Helsinki Hotel Sued by Guest Over Alleged Room Intruder

A woman has filed a suit against a hotel chain after a desk clerk allegedly gave a drunken man the key to her room where he assaulted her in bed.

Alison Fournier, 31, was so upset by the naked encounter with the stranger, who she thought would rape her at the Hotel Kamp in Helsinki, that she quit her job as an investment banker in New York.

Fournier was woken up very early on 15 January, 2011 by the intruder. He said he had told the desk clerk that he was her husband.

The man took off his clothes and jumped into her bed where he groped her, she claims. She fled from the room.

The alleged intruder has not been arrested on any criminal charge but Fournier's civil suit has been filed against Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. The company has more than 1,000 hotels around the world.

Fournier said: "I still suffer from the memories of that night and I am not able to put it behind me."

She went on to detail how the psychological torment of the attack on her first work trip abroad led to the loss of her job and how she found it necessary to leave New York to be nearer her family.

The hotel chain, based in Connecticut, said: "We are taking this allegation seriously and are working with the hotel to understand the facts and any breach of security that may have contributed to this very unfortunate event."