Travel lodge. Am fucking fuming

[IAmNoAngel]

I am currently bedding down in the car park of the travel lodge at Birch services on the M62 as the room I booked and paid for over a month ago has been double booked and there are no rooms left.

Am especially pissed off as have driven here straight after a 6.30 start this morning and a long day at work... in Nottingham. So a nice tiring drive as well.

I have stayed here a lot. I never will again. Cunts.

Fucking hell, I didn't know that this was a thing - apparently it's called 'walking a guest'. It's pure greed, they already have a guest's money - it's far better to have one or two paid-for rooms left empty than to leave someone with nowhere to sleep.

www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/holidays/article-3219587/Travelodge-accused-overbooking-bumped-travellers-different-location.html

www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g186525-i108-k3073466-Travelodge_Overbooking-Edinburgh_Scotland.html

www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/advice/hotel-overbooking-does-it-happen/

From the last article :

"A spokesperson for Travelodge said that less than 0.2 per cent of its bookings have to be “relocated for various reasons, including rooms that suddenly become unavailable due to facility issues”, adding that: “In the unfortunate instance when this does occur our policy is to contact the customer in advance and arrange for alternative accommodation to a hotel as close to where they need to be. We also provide free taxi travel to their relocated hotel and offer complimentary breakfast as appropriate.”

Sounds like they should have offered to sort transport there and back to their other branch.

It's so irresponsible - it's compromising people's safety - in terms of leaving them attempting to sleep in an exposed location, expecting them to drive when they're tired. The nature of Travelodges is that they're often used by travellers, hence so many being on motorways - expecting a tired driver to drive any distance to another hotel, or expecting them to resume a journey after forcing them to attempt to sleep in a car park is appalling (which is presumably why their spokesperson said that they're supposed to offer taxis).

his is awful. MNHQ, just a thought but is it wise for the OP's location tonight to be stated on the thread, given that she faces risk anyway? I wonder if it might be wise to edit posts to remove clues as to where she is located.

Shit. Can you edit this MNHQ?

Looks like the OP isn't the only one having issues with Travelodge bumping them tonight due to overbooking.

twitter.com/Valkyen/status/983853100309106688?s=19

I used to work for an exec complaints team for a v large bank so am well versed in the 'buzz' words required for compensation in such a case. Send me a msg if you want me to write one for you - I'd be more than happy. This is a disgrace!

Wooooaaaahhhh - i wont be using TL anymore, way too risky?! Thanks for the heads up OP and i hope u raise hell over it!

Wow that is awful! The only time I turned up to a hotel who had double booked me they put me in a taxi to a 5 star hotel and taxied me back to the hotel the next day to attend the conference I was at. Maybe its because I was a business customer, but at the very least I'd expect a taxi service and an upgrade at their expense for the inconvenience. They can't just send you out into the night! I'd be rising an almighty row about this until I got satisfaction, especially as you've already paid!

Good grief. How on earth is this legal?

This is disgusting! I don't understand why they're allowed to do it. I hope you're okay and that this gets noticed. I won't book again with them!

OP I hope you're OK. You should go back in, armed with the links up thread about how they don't do this to families and lone female travellers. Failing's link is regarding a family.
Ask them about your taxi to Another lodge. Kick up a fuss. Its outrageous.

This is shocking!
Hope you managed to get some rest.

overbooking is very common with hotels not just travelodge sadly. I was a rep in Spain. happened all the time. it's rife in Europe

there are plenty of budget hotels in the Manchester area please go to one. don't sleep in your car.

I hope you're ok op

Now, this IS a thread the Daily Mail should steal.
OP, please report in and say how you are.

I could almost understand with unpaid bookings as they risk turning away paying guests for no shows who haven’t paid. But prepaid? That is just wrong as they lose nothing.

Travelodge has confirmed this week that it does overbook its rooms to, in its words, “make provision for the proportion of customers that do not show up

All hotels do this. Most will outbook to a local or sister hotel. If the alternative hotel isn't easily accessible, they will usually pay for the taxi over there.

It's incredibly common in hotels for this to happen. Basically if a hotel 'fills' you can nearly guarantee that there will be at least 3 no-shows.

I've worked in hotels for years, only on a handful of occasions have any of my hotel been full and at full occupancy.

Hope you managed to get some rest
Not sure why you didn't try to drive to the other one, I would have done that rather than sleep in my car.
Travelodge were shit though.

Check the parking that you don’t get fined by Birch services if their over two hours.

They did that to us after a 5 hour drive with a 2 yo. We’d even called earlier in the day as we knew we’d be getting there later in the evening. But different shift on desk didn’t know so gave our room away. Luckily we were a few miles along the road from another one and they put us in there free. But we were proper livid and have never used them again, never will.

How are you doing op? Hopefully up and having breakfast?
I've arrived to be told I haven't got a room before but I was walking so they sent me in a taxi to another travelogue. I am usually a late arrive too, had no idea it could be so bad!

Bloody outrage! But they are the easyJet of the hotel chains. EasyJet also use this awful tactic.

I cannot believe that any largish hotel books out every room, what happens if one gets flooded or whatever and the occupants need moving?

There was a thread earlier in the week about a poster squeezing a baby into a four occupancy room (making it five). A poster claimed that TL wouldn't allow it because of health and safety an if a fire broke out. No TL are clearly after every penny and would try to force a new room for a co-sleeping baby. Same as they want to earn double on their rooms by overbooking!

Boycott this type of greedy establishment!

Over booking hotel rooms is madness, I never knew it existed. Trains and planes I can get, you could get a later one yes its a pain but it's doable. You can hardly delay your sleep by 24 hours - greedy buggers.

Boycott Travel Lodges I say

Premier inn are far superior OP, use them next time!

The OP has said twice that she could not get to the alternative hotel offered, as the M62 was closed overnight on the route there, and she was not familiar enough with the area to navigate an alternative route at night and when she was tired.

OP, I hope you are safe, and managed some rest. It sounds like this is a journey you do regularly - there are Premier Inns at Huddersfield (M62 J24 and 25). I’ve never had any trouble with PIs (even as a late arrival), but I have experienced TL overbooking.

I hope TL come up with some very good apologies and compensation in the cold light of day!

I don’t think TL are the only ones that do this, my DH works away quite a bit often doing night shifts. He has had this happen after a night shift at Premier Inn as well.

The other week it was an airport hotel and there were families being turned away who had arrived to sleep before a flight and found their rooms double booked.

That is awful. I would be causing merry hell in the reception this morning