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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:
Essentialironingwater · 19/08/2021 19:02

Ha, they do sound bizarrely incompetent. Makes absolutely zero sense. At least the dinner now won't go to waste!

LizzieSiddal · 19/08/2021 19:07

Most places do ask for ID when checking in

No they really do not.

Frazzledd · 19/08/2021 19:10

@LizzieSiddal

Most places do ask for ID when checking in

No they really do not.

No, they don't. They do ask for your credit card though....
GreyhoundG1rl · 19/08/2021 19:10

@LizzieSiddal

Most places do ask for ID when checking in

No they really do not.

They do in my experience?
CorianderBee · 19/08/2021 19:12

Yeah that's very weird

PeachyPeachTrees · 19/08/2021 19:12

Hope it all goes to plan with your friend checking in for you and that you get the relaxing time you need.

Original poster
JurassicPark101 · 19/08/2021 19:12

They generally do abroad, I’ve never had it in this country. As for a credit card, they’ve never asked for one before when I’ve stayed there, it’s all prepaid and they don’t offer room service so no need for card details.

OP posts:
Frazzledd · 19/08/2021 19:17

@JurassicPark101

They generally do abroad, I’ve never had it in this country. As for a credit card, they’ve never asked for one before when I’ve stayed there, it’s all prepaid and they don’t offer room service so no need for card details.
Fair enough...hope you have a good stay OP!
Justhavinganosy · 19/08/2021 19:19

I work at hotel, they can check you in on the Friday on the system cut your keys and when you arrive the day after they can just hand you your keys.

GreenChihuahua · 19/08/2021 19:28

That is absolutely bonkers and incredibly annoying. They should either refund you the Friday night or let you in on the Saturday morning!

HumourReplacementTherapy · 19/08/2021 19:29

I want to phone the hotel for a fictitious future booking and tell them I need a room @8am as that's when my helicopter lands so I'll pay for my room from the night before. Grin
Tell them I'm Beyoncé or something.

cameocat · 19/08/2021 19:40

They are bonkers Confused

Brademajo · 19/08/2021 19:41

You've already called to tell them you aren't coming on Friday - unfortunately I think because you have been honest, and out of curtesy notified them - this will now go against you. It doesnt seem right but I expect this has now gone into their protocols that they follow. There was a similar thing happened to an airline passenger in the queue ahead of me - his daughter couldnt make the flight, but although he had paid for her seat (and baggage allowance) he couldnt use her baggage allowance and ended up paying extra for his! bonkers.
Sometimes it pays to keep your mouth shut -
I suggest you turn up at 9.30 - they will tell you the room not ready, you ask them if there is a room you can use in the meantime to get changed/keep you bags etc. They (hopefully) will be a bit more sympathetic when you are standing in front of them
Use all the towels, leave your room in a tip (dont piss in the kettle!) but make them work after you've checkd out. (oh and take the toilettries obvs). Dont let it spoil your stay :)

Thevoiceofreason2021 · 19/08/2021 19:46

Just tell them you’ve paid for the room you’ll be there Friday night a d then call at midnight to say you’ve been delayed.

Joysutty · 19/08/2021 19:55

Yes, like someone mentioned go there on Friday or get someone to collect the door keycard/physical key then you can let yourself in as and when you please, and if they say you didnt turn up for breakfast say you had a hangover. Or to "cash it in" on your travel insurance policy and loose the policy's £40 or whatever excess fee, saying you are ill and that you will have to select a new date or even get the lot back by a Section 75 through claiming through your bank or credit card people as we have done this but it does take few months for refund which goes back into the account that you had paid from. Idiot of a hotel and booking.com not the best, sorry as heard of someone who turned up and hotel didnt even have their booking/reservation and so ended up having to find somewhere else locally paying over again. We always book direct with the hotel/b+b or through a firm like shearings but do self-drive. Once booking.com have your money they dont give a damn.

Toomuchtrouble4me · 19/08/2021 20:01

Tell them that you’ll be there on Friday. Then let them know just before midnight that you’re delayed.

Cindie943811A · 19/08/2021 20:14

Do report back on Saturday am to let us know that you managed to get in ok.
This is an amazingly stupid situation — worthy of Fawty Towers

Buffs · 19/08/2021 20:25

They’re either completely stupid or utterly greedy. Name the hotel.

whynotwhatknot · 19/08/2021 20:41

I do agree its mad but be careful letting your friend check in then hiding the key somewhere

they could easily say you werent the person checking in and refuse you service

OnTheBoardwalk · 19/08/2021 20:42

Not been asked for a credit card when checking in for years I must be staying in the wrong hotels. I think there was a lot of complaints on them taking a pre payment of £250 off your card then taking ages to release it. Bit like the petrol pumps now

I pre paid in a holiday inn recently and added breakfast the next day which I paid when checking out. They did look and say 'ok same card used to pay that was used for the booking good' but that was more luck than planned

I’m not sure what they could have complained about if I’d paid £10 for breakfast on a different card than I booked and paid with

MadeForThis · 19/08/2021 20:52

Madness

EatYourVegetables · 19/08/2021 20:54

Please let us know how it goes!! I’m so invested in this now!!

SusieBob · 19/08/2021 20:56

@Totallydefeated

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.

This is going in circles.

It's not fraud, it's not "breech of contract" and it's common practice. If you have a prepaid hotel room and you don't turn up until the following day, the hotel owes you the grand sum of fuck all.

You and all the other posters getting outraged about it doesn't change that.

NumberTheory · 19/08/2021 21:04

“ This is going in circles.

It's not fraud, it's not "breech of contract" and it's common practice. If you have a prepaid hotel room and you don't turn up until the following day, the hotel owes you the grand sum of fuck all.

You and all the other posters getting outraged about it doesn't change that.”

No one is suggesting the hotel owes the OP because she turns up the next day. They are suggesting they may owe the OP if she turns up the next day and they refuse to provide her with her paid for room until 3 pm.

I would love to know if such a scenario, where the hotel relies on a clause in their T&C to say they may resell rooms and so refuses to refund or house a guest for the first 24 hours of a pre-paid booking because the guest checks in “too late”, has been tested in court.

NumberTheory · 19/08/2021 21:06

Damn MN formatting

@SusieBob
This is going in circles.

It's not fraud, it's not "breech of contract" and it's common practice. If you have a prepaid hotel room and you don't turn up until the following day, the hotel owes you the grand sum of fuck all.

You and all the other posters getting outraged about it doesn't change that.”

No one is suggesting the hotel owes the OP because she turns up the next day. They are suggesting they may owe the OP if she turns up the next day and they refuse to provide her with her paid for room until 3 pm.

I would love to know if such a scenario, where the hotel relies on a clause in their T&C to say they may resell rooms and so refuses to refund or house a guest for the first 24 hours of a pre-paid booking because the guest checks in “too late”, has been tested in court.