Trust me everyone, I did NOT mean to leave you hanging yesterday with my note about someone impersonating me at the hotel. I didn’t think you guys would want to hear about it! But based on several requests, here’s what happened.
During BlogHer, we stayed at the New York Hilton on 53rd and 6th. It was a nice hotel, or it was fine for New York (which are notoriously pretty in the lobby but not so much in the rooms).
Anyhow, due to a mix up, my room was moved after I checked in. I got settled in the new room and left to run some errands, but when I came back later, I was locked out.
Thinking the key card had been deactivated because of all the metal I carry in my purse, I went down to get new keys cut. The front desk did so and I battled the elevators to go back up and try again. Still locked.
Annoyed, I go back down to the front desk and ask what’s going on, where the front desk women asks my name and then goes slightly pale and says, “I’ll be right back.” NOT COMFORTING.
She comes back to verify my name again and she tells me that someone came in to the hotel, using my name and saying “I” needed to change hotel rooms again. Fortunately, when they asked her to verify the reservation name, she spelled my last name wrong (thank goodness for an unconventionally spelled last name). And by spelling it wrong consistently, hotel security locked down the room so no one (including me) could get in.
Shocked, she told me to go back and try the locks again because now that the room is verified, I can get in. Yep, turns out I couldn’t because SECURITY had to let me in, which she neglected to tell me. Twenty-five minutes later, security shows up and lets me in. Fortunately, all of my stuff was there and accounted for. But I’m pissed off and late to meet bloggy buddies.
But that’s not the end of the story.
At 12:30 a.m. when I came back from the Nikon party, I could NOT GET IN THE ROOM AGAIN. So after a minor beer- and exhaustion-fueled breakdown at the front desk, security walks me back up and lets me in again.
I never found out who the person was trying to be me but there were no erroneous charges on my card, likely just someone who wanted to try and get a free room.
And even though I was insanely annoyed about the room lock out, I am glad that the hotel was looking out for me.
Has anything like this ever happened to you?
That is SO crazy! No, nothing like that has ever happened to me and I would be TOTALLY freaked out if it did! I would have been looking around the rest of the trip wondering who tried to be me. Weird. Do you think it was someone you know IRL? A random person that over heard you? A blogger? So weird!
That is bizarre. I’ve never heard of that before. She was probably behind you in line when you checked in.
That’s so random and creepy! Thank goodness for security guards and a hotel staff who actually did the right thing. Glad you’re safe too! Stupid creepy people who want to be you (I mean, you’re awesome and she’s probably jealous of all your fabulous bloggy friends!)
Holy shit. I hadn’t heard about this. Well there’s a few lessons learned. 1. Duh, you’re like famous n stuff. 2. People know where you’re going to be which is a little creepy so 3. Next time, bring me with you and I’ll be bodyguard! *karate kick*
Oh nooo NEVER! This is really creepy and scary. I’m glad you’re safe!!!!!!!!! xoxox
seriously she just really wanted to be you.
That’s so scary!!!!
Wow, you’re, like, famous and stuff! ;) No one’s ever tried to impersonate me before. The worst that’s ever happened to me in regards to a hotel was getting double charged for a pit of a room in the middle-of-nowhere Nebraska. I contested it with my credit card company and the owner of the motel called me up! She kept asking if Brian and I had used two rooms, if we’d been there with another couple, etc. Uh, no and no!
That’s really weird.
Holy crap- that’s scary! Also, they obviously knew how awesome you are and therefore wanted to BE you. :) I’m so glad that nothing amiss happened. I wonder where they got your name from in order to use it at the hotel.
That is really, really weird!
The only similar experience I’ve had was when my entire family was in D.C. After dinner one night my sister-in-law and I got back to the hotel first and she didn’t have a key to her room. She went to the front desk to get a replacement key but it turned out they had only put her husband’s name on the room. And since her last name is different than her husband’s they refused to let her in until he came back. I understand the security issues but it was still frustrating!
