To think this is bloody daft of the hotel?

[JurassicPark101]

I’ve booked a hotel for Friday night until Monday morning. Unfortunately due to childcare issues I found out today that I won’t be able to get there until Saturday morning now. It’s all been prepaid for and as it’s less than 7 days before the booking it’s completely non-refundable and can’t be rearranged.

I’m not too fussed about it being non-refundable, totally understand they probably wouldn’t be able to fill the room again at short notice. Anyway, I phone the hotel to let them know that I do still want the booking but that I won’t be arriving until about 9.30ish on the Saturday rather than the Friday afternoon as originally planned. Receptionist on phone says ‘that’s fine, thanks for letting us know. Just so you know you’re welcome to use the facilities but your room won’t be available until check in at 3pm.” I reiterate that I’ve already paid for the room (and breakfast and dinner which I won’t be having either) from Friday so it should be available when I get there at 9.30. Again “sorry, no but we can’t allow early check in under any circumstances at the moment. We’re totally fully booked and the cleaners just can’t get the rooms ready before this.”

I ask to speak to someone else as I assume she’s possibly new or young or thick as mince. She passes me over to another woman but I hear her say “can you speak to this lady, she won’t understand why she can’t check in at 9.30am”. I explain the situation again. New lady replies with “I empathise with your situation but as we are fully booked we simply can’t allow you to check in nearly 6 hours early”. I tell her that it’s not 6 hours early, it’s 18 hours late. Im booked from the Friday night. I’m paying for the Friday night but I can’t get there until Saturday morning. I’ve paid £145 for a room, dinner and breakfast and none of it will be used. If I was arriving on time, I would be able to return to my room at 9.30am if I chose to do so. She tell me that I'm not arriving on time though so the room won’t be ready until 3pm .

I ask if there’s a manager that I can email, or a head office as this is just bonkers. She gives me an email address. I write a very calm, concise email explaining that I’ll be getting there at 9.30 the day after I’m due to arrive. I’ve just had an email back (from the reception again) telling me that my room will be ready at 3pm and they hope I enjoy my stay.

How do I resolve this? They’re all mad. Aren’t they? I’m not going crazy in thinking I should be allowed in the room when I get there am I? It should be ready for 3pm on Friday so will still be ready at 9.30 on Saturday, surely?

@sunglassesonthetable

You realise that hotels are businesses, right? And you realise that hotels make money by having people in rooms? And if they can sell a room twice that is more money for them.

Errr duh?

And so are all the other hotels where frequent travellers are checking in off planes in the morning with no problems.

This hotel has got it badly wrong here.
And all the "but that's how it always happens, don't you know"s doesn't change it.

And in this situation does it make it look the hote

You say "duh?" but plenty of people on this thread clearly don't get how things work and clearly don't bother - like most people, to be fair - to read the conditions that they book hotel rooms under.

The fact is, if you don't check into a room on a friday in a great number of hotels you will not be able to book in until the normal checkin day on the saturday. It may sound daft but that is how it works.

As a reception manager in a hotel, that is bonkers.

And in this situation it makes the hotel look crap
@SusieBob

You can come over all "and would you be shocked to realise blah blah..," as patronising as you like but hilariously others here actually travel too.

In this situation you have a pre paid for room, a slight change of plans and a thoroughly upset traveller. This would have been easy to fix and the hotel has bollixed it up.

*You say "duh?" but plenty of people on this thread clearly don't get how things work and clearly don't bother - like most people, to be fair - to read the conditions that they book hotel rooms under.

@SusieBob
*
Yes, fancy, all those those idiotic customers.

@sunglassesonthetable

And in this situation it makes the hotel look crap *@SusieBob*

You can come over all "and would you be shocked to realise blah blah..," as patronising as you like but hilariously others here actually travel too.

In this situation you have a pre paid for room, a slight change of plans and a thoroughly upset traveller. This would have been easy to fix and the hotel has bollixed it up.

If you think experience in the industry and simply stating the truth of the matter is "patronising" then that is entirely on you, I'm afraid.

But sure, continue with your "customer always knows best" rubbish.

*If you think experience in the industry and simply stating the truth of the matter is "patronising" then that is entirely on you, I'm afraid.

But sure, continue with your "customer always knows best" rubbish.*

😬 ooops from the 'hospitality' industry. thanks

Madness. Absolute madness.

I’m amazed that you cannot amend within 7 days on booking.com. Yes they normally take payment 7 days prior, but you can usually amend before 1pm on the day of the check in. Are you 100% certain that they haven’t refunded you for Friday night and are being funny like this because they’ve amended your booking to begin from Saturday? That would explain why they’re referring to your request as an ‘Early Check In’

@sunglassesonthetable

*You say "duh?" but plenty of people on this thread clearly don't get how things work and clearly don't bother - like most people, to be fair - to read the conditions that they book hotel rooms under.

@SusieBob
*
Yes, fancy, all those those idiotic customers.

Anyone who has worked in any kind of service industry has plenty of idiotic customer stories. They aren't rare.

In this instance, OP isn't being an idiot, but it's not at all unusual for a hotel to not allow a no-show for a previous night to check in until normal checkin time for any number of reasons.

