Heartbeat Hotel

My colleague and I were in Liverpool for an interim meeting with some of our European partners prior to the meeting at the end of this month that we have with the full group in Copenhagen.

I haven't spent time in Liverpool for quite a few years and the changes for the better are evident by the improvements to the city centre and the general vibrancy of the place. We arrived around 5pm after the short 35 minute flight from Belfast and had a lovely dinner in Bella Italia before wandering around the city centre priort to hitting the hay.


Friday was busy we had a very productive co-ordinators meeting in Toxteth Town Hall which is now a multi purpose building in community ownership. Many people will remember the Toxteth riots which happened in 1981 as a result of the tension between the police and the local community - the police had then a propensity for stopping and searching young black men and one such stopping and searching and brutality towards one young man ignited a spark... To be honest coming from where I come from riots were and are the norm and with two young children and a baby on the way I didn't take much notice at the time.


When we were going through Liverpool's China Town to the Town Hall our colleagues Joshua and Margaret described in detail how this deprived area had worked to restore community cohesion and pride. The refurbishment of the Town Hall had been primarly the work of one woman who had been long term unemployed and dependent on welfare benefits for many years - she had suddenly thought that something needed to happen and through her efforts it was now a vibrant community hub.


Dinner was in Bistro Jacques, veggie friendly and not breaking the bank. We had good fun and it was so nice to see the humour travelling across 7 nationalities and goodness knows how many cultures. Some of our colleagues headed for the delights of Matthews Street and the pubs and music venues, and the remainder headed back to the hotel - The Holiday Inn right opposite Lime Street Rail Station. The hotel looked a bit dreary on the outside but inside it was lovely and the staff were efficient, helpful and friendly. We had a night cap in the almost empty hotel bar and a bit of additional chat and banter before heading to bed.


I found it hard to get off to sleep and watched the news about the earthquake in New Zealand before finally settling around 2.30am - there was a bit of revelry passing my room but nothing more than people enjoying themselves on the way to bed after a good night out.


I was wakened at 4.57am (I looked at the LCD on the TV) "Hello this is Michael from Reception, sorry to disturb you... we have had reports of an accident outside your room... could you please check..."


"Michael" had a Northern Irish accent... was polite and professional and me in my state of half asleepedness didn't register the very oddness of the hotel ringing a guest about something like an accident report. I got up went to the door and opened it slightly - there was nothing on the landing and I closed the door ... when it hit me in the guts just what I had done.


I went back to the phone and said, "I have looked out there is nothing there" "Michael then said, you sound very shaken, are you on your own, would you like someone to come and talk to you?" By this stage the penny was starting to drop with me and I realised the danger I had put myself in. I said, "yes well I am at bit alarmed at being wakened at 5am by the telephone" "Michael" then said "what is your room number?" that nailed it for me... my reply was "You should know my room number " he said "512" to which I said, "No" and the line went dead. I was in 518 3 rooms out. The enormity of what could have happened to me hit.


I phoned reception and of course there was no "Michael" and I reported what had occurred and was reassured that security would patrol the floors etc. I didn't sleep and felt sick with anxiety.


I phoned SO at 8am and explained what had happened and he told me to go down to reception ask for the duty manager and to register a formal complaint and to ask for the police to be informed. He also told me to ask the hotel to get their telephone logs and to identify which rooms had made calls in that time zone... a big hotel group billing every second should be able to mine their data logs. I did this and the duty manager was very helpful and apppropriately concerned. They will get back to me tomorrow.


I am so sick to my stomach and reckon I had a lucky escape as undoubetedly "Michael" may have had another "Michael" with him. I can't help wondering if there was robbery, assault, sexual assault or all 3 on the cards - I doubt he wanted to discuss the weather. I am also thinking if there have been other women not so lucky in other hotels in other cities when called by "Michael from reception"


I am nobody's fool, I like to think I understand personal safety and risk, I only had a glass of wine all evening and I keep on asking myself WTF I got sucked in by such a confidence trick?

Was it my awoken with a start state in unfamiliar surroundings?

Was it my lulled into a comfort zone by his Northern Irish accent?

Was it my natural desire to help on being told report of an accident?


Or a combination of all three. I thank my stars that I caught on at the second stage and didn't give my room number out - thinking back he didn't use my Name Mrs Russam...


It transpired that other rooms had received calls which should have made me feel better that his/their approach was random but somehow it didn't. Also, the chain on the door didn't work though I doubt I would have used it.


The hotel have stated that all calls between rooms after midnight will now go through reception so hopefully no poor sod will have to face what I did.


I have always encouraged my colleagues to follow the guidelines set by the Suzie Lamplaugh trust and to consider their personal safety when working alone or with new clients even down to room layout and report whereabouts and never visiting a client at home etc - we even have personal alarms. I shall be taking mine next time I travel.


Friends and colleagues this is a stark reminder that our personal safety can be compromised at any time even if we think we are cool about not taking risks. Tell your friends and colleagues or families who may be travelling about my experience and not to get complacent about things - people that want to rob us or hurt us never are.