Surf Rider, Pompano Beach, FL, lunatic staff

Place was nice enough on the whole. Coin op washer dryer in room is tacky and ceiling fans and bathroom exhaust fans would have been welcome but really comfortable place to stay overall. Nice pool area. Wi-fi only in the office or poolside. Came down to use the computer around 11pm and needed to use a bathroom so elevatored down to the office. Stepped off the elevator and through an open door to a bathroom. Ferocius pounding on the door and a man screaming "what do think you're doing in there? Who do you think you are?!" and the like. Stepped out in my pajama pants and t-shirt and no shoes to find myself facing a rather menacing large man with a scar on his forehead clad in just a bathing suit with his angry arms crossed across his ample belly and a woman dressed as a receptionist neither of whom identified themselves as they screamed at me and threatened me including threatening to throw me out for accidently using the staff bathroom. Didn't notice the "employees only" sign on the open door I walked through. "Who do you think you are doing something like that?!" Frankly I was pretty scared. Apologized and escaped to the office proper but was followed and the abuse continued so headed out to the pool area. Unfortunately the BR in the pool area didn't have a working light (just used it during the day now--no soap either). Anyway, sat checking e-mail with 2 other computer users poolside and receptionist lady came to berate me some more and request my room number for her "report." Gave her the number and suggested their behavior was pretty unprofessional and she yelled about me maybe "having a gun" (in my pajamas???). So I told her I felt pretty threatened myself but if she was worried for her safety perhaps she should call the police.

So she did.

I apologized to the officer who found me poolside for his time being wasted by this nonsense and accompanied him back to the office to "prove I was a guest." No I'm a neighbor who came over without shoes in my pajamas to shoot up the employee bathroom. Sheesh. Produced my room key while big guy continue to scream and shout and menace and lift his shirt (guess he got dressed for the occasion) to show that "he didn't have a gun!" Turns out the guy is the "chief maintenance officer" or some such fancy title for "super." So I pled guilty to using the employee BR by mistake, offered to let the bemused cop fingerprint me and bid them all goodnight. Suffice it to say I'm being more careful to bolt my door at night than usual.

These guys obviously have too little entertainment and far too little training in hotel management. What a bunch of loonies!

kenw167 wrote:

Gave her the number and suggested their behavior was pretty unprofessional and she yelled about me maybe "having a gun" (in my pajamas???).

Some people just think they rule the world.

With all due respect, I would not have ventured out of my unit into a public area in my pajamas, secondly you used the 'Employee Only' restroom when it was clearly stated so on the door .... I can see why the staff was concerned but they had only to check the computer to see that you were a registered guest AND you had the key to the unit to prove such ...... I think it was a bit much to get the police involved when it should have been taken care of by the staff ..... perhaps they thought you were inebriated.

I think both you and the empoloyes handled he situation wrongly.

Re: "pajamas--" I was wearing perfectly adequate long cotton pants with a drawstring and a t-shirt.

Re: Being in the wrong place. Correct. I accidently went through an open door into an area marked employees only. Had the door been closed, I would have seen the sign that was printed on it.

Re: Handling it wrong--I apologized repeatedly for being in the employee area and repeatedly explained it was an error. What would you have preferred?

Re: Inebriation--the only people who acted drunk and erratic were the facility staff.

One of the things they told me that night was that I "was told at check in that the lobby is closed after 8." That was a lie--I was not told that because it was not true. The printed copy of the rules, which I reviewed the next day with the manager, clearly indicate that while 2 of 3 doors to the lobby are locked at 8:30, "the lobby will remain available for guests." She was pretty embarrassed that while I sat in her office discussing the event the maintenance guy saw me there and poked his head in and hollered with his finger in my face, "WHAT YOU DID WAS WRONG!"

I say again, the place is nice enough if a little on the no frills side but the fact remains the staff were very unprofessional and frankly pretty loony in how they handled this situation.

kenw167 wrote:

Re: "pajamas--" I was wearing perfectly adequate long cotton pants with a drawstring and a t-shirt.

Re: Being in the wrong place. Correct. I accidently went through an open door into an area marked employees only. Had the door been closed, I would have seen the sign that was printed on it.

Re: Handling it wrong--I apologized repeatedly for being in the employee area and repeatedly explained it was an error. What would you have preferred?

Re: Inebriation--the only people who acted drunk and erratic were the facility staff.

One of the things they told me that night was that I "was told at check in that the lobby is closed after 8." That was a lie--I was not told that because it was not true. The printed copy of the rules, which I reviewed the next day with the manager, clearly indicate that while 2 of 3 doors to the lobby are locked at 8:30, "the lobby will remain available for guests." She was pretty embarrassed that while I sat in her office discussing the event the maintenance guy saw me there and poked his head in and hollered with his finger in my face, "WHAT YOU DID WAS WRONG!"

I say again, the place is nice enough if a little on the no frills side but the fact remains the staff were very unprofessional and frankly pretty loony in how they handled this situation.

The thing that I find most interesting is that all resort lobbies (that I have encountered) have a restroom for their guests to use ..... that's usually the first thing I do before checking in.