Mercure Eastgate Oxford - Oxford, United Kingdom     

Um, not the worst hotel in the world but far from the best either. The elevator was “broken” when I got there and the lady who checked me in asked if I needed any help with my luggage. I accepted the help and suddenly, she looked like I had asked for her firstborn (I was only on the first floor – one flight up) but still….). No bellboys, she carried my bags up herself and then when she got to the top of the stairs she said “you can manage from here, right?” Well, that was of course my first experience with this hotel and lets just say that set the tone for the hotel. The room was pretty small, though for a single room I did have a double bed, but it was clean and well-kept. The bathroom was a generous size with a lot of space to lay out toiletries. So, keeping in mind the good, central location

On 1st impressions it seemed like a nice but very very overpriced bog standard 3* hotel. The staff seemed polite but from the start things were wrong. I booked over the phone and when i arrived they had let out the room i booked- the only available for wheelchair users. The hotel apologised and arranged for the couple in room 404 to be moved upstairs to thier origonal room. The decor was ok but nothing special and the drinks in the mini bar were disapointing and also the coffee was cheap. The restaurant attatched although polite was over priced and impersonal. i had to come up to oxford for neurosurgery appointments on the 3rd and 5th of june. The ONLY wheelchair 'friendly' place that was avcailable i cld find for the night of the 2nd was the mercure eastgate hotel just off the high st. I had to take a double room as it was the only available . In the early hours i started to be sick- i was sick in a bin and then again when i went outside for someair. The night porter called an ambulance and i was taken to hospital.When the paramedic arrived i showed him all the medications i was on and the boxes with my name and address on. I took some samples of each med to the hospital and left in my nightwear with a change of clothes. I was anxious to leave my belongings - in particular the meds as i am on morphine, oxycodone and various other antihistamines and anti emtics as required. I expressed my concern at leaving asll my stuff behind and expressed concern that the door wld be kept locked so noone cld take my stuff. The hotel mamger assured me my belongings would be safe and the paramedic wld not let me take my belongings or pack them as he wanted to get me to hospital ASAP. I was discharged from the hospital after a full body mri as it was discovered that my problems are not surgical and they r only a surgical unit. I managed to find a room for the night and arrived there via patient transport. Then i got my belongiongs delivered by taxi and asked the protyer to take them to my room. I realiz4ed as soon as i recieved my bags that my painkillers and toiletries such as the tea tree baby wipes, 2 pairs of black knickers , the dry nights nappies i have needed to wear and a bra my mum bought me was missing and the aqueous cream-that i insited on using as face moisturiser b4 the paramedic took me. I had hoped that i would find them all somewhere in y bags but i have been through it all several times and there is none of these items which i had at the east gate hotel on the night of the 2nd and morning of the 3rd. the packets of medications have my name and address on them. I am at another hotel tonight . I cannot sleep despite being EXHAUSTED as i am so anxious due to the malicious nature of this crime. I find it hard to believe that anyone cld steal medications which are prescribed to someone obviously very ill and also take all my underwear and toletries which i obviously need. i am anxious that someone may try to break into my flat to stael anymore meds etc that they cld find or even harm me or my dogs- who are too friendly to guard. I can't sleep as i am stressed and this is so distressing . The knicker and nappies , aqueous cream and teatree wipes are replacable , howveer i only recieve state benefits and no other income so i have very little money and this week ahs already been extremely expensive with accomodation, taxi fares and food. The bra is irreplacable as it is now discontinued and has sentimental value as my mum - who is currently travelling asia- bought me it. The medications are nr impossible to replace away from home as my regular GP has to prescribe them and to see a gp as a temporary [patient means they have no access to your notes. Also my prescriptions are not due for a few weeks so it will be difficult and awkward to replace even once i am home since they are all controlled drugs- and rightly so. I am dependant on them physically for pain relief and have been on them for a number of years now so i am also physically dependant too. I am in pain and have just been told i have aneurodegenerative disorder. I am in an electric wheelchair which its max speed is 5mph and feel very very vunerable. Also the room at the east gate was barely wheelchair accessible and the bathroom was totally inaccessible. I am seriously shocked that anyone cld get in to takle these items and that anyone would. It is obvious that it was a member of staff. I spoke to the hotel manager yesterday the 4th of june and asked for them to get my belongings in the hope that they had misplaced one of the bags they had packed. The hotel manager offered no apologies at all. He denied seeing the items i had expressly asked for them to keep safe and had been assured that all will be looked after. I am completely overwhelmed by all of this and have been having a nightmare time anyway without this added stress and inconvenience, expence, worry , anxiety and distress. I find it hard to beleiev e taht anyone could be so nasty and cruel. Surely i have enough to cope with with being stuck in a wheelchair with little hope let alone anything extra. i am particularly concerned that whoeever this was has my address and full name. i don't know what to do. i live alone. I feel very traumatized by this and panicky that someone may attack me or try to rob me as i am an easy target in this wheelchair. I actually feel physically sick and am finding it hard to breath as it has also flared my asthma up. How could anyone knowingly , deliberately and spitefully do this? despite not being there for the complementary breakfast they still charged for it - it was supposedly complementary- as if the extortionate price of the room alone wasn't enough!!! Also i had one of thier blankets over me when i left to go to hospital. All my belongings were there . The manager asked for the blanket back but i said please don't worry i will bring it back when i collect my bags. Apon checking in to the hotel i checked availability of the room and was told the room was available for the following night. As i was getting into the ambulance the manager said if i was not back by 12 noon he wld be packing all my stuff. I said but i am staying another night..?? He then smarmily said " we are fully booked" They are now demanding ?78 for the blanket which has been misplaced somewhere in the hospital wher i was rushed in for a full body MRI. They will get thier blanket back , however i will not get my belongings back and the distress caused is untold. Whatever you do DO NOT stay at this hotel!!!!!! - Even if it is the ONLY vacancy available. I believe i would have been safer on the streets of oxford!!!!! I have only been in a wheelchair for a few weeks and can't believe the way i have been treated by businesses since and i haven't been treated worse!!!