Hotel bumped us to another hotel at midnight!!

Yes, this happened to me and my friend when we went to Ibiza a few years ago. We all, however, arrived on the same night and the others had rooms but we didn’t. They didn’t/wouldn’t pay for our taxi to the new hotel, which was dreadful, but apparently, of the same star rating. We were only young so we didn’t really argue as the manager got very angry when we tried to question anything and expressed that we were annoyed at being in a hotel a 20 minute taxi ride from our friends.

Only if check in opened at 12.

If check-in opened at 3pm, it's irrelevant that 2 guests tried to check in at 12.

What time did check in open?

Do the t&cs say the hotel can bump you if you're late to check in (which it sounds like your friends were)?

Overbooking is common, and late-show take risks

but tried to check them in when they arrived, around midday, but were told the extra room wasn't ready yet.

The hotel should have made a note immediately that guest xyz were waiting for their room.

Big error from the hotel, that shouldn't even happen and at the very least they should be apologetic. It's also very common for people to turn up early, and hotels to at least store their luggage.

It happened to us. We were two couples coming in on an evening flight and had booked two rooms at a hotel at the airport. We'd given our flight details when we booked, so they knew which flight we were on. Our flight was delayed and we got to the hotel, only to be told that they'd given away our rooms, because of the flight delay. Our friends were taxied to one sister hotel and we were taxied to a different sister hotel.

I think we got our breakfasts for free, but it was the last thing we wanted.

This has happened to me. It’s normal for hotels to overbook as others have said. It sounds like this hotel knew they were overbooked in this case and it was likely to be an issue which is why they didn’t check your friends in when they arrived early. Again, this would be a normal thing to do. Just pick up key when returning later.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect them to offer some sort of compensation like complimentary drinks or breakfast. The hotel is at fault here, albeit normal practice, not the guests.

If they didn’t get back there until 11 how did you expect the hotel to sort it any earlier?

The booking can't have been made as a group because four customers stayed on Friday and the others arrived on Saturday. Unfortunately it wasn't possible for them to check in when they arrived early.

It was a bit of a nuisance for you all but hopefully didn't spoil your weekend.

If you'd already tried to check them in but the room wasn't ready they clearly knew the room wasn't a no show - I can completely understand the frustration!

It happened to me once when I was very late checking in — the original hotel covered my taxi fare to the sister hotel, and I think threw in a breakfast.

Cover your bar bill? That’s CF territory. How is it their fault your friends checked in late? They made alternative arrangements too so nobody was without a room for the night. Lesson learned for you all I think.

Yes, overbooking happens.

Very poor of the hotel to bump the third room in a group booking, especially when you had already arrived. The hotel should have told you there was a risk of being bumped rather than let you go off for the day.

If the new hotel is acceptable, just get on with enjoying your trip.

Nothing you can do about it apart from leave a poor review.

And there's nothing in the OP that suggests they are undesirable guests!

I'd be pretty cross about this too, as I'm sure would most people.
We've been moved hotels a few times, but only as a whole group. And only from a budget hotel to a higher standard sister hotel in the same chain. Did you make a group booking or book individual rooms?
To the poster that said inform the hotel if you are arriving after 6pm, asking genuinely is this actually a thing?? I never have and am found at least 3 times a year with sleeping children in a car arriving after 11pm somewhere, both in the uk and France. We have never had an issue. It does sound as though hospitality is not behaving properly if they are reselling rooms that have already been paid for and counting on no shows for accommodation.
If this had been a family turning up what would people have said, I think the responses would have been less judgemental.

Fairly standard of hotels in City Centres to do this. They tend to oversell the amount of rooms so the last ones to arrive can be bumped. As a solo traveller this makes me nervous so I always fill in my estimated arrival time in the requests section online booking and phone if I can going to be late. I think the guide is if you are checking in after six you phone them.

My daughter and I were moved to another hotel in Liverpool when doing Uni open days. We arrived about 11pm and were told the hotel was full but that they would put us in a taxi to another in the same group and we could also have a taxi back in the morning. They were very apologetic. We had paid in advance. I was surprised at the time but it was not really an issue for us. I guess they over book as some people cancel/ don’t show up- especially with deals where you pay on arrival.

It’s quite typical that you need to check in by a certain time (10/11pm ish?) to secure the reservation. You tried to check in early (before check in time) and they said no. You didn’t come back for check in time. Then you still didn’t come back before the cut off for the day, so they gave your room away assuming you didn’t want it.

That’s never happened to me before because I always check in on time. But yes, it’s usually in the Ts and Cs and you forfeited the room by not checking in.

Of course they shouldn’t cover your bar bill when it sounds like everyone already had enough to drink and forgot to check in for their room on time. 😂

The fact that you’ve now posted twice with this utterly invented narrative suggests that your ‘spidey senses’ have a lot more to do with your own lifestyle and those of your acquaintances. Other people have given much more plausible reasons why it happened.

Yes this happened to me quite recently. Short walk to another "sister" hotel. Got a free drink for the inconvenience! But this happened at 4pm at check in.

If you’re going to be checking in that late you really have to tell them. Most premier inns etc you can do this online at some point during the day. Where was all their luggage?

They messed up so obviously I’d be seeking compensation but I’d also be wary of not communicating arrival times in the future- if you did, and it was just verbal, it probably got lost when there was a shift change. I can see why they wouldn’t cover a bar bill but I’d not expect to be paying for my room if I’d had to bump to another hotel at midnight.

Happened to me on a business trip once in the US. Arrived during the usual check in time. They do sometimes overbook the hotel and hope someone doesn’t show up. I refused to go to their alternative hotel unless they booked me a private chauffeur service as it was further away from the CBD, which they agreed to. It was an expensive hotel.

Since the group had been out from noon until 11pm, the hotel hadn't had time to form any opinion of them.

Others have explained how hotels work. The new arrivals didn't check in, so the hotel had them as no shows and gave the room to other people. That's entirely normal, though the staff on the shift when they arrived too early, should have communicated that they had arrived, to the evening shift.

If just 2 extras, I'd have asked for a cot bed in each room you already had and a refund on the third room.

At the very least they should pay the taxi bill there and the taxi bill so that you can meet up for breakfast if you were planning on using the hotel restaurant for that.

If hotel rooms are paid for why would put other guests in their and then charge them, so thry get double the money for one room?

And no I dont know why they would pay for your bar bill

Not unusual, hotels will have agreements with others nearby and helps each other out when they get caught out by overbooking

super annoying to split up a group yes but if you booked separately the hotel wouldn’t necessarily be aware would they?

and yes the fact that they arrived early and made themselves known should have carried some weight. In some hotels you can “check in” even if you can’t get the key until some time later. Other hotels won’t check you in until they are able to give you a key.