To Leave this hotel room empty

[katemiddletonsothermum]

OK, I've cocked up. I was convinced that a certain event was on a certain data, so I booked a hotel room. I booked it as an advance purchase so it's non cancellable and non transferable.

And now, of course, I discover that this particular event is the week after, so I'm going to have to book ANOTHER hotel room.

If I tell the hotel that I'm not coming on that first week, won't they just keep my money and then rent out the room again? AIBU not to just not turn up? After all, it's my room and I've paid for it. Why are hotel room bookings becoming like train tickets, ie 40 different prices for the same thing?

I could try and explain this to the hotel but I doubt they'd be sympathetic as the confirmation email clearly says that it's non refundable and non transferable

The event is in August so it's not like it's next week. So the hotel would have plenty of time to re-sell my room.

[Gwenhwyfar]

"We paid two hundred dollars once for a shabby hotel room in San Francisco. I hated it so much we checked back out an hour later. "

More money than sense.

[notonyurjellybellynelly]

"We paid two hundred dollars once for a shabby hotel room in San Francisco. I hated it so much we checked back out an hour later

If a hotel I've carefully chosen fails to live up to my expectations of a decent standard I don't stay the night either. But that's only happened twice so it's not something I do regularly and I couldn't care less what they do with after I've gone

[MargotLovedTom]

bluerequired OP has already said she's going to call.

[notonyurjellybellynelly]

You bought and paid for the room on the knowledge it was non-refundable. If you wanted the option for a refund you should have paid more or got insurance. The hotel is in no way being unreasonable, grabby or anything else. Frankly, if you cant use the room, it would childish and petty to do anything other than be polite and ask if you can move dates and accept gracefully if you cant, then let them know you are cancelling without refund so they can resell. Remember this was your cock up not theirs

Why do you sound so pissed off? The OP said she cocked up - end of.

[rookiemere]

You could try to resell the room through Facebook or something like that. Even if you got half the cost then it would be better than nothing.

Morriszapp can you remember the name of the hotel in SF please so I can avoid? I'm going there on my own in September for a wedding and it's an absolute pain running through all the hotels and discarding the non-affordable ( most) the ones in dodgy areas and trying to find something that isn't too horrible where I don't have to share a bathroom.

[budgiegirl]

I would cancel the evening I don't turn up eventually but I agree with what you're saying - if they want repeat custom they need to provide customer service. They won't lose out by transferring your booking and reselling current room. It's a fair way to see if they are customers or business first. Some places seem to forget without the customer they won't have a business!

While I agree that customer service is important, the OP booked at a rate that comes with conditions. She's happy to pay less for a non refundable room, so why should the hotel then treat the booking as a full rate refundable room? There's no guarantee that the hotel will be able to resell the room. Very few hotels run at full occupancy, so most will lose out if customers change the date or cancel with a refund.

If you pay full rate, then that's at the hotel's risk. But if you pay reduced, non refundable rate, then that's at your risk.

OP, glad you're calling though, it's always worth asking. But if not, do you have travel insurance? Might that cover it?

[bluetongue]

You should contact the hotel and see what they can offer. Earlier this year I booked a non refundable room in Hong Kong. Plans changed and I ended up being in Hong Kong on a different date. I sent a polite email to the hotel explaining the situation and for an extra fee they changed the dates.

[Hodooooooooor]

If you fail to turn up they still resell the room but late

Of course they will not, don't be so silly! If you have a hotel room booked, you can turn up and check in whenever you like, middle of the night if you want. At what time do you imagine they will re-let your room? 5pm? 8pm? midnight?

The hotel couldn't care less whether OP turns up or not. The room is booked and paid for. Whether she goes or not makes no difference to anyone.

Such a lot of nonsense here.

[ParadiseCity]

LOL at all these pro-business people. I'd be petty and proud!!

[BigPurpleCake]

ParadiseCity Does that make you feel big and clever?

[Littlelondoner]

As someone who has friends who have their own hotel. Sometimes they have to wait there until last person checks in. If they are waiting on you thinking you will still ne arriving later on. Bit mean and petty no?

[FetchezLaVache]

YABU and a bit disappointing. I thought this was going to be a thread asking for advice on stealing everything in your hotel room.

[zad716]

Hodooooooooor From Travelodges (picked at random) T&Cs "If you do not arrive at the hotel on the scheduled date of arrival, you will be deemed to be a ‘no show’ and your booking will be cancelled." Technically they could cancel your booking at midnight for that night and any other nights. If you paid in advance and got a cheap rate you would not get any refund.

For work a few of us reserved (didn't pay in advance) some rooms, phoned them up to say we'd be very very late, but when we did arrive (admittedly at 6am) they had no rooms left.

[RedOnHerHedd]

OP, have you cancelled the cheque?

[ExtraHotLatteToGo]

Lots of T&C say 'non transferable non refundable' but often will if you phone & ask.

[Hodooooooooor]

Hodooooooooor From Travelodges (picked at random) T&Cs "If you do not arrive at the hotel on the scheduled date of arrival, you will be deemed to be a ‘no show’ and your booking will be cancelled." Technically they could cancel your booking at midnight for that night and any other nights. If you paid in advance and got a cheap rate you would not get any refund

Yes, and? They could, if they wanted to, cancel your booking at midnight. They don't though. And do tell us how they could then resell the room at midnight even if they did? Is there a queue outside the Travelodge at that time for a room for the rest of the night?
Your response does not contradict my post in any way.

[lifesalongsong]

What an odd attitude ParadiseCity, do you have a job? Anyone with a job has wages that depend on a business making a profit, even the biggest chains have individual employees relying on them for a living, why would you want to punish them by being "anti business"

[AugustaFinkNottle]

I have known a hotel re-sell a room when a work colleague of mine didn't arrive till after 9 p.m. and didn't contact them to let them know he'd be late. In that case, they went to some trouble to find him a room in another hotel, but it demonstrates that they will re-sell for no-shows.

[Oysterbabe]

Why are people so against the hotel selling the room twice? They're a business and the room will be available for someone who needs it.

[zad716]

Hodooooooooor You don't think people turn up at hotels without a booking late in the evening (worked late, missed train, etc) because they can't get home? Doesn't need to be a queue if the hotel is almost full.

[MackerelOfFact]

Anti-business? WTF? Why is buying a night in a hotel room any different to buying anything else? If you buy something non-refundable that you end up not using, are you obliged to give it back to the supplier to sell on? Of course not. It's yours, you've paid for it.

They will know once you fail to check in that you've not turned up, plus they will save on cleaning the room the next day so they're still ahead.

[OpheliaHamlet]

Always worth politely asking.
I made a mistake regarding dates when I accidentally booked a 'non refundable' hotel room earlier this year. I hadn't read the T&C properly and saw that it was non-refundable.
However, wrote a very earnest email and spoke to hotel, who very kindly agreed to move booking to more suitable date for me (no charge).

[Rightho]

What have you got to lose by contacting the hotel/ people you booked with and asking if they will change it? A few minutes to either write an email or call them.

They may say no/ terms & conditions etc but they may not.

[zad716]

Oysterbabe I assume if you try to take something back to a shop that you didn't want and they won't give you a refund (bought too long ago, etc), you would just leave the item with them anyway?

[AugustaFinkNottle]

RightHo, OP has said she was going to call them.