A hotel guest returned from work to find her belongings packed up and her room changed—without warning. The only notice she got was a voicemail from the front desk.
The guest, named Haley, had already checked in, unpacked, and left for meetings when the hotel realized her room had been mistakenly assigned and was scheduled for renovation. Needing to access the room, staff boxed up her belongings, placed them in her suitcase, and moved everything to the front desk.
The voicemail itself was awkward and rambling, apologizing for the mix-up and instructing Haley to stop by the desk for a new room key when she returned. By the time she heard it, the decision—and the move—had already been made.
Transcription:
“Hi this message is for Haley this is Kathy calling from the courtyard in Salt Lake City by the airport um I am so sorry to bug you we am just had a mess up with the rooms him and we need to get into your room that you had been checked into so we actually am moved your stuff down here to the desk um so when you get back just come down and get a key to a different room um I do apologize there was a little bit of a mixup in with the renovation they needed to get into the room that you had been checked into him if you have any questions or if you know anything just feel free to give us a call back the number is {redacted} once again I do apologize have a great day thanks bye…”
Bad transcription, and too many ‘uhhhs’ notwithstanding wow, what a horrible voice mail to get!
But yeah, the person whose room got changed? Her name was Haley. The room she was in was apparently scheduled for renovation, and there was a mix-up; she should never have been assigned to that room in the first place. Work on the room needed to start, so while she was working, they packed up all her stuff and put it in her suitcase. “Someone had to grab my sweaty workout clothes from this morning that were hanging on the side of the tub. So awkward!!” she said.
Oh, and this could happen to anyone…Haley said she’s had Marriott Titanium status for work travel for 4 years.
Why wasn’t she informed ahead of time?
They (read: the manager) swore they ‘called her’ before they did it, but Haley says they definitely did not. There were no missed calls on her phone—only the one after they had already moved all her stuff out of the room.
Haley has posted about this on the Travel Grumps 101 Facebook group. Most of the replies focused on how awful the situation was (privacy and theft concerns were mentioned a few times) and on what compensation she should have asked for. Suggestions about the latter ranged from getting a full refund for her stay to being walked to the nearest five-star hotel to having loads of points credited to her account. A personal apology from the property manager or a write-up to corporate. One response (from someone who apparently complains to hotels for a living 
– he says he’s gotten 3 free stays) had a whole multi-part checklist of what she should do.
What did she wind up getting in compensation?
Nothing.
No, really—not a thing. And that, based on Haley’s response, is perfectly OK.
Remember our post about who’s allowed to enter your hotel room, even if you’re not there? Yeah, it goes under that. Moving her stuff was within their rights.
Haley said she did call corporate – they said if they needed to access the room, they had to move her stuff. Neither the corporate office nor the hotel offered her any compensation, and Haley didn’t ask for any. She said she wouldn’t have felt comfortable about asking for anything that wasn’t offered.
It kind of reminded me of when my husband and I had an issue in our hotel room a few years back. Many people would have asked for compensation; we didn’t think a small issue like that was worth it.
I’m sure Haley felt the same way. A mistake was made and they apologized. They did all the leg work of packing and moving her stuff; all she had to do was remember a new room number and take a few minutes to unpack her suitcase. As far as we know, none of her stuff was stolen. Honestly, concerns about someone touching your sweaty workout clothes or even your underwear dissipate quickly.
Sure, making it up to her with a free drink or some points would have been nice, but being moved wasn’t the end of the world. Sometimes it’s OK to be OK with just an apology.
Our take on it
In an era where travel complaints often go viral, this story stands out for a different reason. Nothing was stolen, the hotel apologized, and the inconvenience was temporary. Sometimes, the most surprising part of a travel mishap isn’t what went wrong—but how calmly it’s handled.
***Many thanks to Haley for allowing us to share her story!
Feature Photo: pixabay
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