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.

[katemiddletonsothermum]

Thr car is in the garage this afternoon. That's another £125. FML

[OneMagnumisneverenough]

Ah well if we want to talk about paying money that you probably shouldn't have to, I've just had to shell out £140 for my son's free NHS glasses.

[BovrilonToast]

Hotels most certainly do over book rooms, just like airlines. I've worked in the industry for 20 years and managing your overbookings to ensure you sell all your rooms is a skill.

[lifesalongsong]

Good to hear that common sense prevailed, I find most things can be sorted out with a phone call.

[OneMagnumisneverenough]

Bovril I (plus DH and 2 kids) turned up at our hotel in Turkey after a 4.5 hour flight delay at 7am to find that our room "wasn't ready" and I had a bit of a fight with them given that we were due to arrive at 2.30am so would our room have not been ready then too? They tried to fob me off with some spa treatments to which Dh nearly died laughing as he knows how much of an aversion I have to stuff like that. In the end it was after 9 before we got in but I did get a free late checkout as having been up for over 24 hours by this point I couldn't really be bothered fighting about in anymore. Clearly they must have been overbooked or were just banking on flight delays (or someone from the queue in the lobby got our room )

[HandsomeGroomGiveHerRoom]

Bovril I honestly didn't realise that! None of the restaurants I've worked at have intentionally overbooked, but then I guess walk-ins fill most no-shows.

Who usually gets priority? Is it guests who have already paid, or is it first come first served?

[saltlakecity]

It's not the hotels fault that you got the wrong date.

[notamummy10]

salt the OP isn't blaming the hotel... It's been sorted anyway :)

[BovrilonToast]

Magnum yep, they sold your room to someone else!

As for priority it depends on what time you turn up. If this happens to you the hotel should book you in to another local hotel if the same standard or higher at no cost to you. That's the chance the hotel takes when overbooking! So many people don't show up for their booking, you would be amazed!

[HandsomeGroomGiveHerRoom]

Ah, well we're checking in early afternoon (tomorrow - so excited!) and I've paid upfront so I'm guessing we should be ok

Had a panic earlier as, prompted by this thread, I checked my reservation on the hotel chain's app. It had disappeared

Apparently the hotel have disassociated themselves from the chain and gone independent, and they do still have my room for tomorrow. Another case where a phone call helps!

[AddictedToCoYo]

But given it's so long away, if you phone and say there has been some confusion over dates and ask to change it they might offer to move it for a small admin fee, or even for nothing. Don't tell them it's for a one off event the following week, just say 'It would be better for me if I could come the week before, but if it's going to cost me lots to change the booking I will leave it as it is.'

If they refuse to help then say 'okay, I will still come as originally planned.' Don't tell them you don't need the room. Just pretend. Tell them you are checking in in the evening, so they can't re-sell your room when you don't turn up at 3pm.

Then book somewhere else instead for the following week. That'll learn 'em.

[Bearbehind]

Because the Races are on that week, the cost of the room has doubled. So I had to shell out another £60. Mumsnetters, chew on that...

Eh? What's to chew on?

It was cheaper for the night you booked because it was the wrong fucking night!

Basic supply and demand dictates that if an event is on the price will be higher.

The outcome has proved that being petty would have been pointless and resulted in the sacrifice of the initial night but even when the hotel allows a change as a goodwill gesture it's still not good enough as it's more expensive on the actual night you need to stay.

Some people are never happy are they?

[BovrilonToast]

Handsome calling them to say you are coming is the best thing to do, it's only if you are really late you might have a problem...

[HandsomeGroomGiveHerRoom]

I stay in hotels so rarely. Embarrassing question (and apologies if this is a thread hijack) but how and what do I tip? We're only there one night.

[MrsJayy]

Oh i dunno about tipping i tip the waiting staff if we are eating in and if im on holiday i tip housekeeping but not for a night

[OneMagnumisneverenough]

I don't tip for one or two nights usually but I will tip if I'm there for a week.

[HandsomeGroomGiveHerRoom]

That seems fair enough. I just usually leave a couple of pound coins if I have some change. So the housekeeping staff aren't cursing me then if I don't, after one night in a Travelodge [relief]

[OneMagnumisneverenough]

Yeah, if I have tipped silver/pound coins out my pocket then I don't always pick it up, but it's not a tip as such :)

[allegretto]

We booked a non refundable room thru a booking site then couldn't go as dd was ill. We phoned the hotel direct, explained politely and they changed it for us. It's always worth trying.

[iLikeBoringThings]

This was one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read!

[RomComPhooey]

Rookiemere - We stayed in the Washington Square Inn in
SF about 10 years ago & it was a great location, half way between (and walkable) Fisherman's Wharf and downtown, also walking distance from Chinatown. It was nice back then & we enjoyed seeing all the local Chinese people (mostly elderly) doing tai chi in the park in the square twice a day.

[rookiemere]

Sorry for the derail OP - thanks Romcom - I've got cancellable reservations for 3 places and the Washington Square Inn is one of them !

It was my personal favourite as the rooms look nicest for the price as they have a single room, also I think they offer wine and cheese in the afternoon, but my cousin said the location wasn't that great - so it's good to know that it is fine location wise.

Sorry OP - glad you got your room sorted out. Sorry about your car. Mine failed it's MOT this week - which was not only expensive but a complete pain as I arrived to pick it up and then get DS from afterschool only to discover it still on the ramps high in the air so taxis all round.

[TheDevilMadeMeDoIt]

This is what I did: I rang booking.com (is that who you booked through - if not, ring whoever it was) and said that I'd just received a letter from the NHS giving me a date for a specialist appointment that I'd waited months for, and it clashed with my non refundable hotel booking, and could I please change the date. They rang the hotel, the hotel said yes and they changed it. They did not ask to see any proof of my story. The second time it was much nearer the date, and I simply rang and said I was ill and they allowed me to delay the date by 2 months.

Oh, right.......

There's a whole way of doing things out there that I'd never dream of. I must have led a sheltered life.

[Nokidsnellie]

Hotels are like airlines in pricing - demand-based. As a revenue manager for a hotel, it's my job to plan ahead, look at past data and create a rolling pricing strategy based on anticipated demand.

Advance purchase are stricter on Ts & Cs to secure a bedrock of guaranteed business for that date at a lower price. Once that allocated portion of rooms is secure, we will close out that level of pricing.

I wouldn't normally offer a change of date or refund because someone forgot, otherwise everyone would be saying that and my business would go under. Only in case of illness / death of family member etc.

Sorry if that's a bit harsh, but hotel bedrooms are perishable like food. You have to sell that room on that night for as much as possible. It's a business with staff to pay, overheads and a budget to meet.

[RedSoloCup]

Glad you called and sorted this OP.

I thought hotels allocated on arrival anyway unless fully booked so they probably wouldn't have even noticed you not arriving.