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?

@diddl

Do you not need ID to check in that corresponds with the booking name?

I travel a hell of a lot. I’m always in hotels

The only time I’ve ever been asked for ID was in the savoy

I travel monthly.

I think you have a great solution with getting your friend to check in and have dinner. If anyone queries why there is a different person, she was your in-room guest (assuming you don’t have to pay extra for double occupancy).

As for the fire safely aspect, no hotel I have stayed in since the 90s has checked whether guests are onsite or not. I’m fact I have on several occasions, for work, booked a hotel for a week, left it vacant on a midweek night while I was elsewhere, and returned later in the week. It was just easier that checking out and back in again.

I would have told them that I think that it is utterly revolting that they weren't planning on cleaning your room until Saturday afternoon, despite you booking it from Friday night. I would have asked whether this is usual for them and whether you got a discount for sleeping in dirty sheets on the Friday night? I would have gone round in circles with this argument.

Wtaf! I would be raging. I’m actually raging now for you.

Just say you e changed your mind and will be arriving Friday night. Then turn up 12 hours late.

@TheSkatesOfCoachBombay

Then that hotel had poor fire safety.

In the event of a fire each department manager was responsible for evacuating their department in full staff and guests.

Me duty manager stayed in reception with printed out fire guest list. Directing guests to safety point.

Reception manager was responsible with a second fire list at the safety area asking for guest details. Receptionist to offer help to guests in safety point and assist reception manager in accounting for guests.

Department managers were responsible for coming to me to say area clear (think bar, restaurant, spa, leisure club) they then leave the building to the safety point.

I then report to reception manager at safety point and ask how many guests accounted for. Given updated fire list.

I return to reception area with updated list and give emergency services guests not accounted for. Room checks conducted by duty manager if safe (no fore zone). Every room opened and checked by me to ensure no guest inside.

Then return to safety point, noting rooms clear. Hotel clear.

So whilst it would mean OP was not on site, I've still had to walk to her room with the emergency key open it up and conduct a room check.

Can't just knock the door and walk away 🤦🏻‍♀️

How do they know? I’ve gone to hotels when I’ve come In at 2am and not even walked past the desk.

Glad your friend will check in for you, OP! I would email the hotel to say you’re now checking in on Friday so they don’t re-sell your room. Don’t trust a phone call.

And how nice of @Paq and others to offer to check in for you.

@Mustreadabook

Just say you e changed your mind and will be arriving Friday night. Then turn up 12 hours late.

... at which point they may very well say "check-in is not till 3pm, sorry".

Most hotels will have cut-off times for no shows. If you are are no-show they may resell the room or use it if they need to move a guest from another room and then obviously the OP can't check in till they've turned the room around. Even if the room is sat empty they may not allow early check-ins and that is effectively what the OP now wants.

@TheSkatesOfCoachBombay

Having been a duty manager in a hotel, can I advise anyone wanting to check in for OP not do so. In the event of a fire or need to evacuate someone will go looking for OP if role call on checked in guests at the safety point discovered she's not accountable for.

OP the hotel are probably wanting to re-sell your room. Just ring back and say you plan to check in on Friday.

You'll be marked as a no show if you don't turn up by 11pm or of its a 24/7 hotel night staff will be made aware that you are left to check in.

Your room will sit vacant but if there's a maintenance issue/guest complaint overnight you'll find the manager mY well move someone in to your room and then you would get one at 3pm for check in on Saturday. If your lucky when you turn up on Saturday morning nobody will have been "moved to your room and the reception will let you check in".

How do they know whether someone who doesn't answer is trapped inside or whether they've gone down the pub? Surely they'd do what any other large premises do and instead have fire wardens to check the rooms.

Did you pay with a card? If they dont let you into your room on sat at 9.30 do a partial chargeback via your card company as they did not supply the service you have contracted for.

@memberofthewedding

Did you pay with a card? If they dont let you into your room on sat at 9.30 do a partial chargeback via your card company as they did not supply the service you have contracted for.

