Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is bloody daft of the hotel?

586 replies

JurassicPark101 · 18/08/2021 17:25

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 Confused.

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?

OP posts:
Original poster
JurassicPark101 · 19/08/2021 15:58

susiebob if a guest phones up telling you what time they will be arriving the next day and explicitly saying that they’ll be expecting to be able to access their room at that time you’re saying the hotel would still resell it? That’s ridiculous!

OP posts:
GU24Mum · 19/08/2021 16:01

I'd phone them again and if they still say you can't check in til the afternoon, ask them to confirm that they are going to refund you for the first night. They won't of course but they might be another way of getting them to realise that you're checking in half a day late not several hours early. Good luck!

MilesOfSand · 19/08/2021 16:05

The thing is, with them being so small, the ‘computer says no’ thing is irrelevant. It’s not an inner city hotel with 200 rooms. This is pretty much a post it out on the computer situation saying ‘room 12 is arriving late’. The fact you’ve stayed before (but probably won’t again!) makes it even worse.

thing47 · 19/08/2021 16:10

In one sense suziebob is right, that's exactly how airlines operate. However they risk they run in doing this is that if they get their numbers wrong and have to bump a passenger, they have to pay substantial compensation. In the circumstances described here, the hotel would have to refund OP Friday night's accommodation and therefore they wouldn't actually be making any more money, they would just have different guests on each night rather than the same one for 2 nights.

And totally piss off OP in the process, so not goo business at all.

thing47 · 19/08/2021 16:10

'good' goo business is another matter altogether Grin

SusieBob · 19/08/2021 16:13

@TatianaBis

If you could sell something twice and get away with it 99% of the time, would you do it? Of course you would, especially when the odd time it goes wrong you still make more money than you would just selling it once.

Of course I wouldn’t.

And apart from anything else the ‘odd’ times it goes wrong will impact your review score and comments. So it’s not worth it from a business POV.

Yes you would, especially when the risk to your business is basically none. Hell, half the time people are happy to be bumped if there is something in it for them, which there usually is.
SusieBob · 19/08/2021 16:18

@JurassicPark101

susiebob if a guest phones up telling you what time they will be arriving the next day and explicitly saying that they’ll be expecting to be able to access their room at that time you’re saying the hotel would still resell it? That’s ridiculous!
Yep, many will.

Remember that a typical checkout time is 10am, with check-in not normally being until around 2pm. It doesn't take 4 hours to turn 1 room around however, so if you have a guest who calls to say that they have a booking and will not turn up until 10.30 the following morning, the hotel can resell the room and just have the maids knocking on the door of the room at 9.55 to get it turned round in time and nobody is any the wiser. If they turn up at 9.30 they just offer them a coffee and get a room ready in a rush and they are up the cost of a room - that coffee.

DysmalRadius · 19/08/2021 16:22

Remember that a typical checkout time is 10am, with check-in not normally being until around 2pm. It doesn't take 4 hours to turn 1 room around however, so if you have a guest who calls to say that they have a booking and will not turn up until 10.30 the following morning, the hotel can resell the room and just have the maids knocking on the door of the room at 9.55 to get it turned round in time and nobody is any the wiser. If they turn up at 9.30 they just offer them a coffee and get a room ready in a rush and they are up the cost of a room - that coffee.

But that's what the OP wants!!! She doesn't care if someone else sleeps in that room the night befote, so long as it's made up and ready for her to check in in the morning!!

Original poster
JurassicPark101 · 19/08/2021 16:25

susiebob but the hotel are flat out saying the room won’t be ready and early check in isn’t allowed, despite it actually being a late check in rather than an early on.

Regardless, I’ve (hopefully) got it sorted as long as my friend can check in tomorrow and hopefully enjoy her free dinner too. I don’t want to name and shame the hotel as I really don’t think they are reselling the room - they’re just incapable of understanding what I thought was a very simple request.

OP posts:
JesusIsAnyNameFree · 19/08/2021 16:28

Giving them too much credit here, OP. Hotel rooms in Cornwall are like unicorns at the moment.

BobLemon · 19/08/2021 16:32

Wow. Please leave a tripadvisor review or something about the service. I wouldn’t bother putting the full situation on there, as it’s pretty niche and they’ll probably just write a reply reiterating you can’t have your room till 3pm Grin but, I’d be interested to see a review that the accommodation is fine, but staff/management unhelpful.

beeny · 19/08/2021 16:36

Please let us know what happened.

itsgettingwierd · 19/08/2021 16:36

I think you're giving them too much credit that they don't understand!

If they don't the manager needs to get some staff on the front desk with a basic level of education!

