"I arrived very late after attending a work awards event. This room was booked for same day arrival. The room was booked at 7pm via booking .com after an alternative room that was booked also via bookng.com was not safe. I made the reservation and while i was a t the event my husband called ahead and double checked it would be ok for me to arrive late which the venue confirmed directly to him. I arrived in a ball gown a single 41 year old female travelling alone. I was met by the night manager who told me the hotel was full and i couldn't come in. I was obviously taken a back given I had confirmation emails and messages.
I explained to the night manager who was called Asad that I had a booking he didn’t even know my name so how did he know I didn’t have a room I was quite perplexed. I was quite shocked and scared and tired at this point ( there was a family also experiencing the same issue but were spoken to much more politely than I was.) I asked to be allowed in and to go to reception to ask what was happening after paying £470 for a room in a good chain hotel, He then told me other people had paid £600 and it didn’t matter how much it cost there were no rooms. I said he was extremely rude and had no customer service skills how could he just leave me on the street, he finally agreed to take me to reception. I took his name and a picture of his badge. Reception were rude there were two men at the desk but said that there was an issue with the booking system and booking.com didn’t make the reservation and I had no reservation there. I was naturally very upset no one was helpful or cared and treated me like I don’t something wrong. The man kept repeating the same thing over and over. I asked for confirmation or some sort of proof that i could show to booking.com to prove I didn’t stay. He wouldn’t provide me with anything I asked him even to write anything down or if I could borrows his pen to write anything down that might help with proof of this. he continued to tell me no and that there was nothing he could do, I made it very clear it was not acceptable and what would he do if it was his mother, sister or daughter in a similar situation he too did not have any customer service skills and didn’t speak very clear English so I kept asking for him to repeat things aswell. He then started laughing I was very upset and I asked him if he was crazy in the head that he thinks this situation is funny, he then turned it around and said I was abusing him which I clearly wasn’t. There were two by standers who I assume were couple a man and a woman laughing at meal also. The man from this couple told me to hurry up and that he had paid £1000 for the room and for me to shut up and go. I said please give me some space and stop laughing at me I feel very uncomfortable the lady then started to laugh too.
I was very blunt in that I find them extremely rude, stated I was exhausted have been at work all day and attending an event and the man said ‘’work oh right who have you been meeting’’ and the shorter of the two behind the reception also laughed, he was clearly implying was a prostitute or escort of some kind of thing and I felt disgusted and sick to my stomach. This is clearly not the case I have over night bags and merchandise bags from an event and he kept implying I had ‘meeting someone’. I took my phone out to record this and I felt like it was escalating and his behaviour was rude dismissive and aggressive and I felt vindicated by a group of 3 men and one women. I said I am taking clear visuals of you and recording this conversation the man with the women then slapped the phone out of my hand braking my phone wrist security bracelet and cracking my phone screen, again im not sure if both men on reception were laughing but the shorter one who I had been in direct dialogue with was laughing with the woman and I was told to leave the building, I was then escorted off the premises and out on to the street at 2.15am alone. I was beside myself and tearful and emotional I frantically booked an uber while i tried to find another premises they wouldn’t wait with me to give them a postcode so they left charging £8 for the trouble too. My network was bad and my battery was low and by this point I was inconsolable.
Asad the night manager did come out and say please mam you can come in now and look in here, he said people had been shouting at them all day. I didn’t feel safe to go back to inside with these men but equally I didnt feel safe on the pavement on my own with my phone out desperately trying to find somewhere to stay.
He did come out 2 or 3 times more to ask me to step inside but I was scared to incase they or the man and woman did something to me. I was verbally and physically attacked. I said I hope no women in his or their life ever has to experience anything like this ever.
At another point a taller man/young man with dread style hair came outside who had previously been at reception he asked me if I was ok to which I replied no I wasn’t and continued to cry.
At this point I could not find a room so I booked a taxi to take me to where my car was parked in west Acton ( I often park there so I can use the tube/central line as i had done that day) that is where I had to sleep in my car on the side of a road in a mini."
