People share a lot of travel experiences with me. Sometimes I think the airline or hotel are in the wrong, sometimes I think the traveler could’ve handled things a bit differently, and then you have this… one of the stranger stories that I’ve had shared with me in quite some time.
In this post:
A bizarre La Quinta late check-out incident that escalated
A Wyndham Rewards Diamond member shared a communication with me that they’ve sent to Wyndham corporate over a stay on November 6, 2025, at the La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Miami Lakes property. Let me just copy and paste the entire complaint, because it’s quite something (I’ll leave it unedited, except adding some spacing, to make it easier to read):
I was checked in at 5pm by a wonderful woman to whom I requested a late checkout and she advised that you the manager had allowed a checkout for me at 1:00, even though I was looking for 2PM as a Diamond guest I accepted the 1PM offered, I simply added that I was tired and that i did not expect any banging etc, as she responded of course not.
I ignored the hair on the towels and the general dinginess of the room and went to bed only to have repeated banging on my door at 10:30 going until 11:30 when people started coming into my room when I advised of late checkout they responded “no ingles”. It was getting worse I tried calling the front desk many times with no answer.
It was getting worse, in fact the banging and knocking was so intense and I had to go to the bathroom. I bolted the door shut and people were trying to get in the room and this was approximately 11:45 by 12 o’clock. I left the bathroom and unbolted the door and a woman walked in and started screaming at me to leave the room. I explained to her that I had late check out she said she didn’t care. She was gonna call the police if I didn’t leave immediately, even though I had more than an hour until my check out time, I went to the front desk and was surprised to see this girl there I asked to speak to a manager and she refused.
I asked her to confirm my late check out with the person who checked me in and she refused. I requested the name of the manager she refused. I requested the phone number of the manager and she refused. I attempted to call Corporate and while on the phone with corporate, the police arrived, and the policeman apologetically explained to me that even though it was obvious what had happened, I had to leave the hotel, even though it was before my checkout time and not only that, but he advised that I was not to return to the hotel for 30 days.
All I did was call a little bit later in the day to try to get the names and was very rudely told that I’ve been banned from the hotel. I did nothing wrong. I am a diamond member. I am entitled to instant Late checkouts and was advised that I had a late check out to have this terrible kind of treatment occur, where I have to literally have five policeman escort me out of a hotel when I did absolutely nothing wrong was absurd being a diamond member having a late check out having people repeatedly come bang and disturbed me, waking me up violently out of a deep sleep to which I have not yet even recovered is beyond horrible not acceptable not something be fitting Wyndham, La Quinta or any standard whatsoever and I request that you immediately resolve this and having such people at your front desk, compromises the standards that I have come to expect from Wyndham over the years I have stayed more than 1,000 times at hotels over the last several years and I have never ever seen such a lack of professionalism, such a lack of courtesy, such a lack of the most minimal of standards.
I expect immediate satisfaction to this impassioned call for assistance at this grave injustice performed by your employees. It should be obvious that one call could have prevented this entire incident, a call your employee refused to make, this was unacceptable.
She MUST be fired this was the worst experience ever.
Talk about an unnecessary and avoidable escalation!
I can totally understand this traveler’s frustration, of requesting late check-out with the desire to sleep in, only to then have someone knocking on the door earlier than the requested check-out time. It’s super annoying, and it happens at all kinds of properties, and often comes down to a lack of communication between the front desk and housekeeping.
When I first read through the complaint, my initial thought was that maybe the guy should’ve handled this differently. If over the course of 90 minutes they’re constantly banging on your door and they don’t understand what you’re requesting, it’s not surprising that they’d start to assume something isn’t right, and would basically view the guest as non-cooperative, and might almost have safety concerns.
But when I read the complaint a couple more times, my opinion changed a bit. I’m not actually sure what the guest could’ve done differently? It sounds like he repeatedly tried to call the front desk, and they didn’t answer? That lack of responsiveness is the hotel’s fault, no?
