Business Ethics

[Mr Hero]

Background: Every hotel in the city was sold out last night. We were able to hold 5 rooms that a competitor would be sending its overflow. One of those 5 didn't like the room and chose not to stay. I cancelled the reservation and sold the room very quickly.

At 3:30 this morning the hotel calls me and asks if I still have one of their held rooms. I told them the above and that I sold it to someone else. "Well that's not very ethical. I'm talking to the owner about this in the morning."

Riiiight. Because overbooking your hotel and promising guests rooms you don't have is the moral high ground. Stay classy, competitor. Stay classy.

[thehuckster]

So, a hotel says there are five guests who made reservations which that hotel could not honor and you oblige to help them out by letting them stay at your hotel. One of the customers was dissatisfied and canceled (hopefully his grudge was more on your competitor for making him do this in the first place than your own hotel). You considered that fifth reservation null and void at that point and sold it to someone else (you know, one of YOUR customers) most likely on the assumption that, while your competitor was stupid enough to give promises to five guests that they couldn't keep, they couldn't possibly be stupid enough to give another false promise to a sixth guest.

The hotel then has a sixth guest who I assume hadn't actually made a reservation because if he had, they would have asked you to reserve six rooms in the first place. When you said that you had a canceled reservation and had since used up that room the hotel is calling you unethical?

That hotel is friggen lucky they even GOT YOUR HELP IN THE FIRST PLACE! Oh man, I can't wait until I see how this pans out. Keep us posted.

[JarethsPet]

UGH, the last hotel I worked at would do that but they wouldn't get extra rooms from another hotel. The boss would be there when the people tried to check in and BLAME whoever was on staff at the time that they must have done it. As a way of getting the resident to shift blame.

[Jester]

It is unethical? How? Because you held the five rooms you promised to hold for the five guests they told you they'd send, who came over, and of which four stayed and one left? And then they expected you to hold the room indefinitely? And honestly expected that you'd still have it available at 3:30 am, rather than selling it to someone who wanted to pay for it?

Your hotel went above and beyond ethically, and did nothing wrong. The other hotel can go piss up a rope. Frankly, if I was the hotel owner, I would be on the horn to the other hotel's owner to give him a piece of my mind, either to rip him a new one, or to let him know what his employees were up to so that HE could rip THEM a new one.

Whoever was responsible for this chain of events should be thrown into a barrel of lemon-juice soaked razor blades.

[BroSCFischer]

Whoever was responsible for this chain of events should be thrown into a barrel of lemon-juice soaked razor blades.

With a nice salt rub afterward.

SC

[Mr Hero]

My call from the competing hotel was from the GM, which is very tempting to tell him what he can do with his overbooked reservations.

[Jay 2K Winger]

The other hotel can go piss up a rope.

I just have to say, I had forgotten about this lovely turn of phrase and thank you for reminding me of it.

Now I have to find cause to use it in my day to day life.

[bhskittykatt]

That other GM sure is full of it. I guess he thinks he can overbook all he wants, since other hotels must bow down to him and keep rooms open for his overflow.

To that GM, have fun dealing with the complaints when you can't walk your overbookings. Maybe next time you'll learn to forecast and plan ahead better.

[Jester]

I just have to say, I had forgotten about this lovely turn of phrase and thank you for reminding me of it.

Now I have to find cause to use it in my day to day life.

I have lots of amusing phrases. Just let me know when you need one. I am, after all, a Walking Amusing Phrase Book.

Or something like that. (What? It's 7:30 am and I'm awake. Don't expect much more than that!)

[Mr Hero]

Between you and GK, I think everyone on this site could have a unique sig that originated from either of you.

[Jester]

Well then they wouldn't be all that unique, would they?

[Mr Hero]

And I just realized that this hotel has a similar name to the boat in a game of my avatar.

[Salted Grump]

Except the King of Red Lions is awesome for being about as snarky as a living boat can be.

[bhskittykatt]

Edit: Aww, I misread it. The OTHER hotel I now know the brand...

I really like that brand, too. At least the one in Astoria, OR.

I just won't stay at that brand in CO.