A visitor to a four-star hotel who reserved a room found out more than he anticipated when a complete stranger entered his room, undressed, and climbed into bed with him.
While his home is being repaired, Mason Sanders was living at the Hunton Park Hotel in Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire.
He had been sleeping in cheap hotels earlier, but that night he decided to pamper himself and spent £60 on a double room.
But when 24-year-old Mason rolled over to see if it was his partner climbing into bed with him in the early hours of the morning, he realised it was a total stranger.
Mason, a shop manager, says the stranger was given a key to his room which allowed him in at around 3.50am on March 17.
He explained: ‘I reached out my arm thinking my partner was next to me.
‘But instead it was some random drunk guy. The receptionist just handed a complete stranger the key to my room.
‘I could have been killed – but the hotel are refusing to accept the severity of the situation.
‘Coming to the hotel I was expecting good things. It had four stars and I was looking forward to a luxury stay.
‘But I was given the fright of my life when I rolled over in the night to find a drunk man sprawled across my bed.
‘When I put my arm out, I initially thought it was my partner who’d said he may be joining me after work.
‘But I quickly noticed that wasn’t the case.
‘I started shouting at this random person, and he shot up and ran to the bathroom and was sick everywhere.
‘He then picked up his clothes and ran down the hallway, still in his underwear, and sprinted past the reception desk and out the door.’
Mason immediately went down to reception, where he claims staff confirmed the man was given a key to his room without asking any security questions about who he was.
He escalated his complaint to management in the morning but he says the compensation offered – a refund for his room and his bar tab from the night before – isn’t enough to make up for what happened.
Mason, who is preparing to sue Countrywide Hotels over the incident, said: ‘Where is the safeguarding or security measures in place to protect guests?
‘Men can be just as vulnerable as women in scenarios like these, but Countrywide Hotels are refusing to take my complaint seriously.
‘It was a horrific experience, and something that will stick with me forever.
‘I’ve already sought legal representation and am preparing to sue the hotel chain – they need to be held accountable.’
Countrywide Hotels has been approached for comment.
Hertfordshire Constabulary confirmed they had received a call to report the incident, but said it was not a police matter.