My husband and I visited London for the first time in June, 2003 and stayed in Thistle Westminster hotel clsoe to Victoria Station.

On a morning of our stay, when I opened the closet door, it fell suddenly and hit my bare foot. It was a very heavy duty door. I was in deep pain and tears for about 10 mins till my husband got me some ice. Luckily, I could walk after resting for an hour despite some bruises and delay to our itineary. The hotel manager took 44 pounds off from our hotel charge (we stayed there for 5 days with a daily rate of 88 pounds) upon my husband's request for compensation. We were unsatisfied and felt that the hotel did not take my injury and guests' safety seriously.

I would like to publicize my terrible experience with Thistle Westminster to other travelers. If the incident with the fallen closet door happened to children or elderly, the injury could have been a lot worse.

This is indeed an unfortunate incident, but I am not sure what we are supposed to make of your complaint. I presume you are not accusing them of intentionally sabotaging their rooms to harm guests, and that this was indeed an accident. And I presume this could have happened in any hotel in any chain in the world -- except maybe in really cheap hotels which do not have closets and/or closet doors.

What else should they have done to show that they took your injury and the safety of their guests seriously? I suppose they could have offerred more money. How much do you think would have been appropriate? Did you ask for more and were denied? Was there something else you wanted, like bringing out the maintenance manager and bawling him out or even sacking him in front of you? Or maybe promise to replace all heavy doors with light flimsy ones?

Unless I hear about a string of such incidents, the Thistle chain will continue to be my hotels of choice in London.

Ron - Really? Thistles are your hotels of choice? YUCK!

That said, Pucca, do you live in California? Need representation? Just kidding. Sorry to hear that you hurt yourself, but the hotel did work with you and I bet they did not booby trap your room on purpose. Hope your foot is better. Ouch!

Pucca..sorry to hear about your experience
except for that how was the hotel?...were the rooms clean?...how far from tube stop?...we have rooms reserved in late september

I love these posts. One person's "horrible experience" is another's minor inconvenience. I think we all overreact from time to time, and these posts help us keep things in perspective.