The way I see it, there are only two other strategies this guy could’ve used:
- He could’ve put on clothes and gone to the front desk to discuss it with them in person
- He could’ve used a translation service on his phone, since it sounds like there was a language barrier with the staff knocking, and they were basically talking past one another
I can understand how a hotel would have a serious issue with a guest if the door was bolted and the guest was non-responsive, and they were worried something bad had happened. But here you have a guest with top tier elite status who seems to be responding, who was granted late check-out, and this ends with the cops being called and a ban from the hotel?
This does strike me as being a totally wild escalation, and assuming the details are as presented, the guest deserves an apology. Obviously if there had been proper internal communication about late check-out being granted, none of this would’ve happened, so to have this end with the guest being taken off property by the cops and banned is so crazy.
Bottom line
A Wyndham Rewards Diamond member had the cops called on him and was banned from a La Quinta property in Miami Lakes. The crime? Trying to stay in his room until the check-out time he was granted. This all seems like such an unnecessary escalation of a situation, and I’m curious what hotel staff were thinking when they did this…
What do you make of this strange La Quinta incident?
With all respect having housekeepers not have English skills, or at least be able to call for someone who speaks English to help out seems strange. We operate hotels in Mexico and we always try to have at least 1 housekeeper speak English, or in the worst case we tell them that if they are having issues with a guest, to radio in for a customer with English skills.
The guest could've done things a...
With all respect having housekeepers not have English skills, or at least be able to call for someone who speaks English to help out seems strange. We operate hotels in Mexico and we always try to have at least 1 housekeeper speak English, or in the worst case we tell them that if they are having issues with a guest, to radio in for a customer with English skills.
The guest could've done things a better way (as an example I always call right before set checkout to confirm my late checkout).
I find the converse interesting. Fourteen percent of the population in the US speaks Spanish as their first language. I suspect this proportion is higher in southern areas, especially in Miami. I am always perplexed by the number of Americans who have essentially no working knowledge of Spanish, or for that matter any language other than English. Speaking slowly and loudly is not equivalent to talking in another language. The only European country I can...
I find the converse interesting. Fourteen percent of the population in the US speaks Spanish as their first language. I suspect this proportion is higher in southern areas, especially in Miami. I am always perplexed by the number of Americans who have essentially no working knowledge of Spanish, or for that matter any language other than English. Speaking slowly and loudly is not equivalent to talking in another language. The only European country I can think of with a similar level of unilingualism is Italy, and even there I suspect people speak other languages but feel others should have some working knowledge of Italian when they visit.
Granted, wyndhams suck. But the guest is clearly in the wrong here
Brings back meme memories...I am a Diamond Member.
If the on-duty manager is unable or unwilling to address the matter, then call the Wyndham service team. If the Wyndham service team is unable or unwilling to address the matter, you have a choice.
How ironic. It's usually the guest who bans a La Quinta and not the other way around.
For real. I’m done with Wyndhams. All of their brands. They will be the first hotel to use all virtual front office staff. And they may as well, their human staff are unhelpful.
Wyndhams have the lowest cleanliness standards of all major and minor hotel chains.
My guess is that there is more to the story than was stated. Possibly people being threatened or shouted at in a loud and threatening manner because they knocked on the door? On its face, the story is a bit unlikely. Sometimes the unlikely can happen, but that would be unusual. I doubt I would ever demand somebody be "fired," especially at a fancy job at the La Quinta. . . .
Yup Miami is weird place. Couldnt even get a teen partime job at fast food place because i didnt speaka Spanish. But there where alot more older hotter girls in high school, So.......
If you demand no banging seemingly you have had this experience before. But calling police and they appear with 5 officers over a late check out dispute? It must have been a slow day in the PD.
I empathize with the guest, and if it went the way they said, then yes, they were mistreated. I think a wise lesson for them, and for anyone really, is to never really expect much in the way of hospitality in Miami in general, especially regarding elite benefits at a LQ out in the burbs
Many hotel properties are independently owned (franchised). That is the real business of hotel chains. Consequently, you never know what you're going to get.
