Hotel bumped us to another hotel at midnight!!

Did OP’s friends ask for this?

This happened to a relative at a well-known cheap chain of basic hotel accommodation.
He arrived later than expected to find they had bumped him to elsewhere.
However, when booking on line he was obliged to pay for the room in full, in advance, so they had no reason to bump him out. This relative had chosen this accommodation as it was next to the station by which he was arriving.
He was told that he should have rung explaining his expected arrival time, but as he pointed out, the individual hotels, do NOT have their telephone number on the website, so he had no means of contacting them. He also had no means of getting to the alternative hotel that was offered.
Obviously the relative has never stayed with this cheap hotel chain since.
I have since found out that this often happens especially if others are staying for longer. ie; bump off a single nighter in favour of someone staying a week.
This also happened to my DS who had booked an Airb&b, which was cancelled at the point they arrived.
I've only mentioned this last one in case others say that Airb&b is the way to go on future.

Sounds more like they are trying to make as much money as possible.

If they didn't do stuff like this, everyone would probably have to pay more.

It happened to Jason Manford and apparently a lot of hotels do it. They over book as they expect some people not to turn up.

Just seen a facebook video from Jason Manford about similar at Village hotels

Indeed. This should be banned when people have paid upfront. They knew they were coming, they saw them earlier in the day. Sounds like their systems are absolutely shocking.

I would at least write a review, I wouldn't book a hotel where I turn up (too early) and the room is not ready (that is fair) BUT the room is then given away when I come back later.

That's taking the piss.

It was travel lodge on my work trip above! Public sector so all a bit skin-flinty

I don’t use them any more either

good grief, and I thought people fighting over sun loungers on holiday was bad 😂

It's amusing when hotels offer to charge more for early/ very early/ and late check-in, but fair enough. I do wonder how they manage their bookings when you can book a cheap room with flexible cancellation until midday that day.

I'm guessing that if you check the bookings terms and conditions then they have no obligations other than to find you another room.

Of course you have the choice where you place your custom in future.

I cannot understand why they would overbook hotels like that, surely it doesn't matter anyway if someone doesn't turn up, they would have to pay anyway?

As with flights, in all likelihood the no-shows will have already paid, @rabbitwoman, but this way the providers get to keep both the original sum and the amount from re-selling it too

When I used to do it (I hated it!) It was in a 5* hotel, we would refund your booking at the original hotel and pay for your room at the other hotel, and get you a free taxi there and back so OP isn't unreasonable to expect compensation.

I don't know if they still do it, but Travelodge used to have a policy called 'last man standing' - they were deliberately encouraged to fill every room as quickly as possible even if that meant bumping late-arriving guests with reservations or even pre-paid bookings in to other hotels - they would just deal with it. If I recall, there was a TV documentary about it; one bloke was moved to a hotel more than 30 miles away. I've refused point blank to use Travelodge ever since.

too early for check-in doesn't mean too early to note that it wasn't their room to give away as they were already there

I would be very annoyed by this if I had paid in advance! To me, whether or not you turn up to take the room, it's yours if you have paid for it. If you haven't paid in advance then fair enough, but how many hotels in city centres don't expect full payment in advance?

but in real life, it's not. Of course it's relevant. So many people try to check-in much earlier than 3pm.

People do that very often - and sometimes the room IS ready. And again, many hotels offer to store the luggage so their guests can enjoy their day.

If the hotel can't make a note that xyz guest has arrived (too early) then it's very poor service. Even Premier Inns chains usually manage (and they don't qualify as a luxury hotel)

If nothing else, that counts as not doing a late check-in and being a no-show: you arrive (too early), "sign in" and check in later.

I think you’re right in principle but I can understand why you weren’t offered more alcohol as the compensation. You can see why they thought that might escalate things.

I would contact the manager calmly now that you’re back explaining why you think this was unreasonable- I think they should refund you perhaps the cost of breakfast or similar. Or a part of the bill.

I know a bride and groom who were bumped from their hotel room on their own wedding night! The hotel were very matter of fact that they regularly over book, and they hardly even apologised. They had double booked the suite and the other party had checked in half an hour earlier, so that was that! It meant they ended up staying in a different town to all their wedding guests (we were all at the overbooked hotel).

We were trying to check in the additional guests at 2pm. The booking was all made by the same person months ago, and all paid for.

Your OP said your friends tried to check in at midday. which would be too early for most hotels.

I am puzzled……were the two that arrived on Saturday supposed to check in on Friday? If so, then they were deemed to be no-show………that’s might be why their room was let to another guest.

Similar had happened to me on a work trip when we were coming up late from a different, unrelated work event. It wasn’t me who had to move hotels thankfully - the one guy in our party kindly offered to take the fall - but it was very unsettling late at night!

It does sound like a bit of a break down of communication on the hotel’s part, ie that the room was part of a group booking and that the occupants had already tried to book in.

I do think covering your “bar bill” whilst you waited as a specific form of compensation was quite optimistic though- sorry if I’ve gone off on the wrong track but it does sound like you’d been drinking already and that adding that you were “furious” into the mix, I wouldn’t have offered free alcohol.

However, I do think it was their error for the above reasons and they should have offered something to make amends.

Another time, if you need to go out for the day before the rooms are ready, I'd let them know very clearly that you’re going to be alternating and ask specifically that they note their system not to bump you as a late arrival.