After surviving our unexpected passenger in the taxi we walked into our hotel to check in. As soon as we identified ourselves the guy at the front desk said, “Yes, there’s a problem with your reservation.” I’m going to say this is not what any hotel guest wants to hear. Maybe try a hello first to soften the blow. Ask how my flight was and then tell me the bad news.
As it turns out, they didn’t have a room for us on the first night. Again, not what I wanted to hear at 11pm. But they had an apartment for us to stay in just around the corner. This has never happened to us before. The guy led us to the apartment and after stumbling around in the stairwell for several minutes I figured out the guy was completely clueless about what he was doing.
Finally we arrived at the apartment and I was surprised that it was decent. I should have taken photos, but I didn’t I was too shocked by the whole situation. The better half didn’t seem to mind. I’ve seen too many movies and read too many books. The entire night I had visions of human traffickers busting through the front door and hauling me off kicking and screaming never to be seen or heard from again.
After a restless night, we packed up our things in the morning and walked back to the hotel. It was still early, but somehow our room was available. The woman who checked us in had no idea why we stayed at an apartment the night before. Too be honest, I was clueless as well. The guy mumbled some excuse but I couldn’t understand him. The better half swears he mentioned construction. However, during the rest of our stay we never heard or saw any construction taking place. Once I saw a painter in the hallway. Maybe the painter stayed the night in my room.
A few nights later we asked the gentleman (he was the night guy) how to get to the airport. He didn’t have a clue again. I’m not too picky really, but I think the concierge in a four star hotel should be able to answer this question. I’ve always thought this was part of their job. Maybe I expect too much.
All in all, we had a great trip. But this whole apartment thing through me for a loop. Has this happened to anyone else?
50 Year Project 
the first time I was in prague was because I was supposed to just be catching a connecting flight through there (it was actually the second time as the connecting flight on the way out worked) but on my return I was told I’d have to spend the night in a hotel and was shuttled off to a posh hotel in the centre, I wonder if the room I was given bumped someone like you out. it was in1999 so probably not this time but it could have been the fault of someone like me and a dodgy bulk deal with and airline.
That’s a good theory. I’m not buying the construction excuse. Did you get to see any of Prague that night?
at the time I’d just turned eighteen and was led astray by a bunch of local miscreants who severly twisted my arm into trying the horrid and evil absinthe, so to answer you question is that yes I believe I did see a fair amount of the city but my memories of it are somewhat hazy.
Beware of local miscreants! I hope your arm is not permanently damaged 😉
my arm has maintained an almost rubber like consistency to this very day, I’d never connected the two but it must be the fault of those evil Czecks, and as for taste when you’re eighteen even tequila can be considered a tasty beverage, I mean who really likes tequila but you or at least I still did it.
aaaah the follies of youth
It’s amazing we survived the early years.
tis
LOL!!! I’m sure they had to twist your arm almost to the point of breaking right Bunny Chow?? 🙂
I tried the stuff and wasn’t a big fan. Tasted like cough syrup–or at least the kind I tried did. Now the slivorice (plum brandy)–that stuff is good.
No, can’t say I’ve ever had this happen, but it would have creeped me out for sure!! Horror movie scenes come to my mind :).
I did think of Psycho when I was in the shower. It was a fast shower!
LOL – no doubt!!!
Hmmm, sounds fishy to me. Maybe a politician is having a tryst in your room? LOL
Ooo…another good theory. This is could make a good short story.
He sounds more like night security posing as the concierge!
he didn’t make me feel secure.
Oh my goodness—that is very odd!!! I have no suggestions to offer on why but we had a very unsettling stay in a hotel in Florence—after a harrowing day of getting rear ended in PIsa we never made it to our scheduled B & B but stayed at this family run place we found that looked the safest. it was run by Vietnamese and no one spoke English at all so we managed to get a room. No place was open to eat so we got stuff at a little market and ate in the room. Bars on the windows, sirens all night and suspect residents made me sleep like a ninja or something—no sleep and we were happy to see the rental car in the parking lot when we woke up. We were sure it would be gone….or at the very least stripped. They did give me a great cup of espresso when we checked in though—I guess coffee is the international language.
maybe the espresso was to help you stay up all night to fight off an evil doers. That sounds like a nightmare at the time, but now a cool story. I like the sleep like a ninja part. Knowing me, I would end up knocking out the better half and myself instead of any intruders. Glad it all worked out!!!!
It did—-but it was a very short night and a long night at the same time! And they had weird bathrooms…..and the bed almost a mattress on the floor…..I just remember eating exotic Pringles and bananas from the market and wishing the night would pass. 🙂 But yes–a good story. Glad your apt was at least clean and not disgusting–what a weird story…
Don’t know if I’ve had exotic Pringles. Will need to add that to my list of things to try.
Oh they are everywhere! Weird flavors to us Americans but not to those cultures!!! I have had a bunch though of course I can not think of what kinds at the moment.
I’ll keep my eyes peeled on some of my adventures. Prawn chips are big here and I can’t seem to like them.