@sunglassesonthetable

*If you think experience in the industry and simply stating the truth of the matter is "patronising" then that is entirely on you, I'm afraid.

But sure, continue with your "customer always knows best" rubbish.*

😬 ooops from the 'hospitality' industry. thanks

And yet you know dick all about it. Weird.

@JurassicPark101

I’ll call them back in the morning and explain very slowly that actually I’ll be there on Friday as originally planned. I put this on FB and my friend who is camping relatively nearby is going to check in and have dinner there (she’d prefer to stay in her tent even though I offered for her to stay in the room, lunatic).

I don’t think there will be any problems checking in. It’s all prepaid on my debit card, I’ve never given ID at a hotel in this country. What a bloody palaver! I only wanted a couple of days by myself hiding from everyone.

Dont they normally want a credit card when you book in.and take a deposit incase you run up a bill at the bar and run off

And yet you know dick all about it. Weird.

I know patronising when I read it.

But I do stay in lots of hotels. But only as a customer 🤷‍♀️

@sunglassesonthetable

And yet you know dick all about it. Weird.

I know patronising when I read it.

But I do stay in lots of hotels. But only as a customer 🤷‍♀️

So not "from the hospitality industry then". Shocked.

And once again I can only apologise that you think someone explaining something to you is patronising. Enjoy your stay.

The fact is, if you don't check into a room on a friday in a great number of hotels you will not be able to book in until the normal checkin day on the saturday. It may sound daft but that is how it works

Depends on the hotel. I have checked in before check-in several times and it's never been an issue. It's always been a cheery "Of course that's okay, we will just pop a note on the booking and see you at 6 am!"

I would just say your flight has been changed and you'll be arriving later than expected- 9.30am on Saturday morning.

People citing fire safety- in my 20's most hotels I ever booked into wouldn't have saw me until 4am. I don't know how that's relevant. Good hotels have a click in system so they'll know pp's friend isn't in the room or not.

*So not "from the hospitality industry then". Shocked.

And once again I can only apologise that you think someone explaining something to you is patronising. Enjoy your stay.*

You've got it down to a T . 😁

'I only wanted a couple of days by myself hiding from everyone.'

I LOVE THIS!!!

Even more reason to get your money's worth. Please do update!

I might start a hideaWay fund for myself, save a bit each month then take myself off to a nice town somewhere. 😊

@sunglassesonthetable

*So not "from the hospitality industry then". Shocked.

And once again I can only apologise that you think someone explaining something to you is patronising. Enjoy your stay.*

You've got it down to a T . 😁

Thanks!

Customer feedback is extremely important to us.

.

*I only wanted a couple of days by myself hiding from everyone.'

I LOVE THIS!!!

Even more reason to get your money's worth. Please do update!*

Totally .

Crazy batshit!
I wonder if they can’t get the payment though if checkin is a day later given it was vis booking.com?

Phone back and ask if you can pay over the phone for your entire booking maybe?

Hotels do ask to see ID, and take a credit card. I’d skip the friend checking in, and just phone really late Friday and say you’ve had a car breakdown.

I’d be finding out who owns that hotel and making some stink. Honestly batshit! Good luck OP!

You say "duh?" but plenty of people on this thread clearly don't get how things work and clearly don't bother - like most people, to be fair - to read the conditions that they book hotel rooms under.

Well, yes, because what sane, reasonable person would think a hotel that valued its reputation and customer experiences would draft its T&Cs to give it maximum opportunity to rip off its customers and despoil its own reputation?

It may be legal because they’ve got people booking to sign up to unreasonable T&Cs, but it’s not right. You can’t expect the layman to know or even suspect a hotel would gleefully trouser a charge for a nights stay and then refuse their paying customer use of a portion of it (that they paid for!!). What kind of arsehole does this kind of thing?

I'm another totally invested in this

@SusieBob

The fact is, if you don't check into a room on a friday in a great number of hotels you will not be able to book in until the normal checkin day on the saturday. It may sound daft but that is how it works.

But it's also a fact that a great number of hotels say that if you want guarantee your room before the regular check in time, the way to do that is to book it for the preceding evening.

I just contact them around booking in time to update them I'm delayed and to hold my room. It's never been an issue even when I've finally arrived at 3am.
Had the fire alarm to off during a stay no-one checked if I was a guest or using the bar.
If I'D is required for booking in it will be mentioned in the email confirmation. Double check with the hotels site if it's unclear.
When I want a very early booking I book a day room directly with the hotel and get the stay extended.

I also wouldn't wait until tomorrow to sort this out as the room might be rebooked.

@JurassicPark101

The hotel is kind of in the middle of nowhere. I can’t imagine it’s likely anyone would turn up looking for a room after 7pm.

I didn’t have the option of booking anything other than the non-refundable. I’m fine with it being non-refundable, I understand why they do it. I don’t understand why they won’t let me have the room I’ve booked and paid for.

I just checked booking.com and there isn’t a place in Cornwall, near or far, that isn’t 97-99% full this weekend. So they are definitely reselling your room for Friday night, probably to someone else who is trying to book it through booking.com, not just someone who shows up randomly. Sadly, they’re probably not going to care much what you think at the moment, when they can refill your room instantly, and maybe at a higher rate even.