Addressed to Jon Warmington, the General Manager
I recently stayed at Grand Mercure Bangkok Atrium room 842 from 27 May to 1 June and would like to share some feedback regarding my experience.
First and foremost, I would like to emphasize that I genuinely enjoyed my stay. The hotel, facilities, and the majority of the team members provided excellent service, and overall I had a pleasant experience.
In fact, I am not the type of guest who frequently raises complaints. During my travels, I spend very little time in my hotel room. Most of my day is spent outside the property, and my interaction with the hotel is generally limited to breakfast and sleeping. As such, it takes a significant issue for me to feel compelled to formally raise a concern.
The first issue relates to breakfast. During my stay, I invited a Muslim friend to join me for breakfast. He entered the restaurant with me but did not consume any food because he was unable to find suitable options that met his dietary requirements. While I acknowledge that I did not raise this directly with the restaurant team at the time, I was surprised when Reception later informed me that they had verified that my friend had taken breakfast.
From my perspective, entering the restaurant should not automatically be considered as consuming breakfast when no food was actually taken. Nevertheless, I have decided to let this matter rest and move on.
The second issue is far more serious and is the primary reason for this email.
On my final night at the hotel, I was expecting a visitor. However, Reception did not contact me to verify whether I was expecting anyone before allowing my visitor access to the guest floors. Instead, my visitor was simply directed to my room and arrived at my door unannounced.
Having worked within the Accor group for approximately 15 years as a Duty Manager in Singapore, I am very familiar with hotel operational procedures, guest privacy standards, and security protocols. It has always been my understanding that when a visitor arrives for an in-house guest, Reception should first contact the guest to obtain authorization before granting access to the room floors.
While my visitor was indeed expected on this occasion, Reception had no way of knowing that without contacting me first. Had the visitor not been known to me, this could have resulted in a serious security and privacy issue. In my professional opinion, allowing a visitor direct access to a guest room without prior verification is unacceptable and falls short of the standards expected from an Accor property.
What further disappointed me was the handling of the matter after I raised my concern.
I wish to be clear that I am not seeking compensation of any kind. My concern is not financial. Rather, I expect an appropriate resolution and acknowledgement of the seriousness of the issue. Simply being told "sorry" was not sufficient given the nature of the security lapse.
The alternatives presented to me by the Night Manager were also, in my view, unreasonable. One option was for me to move to another room on my final night. Considering that I was due to check out the following morning, I found this solution impractical and disruptive. Being asked to pack my belongings and relocate because of an issue that was not caused by me did not seem to be an appropriate resolution.
I was also informed that a Reception Manager would speak with me. However, I was unable to wait indefinitely for the manager's arrival. As a guest who was raising a legitimate concern, I do not believe I should have been expected to delay my evening plans or remain available for an uncertain period of time. Furthermore, I was scheduled to leave the hotel at 7:00 AM the next morning in order to arrive at the airport early for my flight.
For these reasons, I felt that the issue was not properly addressed during my stay, which is why I am bringing it directly to your attention.
I am raising this matter not only as a guest but also
