A nightmare on Elm, no, Financial St

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A nightmare on Elm, no, Financial St

Conferences are supposed to be fun, especially if you’re an invited guest, which usually leads to a perfect concoction of free booze, food and five star accommodation. Unfortunately that wasn't the case on my recent trip to Beijing — quite the opposite in fact.

I’ll prefer not to name and shame them, but I will recount what the geniuses at a high end hotel on Financial Street put me through.

After getting the key card to my suite without too much trouble, I was already dreaming of my fluffy king-sized bed when I unlocked my door.

Now, I can’t speak for others, but my usual habit after entering my hotel room is to throw off my jacket.

But just as I was doing this, I noticed something strange. For starters, the room was unusually untidy, with clothes and a suitcase strewn around the place. Things got worse as I then saw that the bed was already occupied by an extremely startled woman.

Now, once upon a time, I might have been pleasantly surprised to find an unexpected stranger in my bed. But in this bizarre situation, all I felt was fear as she, quite understandably, started screaming blue murder. Thankfully, somebody from the hotel reception had quickly realised the goof-up and dispatched staff to the room to clear up the confusion and to placate the lady — and me to some extent.

But the worst part of all this? The hotel didn’t even offer to upgrade my room after putting me through the ordeal and I slept with one eye open just in case!

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