Sleep, who needs it?

Friday 8th a gig in Gloucester, Liquid nightclub; we went down well, causing mayhem as usual. We finished at 1:30am and due to a store opening we were doing on Saturday morning we had to travel from Gloucester to Liverpool. A 3 hour journey with a stop, getting us to the Holiday Inn Express, Albert Dock, Liverpool at 4:30-5AM traffic and weather allowing. This would be a bit of a slog but 4 hours sleep beckoned and we just had to do it.The traffic enroute was minimal as would be expected at that time, the weather got quite foggy towards Liverpool and so we rolled into the car park at the Albert Dock at 4:45.

All of the booking arrangements had been taken care of by the wonderful Tara at Twist Communications, who was just doing a repeat booking from a few weeks previous when we had opened another store in Liverpool. Just the formalities of signing in, and we'd be abed for a ridiculousy short time but, well no point complaining... Gav went to his room, I went to mine, and as I lay there fumbling with the remote control trying to set my wake up call a loud rap on the door "This is John from security" I actually thought it may have been a wind up so I ignored it, bang, bang, bang, "Please answer". So I stumbled to the door, and was confronted be a couple of surly bouncer types. "There's a problem with the booking you need to go to reception and speak to Jan the night manager"
"Can't this wait til the morning, I'm going to get 4 hours sleep as it is?" I was really not in the mood.
"No, now" I saw I had no choice.
Down two floors, and I get to reception to be met by Jan the night manager. She informed me that the booking had not been paid for, and f we wanted to stay I had to pay for the room. I told her that she had made a mistake, "You've made a mistake" (see told you).
"Well we don't make mistakes and I have to take payment before I can let you stay otherwise you have to leave, unless you can give me a credit card."
"But we have been booked in by another company, we are hear as their guests" I offered.
"Can you get someone from that company to speak to us?" was her reply
"What? It's 5AM can you not wait for 4 hours and al of this will be sorted out, I just want to sleep"
"No" said Jan. Her customer service skills were world class awful, had she flicked the v's whilst telling me all this I would not hae been surprised. At this point Gav joined us and we both berated her and she said that our attitudes wre not helpful and we were being awkward.
"I tell you what you let me sleep for four hours and you'll see a marked improvement in my attitude" I told her
"We're not in the business of scamming hotels for four hours room time" Said Gavin, good point thought I.
This cut no ice with the the Obanfuerher of obstinence.
"You have made a huge mistake, said I, I have seen the booking confirmation" which I ad stupidly left at home
At this she tapped away at the computer, and said "Yes we have a credit card on the system but no autherisation to use it"
"So, youhave a company name, address and contacts details, their credit card details and you have our names and addresses and yet you still won't let us stay?"
All those long hours of training, years of perserverance in her job and application of company policy, she mashalled into her next reply "No."
"What?" Both Gav and I were incredulous.
"You have to leave"
With that we were escorted to our rooms, made to pack and leave, being escorted of the premises by the brickwalls in suits. I was lived, and nearly got in the car and came home. Gav suggested otherwise, and said why should our customer suffer because of their customer service. Which was a really valid point, we were going to do the show despite the bloody "Kerfuffle".
Atthis we got bac in the car, suitcases and all, drove to the shopping mall and parked, over four and a half hours early.
To say by the time I drove home yesterdy I was quite knackered. Tara from the company who made the boking confirmed and showed us the booking acceptance. As we thought it was a mistake by Holiday Inn. Now I m not suggesting that the whole of Holiday Inn is riddled with incompetence but the mistake was compounded by that shrew of a woman Jan. If you ever have the misfortune to suffer at her hands you'll know what we meant.
Jan, thanks, you have just given me more comedy ammunition, it is people like you and the situations you cause that add fuel to my comedy fire, without you and your ilk I would have a wonderfully easy life and no material. Bless you long may you stagnate in you low position of managerial malfeance, consigned to making the wee small hours hell for the weary traveller. Anyone else meet someone who was the equal of Jan? Or worse if at all possible!?