Some hotel insight. I worked at a hotel front desk for several years and was shocked by some of the practices. I cannot speak for all hotels but this is what I experienced. Our hotel would frequently overbook our rooms. So if we have 200 available, we may end up with 205 reservations for that night. Often people do not show up and it MIGHT work out. If not...we would "walk" people to a nearby hotel. This just means we say sorry and direct them to a room we have arranged nearby (if we can find one close). I assure you, this is a very unpleasant task. Another common occurance is that guests with third party reservations would show at the front desk and we would not have their reservation in our system. The booking agent can be very lax about forwarding reservation info. I would ALWAYS call hotel after I booked and verify they have the reservation. Do not believe that your wad of papers from your online booking is proof you actually have the room. Although we would always get a guest in, if you arrive late, the hotel does not have your style room, or any room, not much can be done. Our hotel might also, depending on booking issues, sometimes put guests in a totally different type of room than reserved. My advice (besides calling ahead) is to arrive early in the day if possible. If you should be walked, to not have a tantrum, just express your dismay and ask for some type of compensation. All that desk person wants you to do is LEAVE because chances are they are as disgusted as you are. Ask for a meal, or for some amenity. If you planned to stay more than one night ask to return in the morning and for an upgrade for the rest of your stay. When you return express yourself again to management and you may be offered a return stay, or additional compensation. The key is to make them feel you can still be a return customer if you are treated with respect. From the hotel's point of view...Sometimes things happen, like a water problem that cause several rooms to be shut down, or maybe a guest refuses to leave. A hotel cannot MAKE someone leave, it's like an eviction.....a big drawn out deal. They can charge rack rate for additional nights, but cannot remove someone and their stuff..at least in my state. When we were booked and a guest asked to extend we would explain the room was not available additional night, but if you really want to stay you cannot be forced to go (expect to be charged high rates) This overbooking practice was the worst part of my job, and I really believe it should not be legal, it could be unsafe stranding someone, and at the very least it is disrespectful! Hope that helps someone in the future.