I'd leave a review stating that you rang out of politeness to say you'd be late for your room and they were really confused constantly staring you couldn't have an early check in.

I'd leave it with a headline like "be very clear as communication is a tad exhausting"

cabingirl · 19/08/2021 16:37

When you check out are you going to try to get to the bottom of the confusion about why you can't pay for a room but not sleep in it overnight and arrive in the morning?

Totallydefeated · 19/08/2021 16:38

What service is being denied? Hotel rooms are sold by night.

Eh?? Confused

SusieBob the OP has paid for the room from check in time on Friday until check-out time on the day of her departure. If the hotel deny her access to her room at any point during that time period, they are denying her the service they have sold her and she has paid for.

It’s a rip-off at the very least. It’s sharp practice.

I believe you when you say that hotels commonly do this - lord knows there are enough greedy shysters in the world for me to believe this is true - but it is neither fair nor right. It’s a complete rip-off and cheat, which in pretty similar circumstances would amount to a fraud.

itsgettingwierd · 19/08/2021 16:51

Susie Bob had to Rita her be the manager of this hotel or the reservations manager who received the email. Or even the owner 🤣

If not I have no idea why you're so invested in trying to convince people who clearly aren't convinced - whatever practice some hotels may have re reselling paid for rooms - that when someone books a room that's 3pm overnight until 10am for a night or 3pm until 10am on day of departure that it's perfectly fine to deny her a service she's paid for just because she's turning up late.

What she she broke down on the way and spent 6 hours roadside waiting for assistance. You actually think on a business model basis it's fine when the client turns to to just say "well check in as at 3pm".

iknowimcoming · 19/08/2021 17:01

Totally agree it's bat-shit, but are you going to have to meet-up with your friend to get the room key from her or will you get her to leave it at reception? And can you let us know how it goes as I'm intrigued to see if they notice/pass comment on two different people turning up for the dinners Grin

TatianaBis · 19/08/2021 17:04

Yes you would, especially when the risk to your business is basically none. Hell, half the time people are happy to be bumped if there is something in it for them, which there usually is.

Sorry, who are you?

I would not and do not. I run a business similar to hotels. It's no way to behave and just leads to headaches and bad reviews.

diddl · 19/08/2021 17:13

Is it part of a chain & the staff are just quoting policy?

Original poster
JurassicPark101 · 19/08/2021 17:18

diddl not part of a chain, just an independently run hotel with only about 20 rooms and a nice restaurant.

OP posts:
Terhou · 19/08/2021 17:26

What service is being denied? Hotel rooms are sold by night. If someone phones up and says "I'm not going to be in my room tonight" then they are not being denied any service. If the person has the room booked for the following night then they will of course get access to the room, but if they impose a check-in time of 3pm no contracts are being broken.

There is a very clear breach of contract. If a guest books and pays for a room from 3pm on a Friday for the week, they have paid for free access during the entire week. If the hotel is saying that the guest won't be allowed access to the room till 3 on Saturday then it is breaking the contract.

Blarblarblar · 19/08/2021 17:32

I have a wee guest house. Utter fucking madness. It’s your room, you have paid for it. No I wouldn’t let you check in a midnight because I’m not staying up that late but 9am when it’s already yours, of course. They are probably planning on re booking it but it’s bad form.

Totallydefeated · 19/08/2021 17:33

There is a very clear breach of contract. If a guest books and pays for a room from 3pm on a Friday for the week, they have paid for free access during the entire week. If the hotel is saying that the guest won't be allowed access to the room till 3 on Saturday then it is breaking the contract.

I would have thought so too.

barnetparent · 19/08/2021 17:34

I would be livid!
If it is so difficult for several of them to comprehend you have paid for the Friday and are entitled to the room and service, I worry what service you will receive upon arrival.

Play them at their own game! Call and email (always have written evidence) informing them you will arrive on Friday as it is booked and paid for Friday. On Friday call and email saying you have been unavoidably delayed and you not sure exactly what time you'll arrive.

My strong guess is they will have the room ready for Friday, will arrange for you to collect the key from reception but unfortunately you wont be able to have meal on Friday, Just breakfast etc on the Saturday.

Turn up as planned on Saturday and see what happens.
If the room is not ready, you have every right to a refund for that day.

diddl · 19/08/2021 17:37

"There is a very clear breach of contract. If a guest books and pays for a room from 3pm on a Friday for the week, they have paid for free access during the entire week. If the hotel is saying that the guest won't be allowed access to the room till 3 on Saturday then it is breaking the contract."

I would have thought so also.

Unless the contract isn't applicable until Op checks in.

Even so you would think that a small place could be more flexible.