some strange noises coming from the window area. And to my surprise it slid up, and a staff member proceeded to let himself in to the room via that window. Words were said, both there, and then down in the foyer when I tracked down the manager.

And in Singapore, one of our more famous (and much larger than life, in all ways) pilots came back to the hotel after a night out. He was pretty desperate to go to the toilet, and was much more so when his keycard didn't work. He prevailed upon a nearby cleaning lady to let him in, and rushed to the toilet. Whilst sitting there, as the relief washed over him, he looked around, and spotted a bunch female toiletry items. Realisation sank in. I feel for the poor occupant who had a bloke enter her room, demolish the toilet, and then leave.

I'm curious.......was a reason given as to why a staff member was climbing in through a window?

 

[flyer89]

Whilst sitting there, as the relief washed over him, he looked around, and spotted a bunch female toiletry items. Realisation sank in. I feel for the poor occupant who had a bloke enter her room, demolish the toilet, and then leave.

I bet her jaw hit the floor when she saw he was in command of her flight home the following evening….