Appropriate Compensation For A False Hotel Fire Alarm?

By: Ben Schlappig

Published: May 30, 2016

62 comments

Reader steven k asked the following question in the Ask Lucky forum:

i was staying at a sheraton. at around 11:45 pm, i was awoken by fire alarm. all the guests had to evacuate from the hotel. we had to spend next 30 minutes outside until the fire department reset the false alarm.
i tried going back to sleep but was unable.
the hotel gave me 1000 star points for compensation but i thought this was inadequate. should i call up the spg customer service to get more compensation? do i have legitimate case?

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I’m passing this question on here because I’m curious how others have dealt with similar situations. I’ve frequently seen people post about hotel fire alarms going off, though it’s not something I’ve ever faced. Or at least I don’t remember ever dealing with a hotel fire alarm, which is sort of surprising.

Sheraton-Frankfurt-Airport-Suite - 9

Steven indicates that it was a “false alarm.” I’m not sure if that means it was a system error, if a guest pulled it accidentally, or what. Honestly I doubt a guest will necessarily find out the real reason either.

My initial reaction was that I wouldn’t request anything, since I’d assume it’s outside the hotel’s control, and safety always comes first. Then again, I think it’s actually quite reasonable to ask for compensation in the event of a mechanical flight delay which causes you to arrive at your destination significantly later.

Etihad-Flight-Delay

After thinking about that, I considered if the better example of a hotel fire alarm accidentally going off is a situation where a flight has to divert due to a medical emergency with a passenger, a situation in which I don’t think the airline owes passengers anything.

I really don’t know what to say here, and I’m curious what you guys think. On one hand the most basic thing a hotel can provide is a good night of sleep, and being woken up in the middle of the night prevents that. Then again, what if it’s not the hotel’s fault (or at least partly not the the hotel’s fault), and the hotel is just practicing “safety first,” as they must?

Is it appropriate for a guest to request compensation in the case of a fire alarm going off, and if so, what is reasonable?

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Mike Guest

December 11, 2019, 3:56 am

If there was no evacuation and it's 330 am, and it's just bloody irritating, you pay alot, and it's important to be able to get a decent night's rest. I believe half compensation is more than fair.

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Melissa Guest

March 3, 2019, 7:45 pm

i just stayed at a hoyel and was woken up by the alarm going off in my room. I checked the hallway and it was only my room. i was disoriented from being asleep and it took me walking around for about 10 minutes yo realize i should probably call the front desk. i did and they were busy helping other guests so i texted a number thay had been helping is during our stay and they said security was on his way. THEN about 5 minutes later the front desk called amd asked ifi had burnt popcorn or anything vuy again i was asleep. the guy came then left to get a ladder while it was still going off. then he opened the balcony doors in front of where my son was sleeping and it was freezing so that was rude. he said it was to air it out but there was nothing to air out. he blew the alarm with a compressed air thing put it back amd it went off again. he replaced something and it stopped. but my complaint is why did it take me calling and texting after it was going off for more than 20 minutes for them to send someone. shouldnt they have sent someone right away? and then it was only the one security guy and no staff member to make sure we were ok and no mention of the incident ay checkout either. what if i hadn't woke up and contacted them? would the alarm just have been going off for hours? and god forbid there was an actual fire and no one came! any thoughts? should i be compensated for the not great service?

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Richard Hammond Guest

February 24, 2019, 4:46 pm

Wow, this happened to us last night at 1:45am. It created a lot of anxiety and me and my didn't get much sleep. Accidental alarms go of but I think a "free night" voucher would be in order.

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Erkel Dilly Guest

January 15, 2018, 9:40 am

False fire alarms in hotels must be addressed on a case-by-case basis. A faulty system is the sole responsibility of the hotel, whereas a prank pull is not. A free breakfast is not adequate compensation for 2-30 minutes of ear-splitting sleep-depriving 155db pain, three times in one night. I'm not looking for a free stay, but the dolts who barked "suck it up buttercup" should be sent to re-education camps, IMHO. #knowyourrights #blessed

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Moonshine Guest

November 13, 2017, 1:01 pm

Stayed at Gatwick Hilton last month. Fire alarm went off at 2.30am. Hundreds of us stood in the car park in the drizzle for an hour with no information. Some with very little to wear. Fire engines came and went, then came again - and went again. Then with still no information there was a drift back in. Nobody said it was o.k. Someone close to the front must have thought it was o.k., so the rest followed.On passing the reception we noticed that people were checking in/out as if nothing had happened. Never did find out what happened. We asked, but nobody knew. Nobody said sorry. Nobody checked we were o.k. Never did get an apology. Separately, stunning attractiveness must be a decider on reception staff.

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