Fascinating insight!
Because Florida
The story sounds indeed a bit strange and from a legal perspective I guess the Hotel has the right of removing guests from their property at any time. If I was in a hotel and people would start banging on my door for hours and obviously want me to leave, I would:
- state that I'm angry about this
- I will comply
- I will seek damages in form of a...
The story sounds indeed a bit strange and from a legal perspective I guess the Hotel has the right of removing guests from their property at any time. If I was in a hotel and people would start banging on my door for hours and obviously want me to leave, I would:
- state that I'm angry about this
- I will comply
- I will seek damages in form of a refund
Escalating a situation by bolting the door and having the hotel call the cops doesn't sound like the best strategy to me.
In regards to what was written, it strikes me odd that he requested no banging on the door explicitly (I never heard anyone ask for this!?) and also that the police would agree with him, that he is in the right, while he is trespassing. I'm sure this is not written objectively.
Just seems like the answer is florida
I guess the curious part is why a guest would proactively ask for "no banging" at check-in. That's a very particular term and situation.
That's not something I would think or ask about at the time of check-in. Especially not in the context of late check-out. Normally you have do not disturb signs or buttons you can flag to keep the housekeeping away.
So that strikes me as odd, as in this guest was expecting...
I guess the curious part is why a guest would proactively ask for "no banging" at check-in. That's a very particular term and situation.
That's not something I would think or ask about at the time of check-in. Especially not in the context of late check-out. Normally you have do not disturb signs or buttons you can flag to keep the housekeeping away.
So that strikes me as odd, as in this guest was expecting the situation to turn out this way, where there would be "banging" on the door.
@ yoloswag420 -- Interesting you say that, because I wasn't sure what to make of that either. Yes, it could be interpreted as being a bit unusual, and you wonder what was going on. Or it could also be that he has a rather strange writing style, and the point was simply to say "I plan to sleep in, so please make sure that housekeeping is aware of the late check-out, so they don't knock...
@ yoloswag420 -- Interesting you say that, because I wasn't sure what to make of that either. Yes, it could be interpreted as being a bit unusual, and you wonder what was going on. Or it could also be that he has a rather strange writing style, and the point was simply to say "I plan to sleep in, so please make sure that housekeeping is aware of the late check-out, so they don't knock and wake me up" (which is a fair request to make, but that's not to say it'll be communicated properly).
But see how you typed that sentence out and it's clearly conveying a different point?
I'm not sure what would prevent them from properly articulating what was actually discussed at check-in, in relation to "no banging" or not.
I find this generally a bizarre situation, and while the guest is seemingly not at fault, at the very least, the check-in probably did give this guest some notice about housekeeping procedures or something to preempt them...
But see how you typed that sentence out and it's clearly conveying a different point?
I'm not sure what would prevent them from properly articulating what was actually discussed at check-in, in relation to "no banging" or not.
I find this generally a bizarre situation, and while the guest is seemingly not at fault, at the very least, the check-in probably did give this guest some notice about housekeeping procedures or something to preempt them asking about "no banging".
Maybe he was thinking of maintenance , repairs, or construction, which is usually done during mornings and afternoons?
That's what I initially assumed too, but clearly they were referring to banging on the door here.
Also I'm not sure how you can ask for no construction noises, beyond being moved to a room that's more isolated.
I think Ben got it exactly right. It sounds like someone who's requested and been granted late checkout in the past, only to have housekeeping knocking ("banging") on their door before their checkout time. It's happened to me, too, at Hyatts, Marriotts, IHGs, and probably Hiltons too - though they've always been understanding once I told them I have a late checkout. (I remember only once, they acted skeptical and said they didn't see a...
