Thanks, Shatner, for overbooking us.

[Mr Hero]

We are completely sold out tonight. And then we got another 3rd party reservation come through. I don't have anywhere to put them, so I called the company to explain the situation.

They are willing to rebook at another hotel, but my hotel would have to pay for the transfer fee. WHAT? Hell no! I'm not even authorized to make that kind of monetary decision!

And now the guest showed up, is in my lobby and somehow this overbooking is my fault.

[eltf177]

Several questions:

1) Does the third party get notified of when you're full, and if so how soon afterwards?
2) Does third party even bother to check if the hotel is full before booking customer?
3) Although I can understand their reasoning, why should your hotel eat the transfer charge? It wasn't you who did the booking!

There has to be a better way...

[EricKei]

They made the booking; I can see no reason (aside from a line slipped into the contract) why anybody but their company should pay the transfer fee.

[bhskittykatt]

Shatner always overbooks us, too. I am not certain if it's an issue with our inventory control or theirs. Something gets screwed up, though. It's happened twice in the last month and a half to us (fortunately the hotel itself wasn't completely booked, but they oversold our waterview rooms so someone who booked waterview got to face the parking lot).

[lonnolan]

I have had one hotel end up overbooked on me through that service, and maybe it is just me, but had no issues with being transferred to another hotel for one night and back the next night. Of course, unlike what happened there, I made sure to be polite about it, especially when checking in at 3 am instead of normal time and ensuring that I contact them to provide a notice, and ended up with a good stay and a free upgrade to one of the suites.

[Mr Hero]

There's a sequel to this story. I don't know if I made the right choice or not. I was trying to see what I could do for the guest, who calmed down fairly quickly and was understanding after her initial suckiness. My hotel charges for no shows. If we can't guarantee a night's payment, we can't guarantee a room. We had one reservation whose card declined. So I canceled his reservation. Turns out he did eventually show up after all my rooms became occupied. This was around 2:30 in the morning or so.

I help him find a room somewhere else. About 15 minutes south of my location. He doesn't like that because he thinks he won't get into his room until 5 in the morning. He instead makes me call other hotels in the area. Of course they're all sold out. I tell the SC that the room I found for him might be the last room in Denver. He leaves, but of course says he's going to talk to a manager.

I've had reservations in the past where a reservation with a declined card never shows up. I thought it was the case here, but it wasn't. I sure wish I could have predicted the future.

[bhskittykatt]

I've had reservations in the past where a reservation with a declined card never shows up. I thought it was the case here, but it wasn't. I sure wish I could have predicted the future.

I think you did the right thing. People need to reserve with a valid credit card if they want the reservation guaranteed. If the card is no good, you had every right to cancel it and give the room to the guest in front of you imho.

[eltf177]

I think you did the right thing. People need to reserve with a valid credit card if they want the reservation guaranteed. If the card is no good, you had every right to cancel it and give the room to the guest in front of you imho.

Agreed, if the card was declined I would not consider this fool to have a reservation in the first place.

I think you went above and beyond to help this clown...

[Slave to the Phone]

And this is why I always book with the hotel itself. I have heard so many horror stories about problems with third party venders here and elsewhere. I'm just not willing to risk it. Not to mention that I do look up the rates with third party venders and while booking will mention what I found. Somehow, my room always costs the TPV rate.

[Mr Hero]

And this is why I always book with the hotel itself. I have heard so many horror stories about problems with third party venders here and elsewhere. I'm just not willing to risk it. Not to mention that I do look up the rates with third party venders and while booking will mention what I found. Somehow, my room always costs the TPV rate.

Straying off topic, do you ever find rooms that are priced so significantly less through third parties? Many of my callers would call and say they found a room online for say $80 when the going rate is $120 or more. I always tell the caller that I don't have the ability to match that rate, but it sounds like an awesome deal considering our current rates, and if they found it online, they should go ahead and book it.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

I've had that at all three of my last hotel stays. Pain in the but a bit, call the hotel, confirm questions about their rooms/service, decide to book, tell them the website and the price on offer, no they can't price match. Have to go online to book, then call the hotel back once the booking is confirmed to make notes on reservation.

Since the difference in price on the website booking and at the hotel is 25-40% it's worth it, just weird that the hotel wouldn't book directly and save the fees of paying the booking site.

[Mr Hero]

Depends on hotel management really. My old manager was fine with it as long as we provided notes. New management took away our power to override rates, so it's a no go. Makes it harder to work with the customer to negotiate rates.

[eltf177]

Makes it harder to work with the customer to negotiate rates.

Doesn't this cost you business at times?

[Mr Hero]

Doesn't this cost you business at times?

Yes, I've had a few walk out. I've gotten reprimanded, but not written up for knocking $5 off the rate, that's how petty my GM is.

[eltf177]

Why would you get reprimanded for following the rules?

I would think management would give you a _little_ leeway to offer a small discount to try and keep the sale.