I’m sort of doubting here that someone actually had your name…I bet someone at the front desk screwed up. My guess is this- someone remembered the wrong room, went down the lobby to ask for their room # again (maybe they didn’t have their key on them), and the front desk gave them their own right key but your room number by mistake. They then go back up to try your room, key doesn’t work and viola- you’re locked out due to the hotel’s security system.
Hotels ALWAYS check ID and do not just go by name and room verfication, at least in my experience. When I was in Vegas a few years back, I locked myself out once sans wallet. After verifying my name and room number, security walked me back up to my hotel room, let me in, and then stayed there so I could show them my ID and the credit card I used on the room.
Something about what the hotel told you doesn’t pass the smell test with me.
How creepy! I’m glad everything was ok, but that would totally freak me out!
wow, that iss creepy!
all last summer when i was living in hotels because of my job, i always had problems with the stupid keys. the worst was when we used the key and it started blinking yellow… apparently the battery died on the swipe thingy and they had to totally fix it before we could get into our room.
Wowwww. I just hope it wasn’t another conference-goer! That’s really disheartening to think that in a tight-knit blogger community there could be a woman who would do something like that. And uh, hello, why didn’t they have her show an ID?!
That is super creepy… How on earth did the person know to use your name and what room you were in?? I think I would have asked to switch rooms!!
I’ve never had that happen, but twice at two different La Quintas, I was assigned a room and given a working key to an already occupied room. Like, we opened the door and walked in and people’s stuff was all over the place. Not comforting. Not comforting AT ALL.
Oh, have I not told you about being put on the security freeze at work? True story.
I’ve stayed at that hotel, it’s pretty nice especially by NY standards.
I am now so curious who tried to be you!
woah man, that’s crazy!! i can say i’ve never had this happen to me, but i also do not travel a ton. glad all your possessions were accounted for!
I’ve NEVER heard of this happening before. Frightful someone would steal your identity like that. Though, somewhat relieving the hotel has pretty strict security measures to combat it (sounds like it’s not the first time this has happened to them).
BTW, totally agree with you about NYC hotels. I usually stay with family when in the city. But, a number of years ago, I stayed in the Hyatt Midtown and the place was a dump.
That is really scary. I wonder how they even got your full name? Thankfully you are safe and nothing was stolen. It is wonderful that the hotel was on top of it and had securty in place to make sure you were safe, even if it was a pain for you.
I would have boiled some water in the coffee pot just in case that crazyass came back.
That is scary! I’m glad nothing worse happened!!
wow that’s creepy. i’m glad everything was in tact and no one was in your room
Wow that sucks but it’s nice to know the hotel was looking out for you! I’m sure you must have felt a little bit famous having all the fancy escort to your room. Too bad it wasn’t a stripper ;) Hehe. Just kidding.
Guess I’m not famous enough for this to have ever happened to me ;-)
That’s so creepy! I wonder who it was . . .
That’s ridiculous!! That’s never really happened to me but a few years ago my boyfriend at the time and I were staying in a DC hotel for a wedding. He got there a day before I did, and he was hanging out in the room watching TV when all of a sudden, the door opened and a stranger walked in. They both got freaked out and the second guy went back downstairs – turns out they gave them both the same room initially so they both had fully functional keys. Anyway it’s good your stuff is accounted for and you didn’t have any weird card charges – those would have been the first things I checked!
Oh man that sucks but glad everything worked out for you. And glad you had fun. I loved reading all the tweets and all the posts from the awesome weekend you all had in NY. And of course I am so jealous of everyone that got to go.
That’s crazy…How would they know your last name, you’ve never shared it have you.
Whoa. So it was someone who KNEW YOUR NAME AND ROOM NUMBER? WTF?
ok, babe, that is FREAKY. i mean just thinking about how many people knew you were there and trying to gank a room – eek!
i’m glad nothing bad happened though!!!
Oh my goodness, that would be slightly scary and a incredibly annoying. I’m glad that noting was stolen and you didnt have any charges on your card.