Yeah... good luck with that

Me and a work colleague used to stay at hotel that was freezing all the time

He would phone up on way and ask them to turn the heating on before he arrived. This and telling them you want late check it in, then telling them you’ll be there early hours instead should hopefully stop them being able to resell your room

This is crazy

*Even if the room is sat empty they may not allow early check-ins and that is effectively what the OP now wants.

@SusieBob*

The very thought? ! No late check ins! no early checkins! Computer yelling Noooooo!!! How very dare you. But You paid actual money? Not our problem Madam. It's in the Ts&Cs No 4325678900 Fancy thinking you were an actual Customer!!!

I'm surprised any body can justify this nonsense. And just saying "because that's what they do...." doesn't cut it.

Luckily lots of ( probably good) hotels all over the world don't pull this shit as many posters have pointed out.

@memberofthewedding

Did you pay with a card? If they dont let you into your room on sat at 9.30 do a partial chargeback via your card company as they did not supply the service you have contracted for.

The non refundable part of the contract is watertight. The hotel would keep the money if OP didn’t turn up at all.

@sunglassesonthetable

*Even if the room is sat empty they may not allow early check-ins and that is effectively what the OP now wants.

*@SusieBob**

The very thought? ! No late check ins! no early checkins! Computer yelling Noooooo!!! How very dare you. But You paid actual money? Not our problem Madam. It's in the Ts&Cs No 4325678900 Fancy thinking you were an actual Customer!!!

I'm surprised any body can justify this nonsense. And just saying "because that's what they do...." doesn't cut it.

Luckily lots of ( probably good) hotels all over the world don't pull this shit as many posters have pointed out.

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.

This is how it works. You don't have to like it but it's the reality of the situation. Would you be shocked to discover that bus, train and airline operators all do the same thing?

It’s in the t&c’s of the majority that you need to check in by a certain time otherwise you’re deemed to be a no show. Some actually say you forfeit the entire stay. Because you’re not arriving until the next day you’re not checking in late you’re effectively cancelling the first night. No it’s not best for the customer but it is generally in the t&cs so not much you can do

I would write them a simple message:

Dear Hotel Manager, either my room is ready at 3 pm on Friday, as I have already paid for the night stay, but check-in at 9:30 am on Saturday, OR I will check-in at 3 pm on Saturday and you will refund me for my Friday night's stay. Please let me know which you would prefer.

Or call them Friday night and tell them you're checking in late - on Saturday.

Just a thought on your friend checking in and having dinner, you may want to double check that she doesn't need the card you paid it on, as that's usually a requirement.

@Jaxhog

I would write them a simple message:

Dear Hotel Manager, either my room is ready at 3 pm on Friday, as I have already paid for the night stay, but check-in at 9:30 am on Saturday, OR I will check-in at 3 pm on Saturday and you will refund me for my Friday night's stay. Please let me know which you would prefer.

Or call them Friday night and tell them you're checking in late - on Saturday.

Dear customer,

You booked a non-refundable room rate so we are under no obligation to refund you. As per our terms and conditions check-in is from 3pm and we do not guarantee your room will be held for you if you check in later than 10pm.

Love and hugs, most hotels.

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.

This would only be the business of a criminal business! I've been bounced from room many times for booking in late, but have ALWAYS got a refund. Although sometimes I've had to agitate in public to do so.

I was a night manager for a couple of years at a hotel. Calling the night off, past 11pm, saying you'd arrive in the morning would mean we'd pass you on to the AM team. In fact anything prepaid or booked fora few nights would be checked in as no show and contacted in the morning. Despite being overbooked.

On the fire note, there were 2 of us on at night. 200+ room hotel. We didn't go knocking on doors when we had a fire until HOURS later when support was there.

@Jaxhog

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.

This would only be the business of a criminal business! I've been bounced from room many times for booking in late, but have ALWAYS got a refund. Although sometimes I've had to agitate in public to do so.

But did you enter into a contract that stated explicitly that your booking wasn’t refundable?

Not that this is the issue in this case anyway.

If the worst comes to the worst, you can always explain in honest detail on Trip Adviser.

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