I think Ben got it exactly right. It sounds like someone who's requested and been granted late checkout in the past, only to have housekeeping knocking ("banging") on their door before their checkout time. It's happened to me, too, at Hyatts, Marriotts, IHGs, and probably Hiltons too - though they've always been understanding once I told them I have a late checkout. (I remember only once, they acted skeptical and said they didn't see a late checkout for me on their list; perhaps the front desk didn't communicate it to housekeeping, but I'd definitely been given one, which I told them, and they left me alone.) Once it happens to you enough, you start cynically expecting it to happen every time.
Now I travel with a Post-It pad and will sometimes leave a sticky note on the door telling them I have a 4 pm (or whatever time) checkout, especially if I'm trying to get some sleep before a long drive, etc.; it's worked well for me so far, but I'm not sure it would've helped in this situation. I rarely advocate for someone in customer service to actually be fired, but if things happened as stated, then I agree with it here.
Ben please, "the guest could have used a translation service". The guest was talking English in an English-speaking country. Maybe housekeeping can learn English, or is it too much to ask?
@ GRkennedy -- Ah, tell me you're not from Miami without telling me you're not from Miami. ;-) In Miami, more people speak Spanish as a first language than English. So sure, you could argue that they "should" speak English because this is America, but it just doesn't reflect the reality. And quite frankly, housekeeping at a La Quinta isn't exactly at the top of the totem pole in terms of hiring people who are...
@ GRkennedy -- Ah, tell me you're not from Miami without telling me you're not from Miami. ;-) In Miami, more people speak Spanish as a first language than English. So sure, you could argue that they "should" speak English because this is America, but it just doesn't reflect the reality. And quite frankly, housekeeping at a La Quinta isn't exactly at the top of the totem pole in terms of hiring people who are proficient in English.
And also, just practically speaking, if you're having an issue with communicating with someone (no matter where you are or what language they speak), isn't a translation app the best option? What's the alternative?
I think that a business such as a national hotel chain operating on the United States should have management or other staff (at least one person) that can conduct business in English. Yes, in this case I would break out the translation app, to deal with the issue.
First language or not, English speaking is very critical to success in the USA. The USA should have a national language codified and require all legal...
I think that a business such as a national hotel chain operating on the United States should have management or other staff (at least one person) that can conduct business in English. Yes, in this case I would break out the translation app, to deal with the issue.
First language or not, English speaking is very critical to success in the USA. The USA should have a national language codified and require all legal documents to be in that language. Translation is never 100% accurate. BTW: What if the guest was deaf and only used sign language? Would they have broken down the door?
@ Steve K -- I think that's a fair argument one could make. I'm just saying that like it or not, the reality in Miami is that a vast majority of hotel housekeepers and those in similar roles (at least based on my experience) aren't at all proficient in English. So it's a city "problem," if you want to call it that, rather than a hotel problem.
I think this point is further undercut by noting that the hotel in question was a La Quinta. Fairly sure that's not a hotel name being presented in English in the first place.
Bizarre story, but I suppose this is why having status at a low/midrange hotel isn't really worth all that much. Can't wait for the number of CSR holders that now hold IHG status to start complaining about not getting early check in...
I think this point is further undercut by noting that the hotel in question was a La Quinta. Fairly sure that's not a hotel name being presented in English in the first place.
Bizarre story, but I suppose this is why having status at a low/midrange hotel isn't really worth all that much. Can't wait for the number of CSR holders that now hold IHG status to start complaining about not getting early check in or late check out at the 2,300 Holiday Inn Express locations in the US (given that it's all subject to availability, not guaranteed).
I'm indeed not from Miami, nor have I ever visited (but looking forward to!) :-)
Regarding the translation app, though I understand the practicality, all I am saying is that I would have preferred the housekeeper (or whoever was banging the door) to use it, not the guest.
As much as I find it annoying that American tourists around the world often don't try speaking one word of the local language, I find it fairly reasonable for an American in the USA to expect service in (albeit inaccurate) English.
@ GRkennedy -- I think that's totally fair!