Yes! Only mine was a happier experience. I was in Florence, arrived and exhausted and there was a problem with our reservation. Our small group was ushered to a different place–a palace on the Arno River. We completely lucked out!
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Happened to me in Galicia. I came to the conclusion that they were just double booked but wouldn’t confess. My son works in the hotel business and says that hotels do this all the time and just hope that the situation resolves itself through cancellations.
And I think we were the last to arrive that night, which didn’t help. I hate when airlines do that. I hope this doesn’t become a regular occurrence when we check into hotels. I’m getting too old to stay up all night worrying 🙂
This hasn’t happened to me, but I love unexpected loopholes during traveling. This will be something you remember for a long time, and mistakes and odd experiences like this, make a trip memorable!
Travel is never seamless and you have to go with the flow.
Something similar happened in San Juan, PR. After a delayed flight that caused us to miss a connection, but finally making to San Juan … we got the line … but they paid for the cab to a sister hotel, and we got free breakfast for two days.
At least they tried to make up for it. a free cab and meals goes a long way in my book. Glad it worked out Frank.
🙂
When my sister and I went to London together years ago, we had booked a small hotel in a good location so that we could get around easily. When we arrived there, they told us that they would take us to our room in a sister hotel in a completely different part of London since the rooms there were all filled. My sister (who is clearly not to be messed with) made it very clear that she was not happy at all, and that we had specifically chosen this location and we weren’t going anywhere, so they better find a free room. I think they weren’t expected that, and lo and behold, there was an available room! It was actually a room for a family, so we had 4-5 beds in there to choose from, but they only made us pay the rate for the smaller room we had booked. I think my sister really scared them… 😛
Next time I’m calling your sister to get my reservation straightened out. I’m glad it worked out for you. London is big and if you are too far from the city you would have to travel quite a bit to see all you planned to see. We take extra efforts to ensure our hotel is close to where we need to be. At least the apartment was only around the corner and only for a night.
She can be such a sweet person, but if you cross her….. 😉 It’s true that when you have only a few days to visit someplace (especially for the first time) you choose location specifically to be able to see as much as possible!
I’m happy that at least the next night you had your hotel room – I probably would have been as freaked out as you that night in the apartment, so thank goodness it was just one night!!
A girl I knew worked at a fairly prominent hotel in LA. Frequently some of the higher end rooms were “closed for construction” during the night; no other reason given. As it was, it turned out that the night manager had a deal worked out with a local porn company. He’d let them use the room for substantially less than what it was worth, and would get a cut back as well.
…so that’s my vote…you didn’t get your room because it was being used for high class European porn the night before 😉
….that or there was a leaky faucet.
I prefer the porn story. That would be hilarious if I found out that was the reason. I hope I had clean sheets when I checked in.
Well…if you get caught watching porn there’s your excuse…”I’m only watching it to see if it was shot in our hotel room…..” 😉
Good tip
Wow, that’s scary but I’m glad it turned out OK.
Yeah. I worked myself up over nothing
No, nothing quite like that has happened to me! But your idea that you may get whisked away by traffickers is hilarious 🙂
It’s funny now, at the time, I thought it was really going to happen. I thought about moving all of the furniture in the way, but it was heavy.
Now you mention it, we stayed in quiyte a strange place in Prague too….
Sounds like another short story to me. Get writing!
Maybe this is the norm in Prague. I guess will have to go back to see. I wonder about the short story–you got me thinking
I have nominated you for the Blog of the Year 2012 Award. You can see it here: http://wp.me/p23TG1-1PM
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
Yet it was ready early the next morning? Hmm. Makes me wonder….
Seriously, right. Normal check-in was 2 or 3pm
OK, that is really strange. Wonder if he was using the room for a secret rendez-vous? I wouldn’t have slept well in that apartment either.
I would love to know the truth!
whoaa…that was weird!!
I am glad there was no scam behind that apartment incident.
It sounds like the hotel is not as 4 stars as it should be.
It was a relief when my eyes popped open in the morning and everything was okay. I need to get my imagination away from bad images.
Sounds a bit scary… what a hassle… the main is that nothing bad happened.
Yes we survived and now I have a story. That’s what travel is–a bunch of stories loosely tied together
I had that happen is South Africa…the apartment was way better than the hotel
The apartment was nice, but the hotel wasn’t too bad. And they served breakfast every morning. I always appreciate a hot meal before heading out in the cold for sightseeing. I do miss South Africa.
What a story. No, that has never happened to me. Maybe the guy in the hotel wasn’t from Prague.
Maybe that’s true. The hotel should train him to answer the airport question. It’s always the employees who look bad when the training hasn’t been sufficient.
It hasn’t happened to me thankully, but I can relate to your stress in that situation. Its never a good thing to not have a place to stay after a day on the plane.
I didn’t like my initial feeling of, “What now?” Then the apartment happened and I’m still not sure what happened.
I instantly was thinking Anthony Perkins and Psycho!
Hard not to!
a little too weird for me–glad you are safe and sound
me too
Glad everything worked out. The last time my husband and I heard those words “we have a problem with your reservation” we ended up with a suite!
A suite would be nice!