Help! My hotel is overbooked
It’s no longer a secret: Hotels, like airlines, overbook. It’s a valid business decision. Hotels try to maximize their revenue by estimating how many people won’t show up for their rooms each day, and then overbooking by that number. I won’t bore you with the mathematical formulas behind revenue management, but most days, the system works.
But sometimes the hotel gets it wrong, and people with reservations have to be turned away. Good managers hate it when this happens; no one wants to disappoint guests and maybe lose future business. They try to work things out so that the fewest guests are inconvenienced. But in the end, managers often have to make arbitrary decisions about who gets to stay and who gets “walked†to another property.
Here are a few ways you can help managers decide to keep you and walk someone else.
1. Guarantee your reservation. You don’t have to give a credit card number when you make a reservation, but if you don’t, your reservation is considered “non-guaranteed.†On busy days, managers often cancel non-guaranteed arrivals around 4 p.m. It takes just one keystroke and your reservation is gone — and if the hotel is sold out, chances are you’re not getting it back.
2. Time your arrival. Arrive early in the day if you can. Hotels don’t usually start walking guests until they’re sure they have oversold their rooms. At 4 p.m. there’s still a good chance that people will cancel or turn out to be no-shows, but by 11 p.m. the hotel will be completely full. If you will be arriving late, a last-minute confirmation call is a must. Call the day before or early the day of your arrival, even if your reservation is guaranteed. Tell the desk clerk you’re still coming, but you’ll be arriving late. This will be noted on your reservation, eliminating the guessing game of “Is He Coming or Not?â€
3. Make a connection. When a hotel employee scans an arrivals list, most reservations are just meaningless names and numbers. Making personal contact with the front desk staff before your visit personalizes you and makes you memorable. Every reservations system I’ve used allows agents to enter details about a guest or his stay in the “Comment†field. When a manager is scanning reservations, the man who has called to inquire about the spa because it’s his wife’s birthday becomes “special.†And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had an agent say to me, “Oh, don’t walk her. I made her reservation last week, and she sounded really nice.†For the manager who is about to make an arbitrary choice about whether you walk or you stay, something that simple can be the deciding factor.
4. Join a rewards program. Just as airlines will rarely bump their elite-level fliers, hotels will rarely bump their loyal guests. I once worked for a casino/resort company that ranked its guests by the amount of money they gambled. One regular guest was a member of the highest level of our rewards program. He was notorious for making reservations and not showing up. But there was no way I was going to cancel his booking when we were oversold. Angering a man who gambles $10,000 a hand is never worth it! Even if you’re not a big spender, or even a very frequent guest, sign up for the frequent-stay program. It’s usually free, and having a loyalty number on your reservation can often get you that last room.
5. Stay awhile or book several visits. It’s easy to walk someone who is staying only one night. As a manager, I only have to find you alternate accommodations for one night, and I don’t have to deal with calming you down or finding you another room if you come back tomorrow. Similarly, I won’t want to anger you if I know I’ll be seeing you again soon.
6. Know that you get what you pay for. Listen, we’re all looking for a deal. I search for cheap rates online, too. But the guest paying $189 for a room looks a lot more appealing than the person paying $79. A hotel’s ADR, or average daily rate, is important. Also, relocating someone with expectations of a $79 room is easier than relocating someone with $189 expectations.
Despite your best efforts, you may still arrive at a property and find there’s no room. What should you do?
Always try to be agreeable (that old saying about catching more flies with honey is true!). Ask to speak to a manager or supervisor; these are the people who will have the latest occupancy information. But don’t tell them how to run their business. I’ve heard it suggested that it helps to prod the manager into giving you an upgrade or an out-of-order room. If those options were available, the manager will have thought of them.
If the hotel is already fully occupied, no amount of pleading will get you a room. At that point, the hotel should make a good effort to find you reasonable alternate accommodations. (But note: What constitutes a “good effort†and “reasonable alternate accommodations†depends on state innkeeping laws. In some places, sending you to a fleabag motel an hour away is entirely “acceptable.â€) The hotel should pay the room charges for your new accommodations, along with any transportation costs to get you to the new property.
Look on the bright side. Just as with overbooked flights, an involuntary walk from a hotel may have perks. For example, you can ask for an extra amenity, such as a meal voucher or a free upgrade on your next visit. It never hurts to ask, but again, be reasonable and pleasant. If you get walked and want to take legal action, check the state innkeeping laws first. In some places, you may have a valid lawsuit, but awards may be very limited.
Overbooking is inevitable, but you needn’t get walked. Take some precautions, but also remember that sometimes a walk can be a breath of fresh air.