To hope for more from the hotel?

[Flossyfloof]

Booked a spa break for four, in my name, paid with my card. Two double rooms, dinner and breakfast included. In booking I had to give all the names and say who was sharing with who. Through no fault of her own, my sharer has had to pull out. She genuinely cannot make it. I phoned the hotel to ask if they can do anything for her in terms of a refund. I threw us on their mercy, explained her situation and asked if they could do anything ( their literature does say bookings are non refundable and non transferable ).
Their response was that if we bunk up three in a room they can give the friend who can't cone a gift voucher for the value of her stay. If we don't want to do that they will charge £40 single occupancy charge for me.
I realise that they have to protect themselves but do you think there is any mileage in asking them to reconsider? The money for the person who has had to drop out won't be an issue.
Frankly, I don't want to bunk up with two others in a triple but don't necessarily think it should be me who doesn't share, I would hope that whoever gets the room on their own we would all split payment of the the extra £40 between us.
I do think though, that if we forego the voucher the hotel saves on her dinner and breakfast and bed making so it might be worth trying again. Pointless? Cheeky? Worth a try? What do you think?

Icimoi, sorry. I typed in Icimoi but it changed it!

This is highly unusual. If your sister is getting a refund then yes it's correct that you need to pay a supplement.

If you don't want to pay the supplement then leave the booking as it is. They can't charge you anything else.

I think you're being a tad optimistic hoping your friends should share an extra financial penalty due to your sisters non attendance.

I would think that if you are reluctant to share then you should take on the cost of bunking by yourself.

Good luck.

That really doesn't sound right. The rooms have been paid for in full therefore it should not make any difference to the hotel who is actually in them.

I would call and ask again.

If it were just a hotel, then i would agree that it made no sense.

A spa, who has discounted the room and meals element, in order to get more people through the door and then hopes to sell them more treatments, not so much.

What would it have cost you, to book one double and two ingles in the first place? I get that it's not great customer service but they need to play hardball, otherwise, everyone would use the cheap deal and have their 'friend' just not turn up.

Sorry that its worked out this way for you, sounds that it would be more fun for you, to offer the place to someone with whom you might enjoy spending this time. Hope it works out.

Not my sister, four friends.

Finally, booking a double room for two and then having only one person turn up would be more expensive than booking a single and paying single supplement so it would be pointless trying it on in that way.

This sounds crazy, surely if they really are going to charge a single person supplement on top of what you have already paid for four, you could just let the hotel assume that four are coming.
How would they know/ check how many of you have turned up? You don't have to partake in meals etc to stay in a hotel.
Why would they care when the room has been paid for at double occupancy rate? I'd call back and ask to speak to the manager personally.

You don't pay a single supplement on a single room though do you? I thought single supplements were for under occupancy on multi-person rooms.

This is bizarre. I understand why they wouldn't do a refund because of the terms and conditions but to charge extra? As has been suggested, let the hotel assume that 4 people are still coming. How annoying that your lovely stay has been overshadowed by all this angst.

So the hotel has sold a package for four people but now on three can come so they want to charge an extra £40? That's outrageous, speak to the manager.

Oh, I understand now - that really is outrageous!

OP - You need to stop trying to get your friends money back, because I think that is what is muddying the waters here. They have in their t and c's that the room is non refundable - I hope that she will understand that a refund isn't really possible, and it's not exactly fair that you should have to give her money back out of your own pocket when she has had to cancel.

So just leave the room bookings as they are.

It is pure insanity to charge you £40 extra - on top of what you have already paid - for the fact that your friend has dropped out. Most of the time you pay for a room - period. One person, two people, three people....it's the price of the room, not the numbers in it.

If you want to, I would ring back and without saying who you are or whatnot, ask to speak to the manager directly. Say clearly that you have booked and paid for two rooms - one person is now unable to come - you understand they will not refund her portion. That is fair enough. However, you have been informed that they expect you to pay an extra £40 on top of what has already been paid, and you are absolutely unhappy about this, and find it a very disappointing move from a spa that you have visited on many previous occasions, and even voted for in the last spa awards (or whatever it was).

If they don't budge, then stay calm and just say "That's very disappointing. In which case this will most certainly be the end of my custom, and I will be unable to leave you a positive review".

To clarify - friend knows nothing about my communication with the hotel, I don't think she would expect a refund I was just trying to do the right thing. Camolips you are right, I feel as if the whole thing has backfired and am feeling anxious about it all now, although I am normally pretty laid back. It is all going horribly wrong...
I have only made one phone call, I am not going to pursue a refund for her, I was just trying to get her something back as she cannot attend - now I feel as if I have landed myself with a whole load of problems. I have done all the organising, booking, collecting monies etc and am fed up that they might try and screw me for another shed load of money.

Tbh at present, for two pins I would just say I am not going, the dynamics will be very different, the other two people have a lot of mutual friends and go on holiday together a lot and are not necessarily that sensitive about being inclusive. If the other friend was going that would not have mattered at all. I am worried that I am going to feel a bit of a gooseberry now. I feel annoyed with must for taking it on myself to try and sort out a bit of money back for the friend who can't go, when she neither mentioned it nor would expect it. She phoned and told me what was going on and I told her not to worry about anything this end and I suppose I felt I should try. Bloody big mouth.

I am aware that I sound a bit pathetic, I feel a bit pathetic.

Hotels charge a certain price for a certain room, single rooms are charged at one rate and double rooms (or more) are charged at another. So the hotel are not going to refund your friend if you want to keep two double rooms as that's the cost of the room. If you want the rooms you have to pay for them and thus no refund for your friends share of that payment.

The sad thing is that people who occupy double rooms as one person do get charged for the privilege, I personally don't think it's really great but hotels do this because they assume that by not filling the room with two people they may make a loss through other earnings in the hotel. For example the assume two people will spend more at the bar, more on food, more on activities (like the spa). So they do charge single occupancy rates on top of the usual cost of a double room which is why they are asking you now for £40. Whether you agree with it or not, it's just the way it's done personally I think it's just another way of pulling money from single travellers pockets.

I would assume that the hotel are trying to recoup expected extra income by having the absent fourth person not at the spa/buying an extra facial/upgrading treatments etc? Although you'd think that would be offset by the reduced dinner/breakfast/cleaning costs.

Siarie, the op has been told that even without a refund she will have to pay an extra £40 for under occupancy. This is why we all think it is wrong or has been a mistake.

camo I'm aware of that, it's standard procedure. If you want go book a double room as two people, then change it and book it as one person. You'll find you pay more as a single person (so you pay the same rate as two people plus a charge for the privilege of taking up a space).

So for example a double room costs £200 let's say for two people, if you want the same room as a single person you pay £200 + occupancy charge.

Can I come ?

It doesn't sound right to charge a single supplement on top if she isn't going and you have already at paid !

Does it begin with a M by the way ?

No, W. H.

Ok don't know it.

A quick update - and a thank you to all who responded. I phoned one of the others going and told her about it. Like us, she couldn't really believe it but immediately said we would put the cost, should there be any and said how hard it can be sorting these things out whereas if you are not the organiser, you just pitch up. I was feeling really stupid but we agreed that at least thus way we have some warning of the situation.
I had got myself into a right old two and right do thanks so much for the support. If anyone is in the area of a place near Towcester you could always come along, sign for us and partake!

I have never, ever been in a hotel where they've asked to see proof of two people in the hotel room

Often, one of us will check in while the other parks the car etc

Just say there are two of you still, they can't barge in in the middle of the night and prove you're alone