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.

Hope you are Ok OP, any update?

lostincumbria it’s nothing to do with “victim blaming”, what a ridiculous statement. It’s to do with reality - I don’t know anyone who would rather sleep in their car for the night, possibly putting themselves in a dangerous situation, rather than making a 20 minute drive. It’s just bizarre.

This happened to us once. We had been driving for 5 hours, 3 more before our destination. Arrive at Travel Lodge at about 11pm and was told they rebooked our room.

6 month old baby in the car, can't find accommodation within an hours drive.

So we struggled on to our destination which was luckily with family. If it was a holiday cottage or something which meant we wouldn't have access in the middle of the night we would have been in trouble.

Bastards!!! I could understand if you don't pre pay maybe.

I recently booked Travelodge for the first time in 10 years. Reading this, I am really regretting that decision.

This happened to me twice although I wasn't forced to sleep in a car luckily, hope you're OK OP. I complained to head office both times and got pitiful responses. Won't stay in one ever again.

I will never ever stay with them after reading this. Appalling.

But trinity, the op was too tired to drive and with road closures didn't want to be faffing around for the best part of another hour. I'd accept another room at another hotel without complaining, if when i got there there had been a disaster like flooding, but to arrive at a prepaid room after a long day on the road I'd be mad.

Oops posted by accident!
I'd be mad if the room wasn't available gor this reason

Is anyone else getting a bit worried about OP?

If she's had to stay in her car overnight there's a good chance her phone could be out of battery by now.
Hope she's ok.

As some other posters have said, this is common practice across the majority of hotel brands and isn't just a Travel Lodge issue. Most hotel chains have a computer system which makes recommendations on how many rooms to overbook by depending on the hotel's no show history, demand in the area etc. Avoiding Travel Lodge doesn't mean you'd avoid the chance of it happening to you. I can also say every receptionist dreads delivering the news.

The handling of this situation was poor, the staff must have known the motorway was shut and should have offered a taxi both ways.

Poor OP.

I don't understand why they overbook. If someone pays and doesn't show up TL still get the money for that room.

What am I missing here?

Truly awful. But there are loads of hotels around there and the travel lodge should have found her an alternative.

If someone has pre-paid for the room, TL are not losing money if that person doesn't show up and they don't even need to worry about changing the sheets for the next day's traveller, saving staff some time.

I won't be using them again for both allowing this practice to be a standard practice and also for their ridiculously discriminatory policy on who is excluded from being "bumped".

Never ever had any problems with Premier Inn.

They did this to us 20 years ago.

That's 20 years lost business to them.

I had no idea hotels overbook rooms like this- despite actually working as a receptionist in a hotel some years ago. Admittedly ours was a small family run hotel and we would never overbook.

It’s definitely putting me off Travelodge!

Exactly Shatner so why double book? if both parties turn up, TL have to offer one of them a room elsewhere with possibly the expense of transport to get there.

Completely unacceptable and very greedy given that the room was already paid for.

Offering a taxi at 1.30am to an alternative is not an adequate response. How long would a taxi take to arrive, some people are not comfortable in taxis, what about getting back to your car in the morning especially if you have an early start?

I thought one of the plus points about travelodges was convenience and reliability.

I will never use them again.

Hope the OP is ok.

Will never stay in a T Lodge now. Great warning for all.

Hope all is ok this morning op and you at least get their breakfast for free on top of a refund and compensation

Wow. Glad I read this. Won’t ever, ever use travel lodge and will tell everyone possible not to use them either. Outrageous

Hope you're ok OP. This is absolutely shocking!

I went to town on TL a few years ago. After my nieces wedding Wilf and his support worker were booked into a TL. I made the booking then rang them up and explained that because Wilf was deaf and autistic the support worker MUST be in the next room. Was assured this would happen. They got to the hotel at 11pm Wilf went into his room shut the door took his hearing aids out and got into bed. SW went to go into the next room and couldn't. He went to reception and discovered he was six doors away. I was furious in the morning and asked them what would have happened in a fire? They replied that they would rather not think about that!!!! I got a free night when I next went to stay with Wilf.