rk73737

I like to keep my options open for travel so sometimes I make
reservations at a hotel knowing I can cancel within 24 hours prior to
check in and not be charged. Well, recently I had made three changes
three different times within 2 weeks at a good hotel that I like and
the hotel manager calls me and starts telling me how my changes have
hurt their business (guests were turned away) and that if I make any
more changes they will never give me a room again. Is this right of
them? I mean they have a policy right? They can't have it both ways. On
one hand if the policy was "you book it you buy it" few would book. So
they have the 24 hour cancellation thing to get customers to book. So
what if I make three changes. I should be able to make 100 changes.
It's their policy. Am I right or am I missing something? I don't feel
good about staying at this hotel now. I may run into the hotel manager.
Am I overblowing this?

Roman Werpachowski

On the 8 Sep 2005 23:16:13 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
    > I like to keep my options open for travel so sometimes I make
    > reservations at a hotel knowing I can cancel within 24 hours prior to
    > check in and not be charged. Well, recently I had made three changes
    > three different times within 2 weeks at a good hotel that I like and
    > the hotel manager calls me and starts telling me how my changes have
    > hurt their business (guests were turned away) and that if I make any
    > more changes they will never give me a room again. Is this right of
    > them?

It's their hotel, not yours. It's their right to refuse doing business with
you.

--

Po co wybieraæ mniejsze z³o? Cthulu na prezydenta!

rk73737

They should change the reservation policy, not berate guests for
actions they guests take that is within their policy. That's what I
believe. Am I misiing something?

Ken Fine

Just my opinion, but policies should serve as a guide: they're not a
black-white seperation of great behavior vs. forbidden behavior. You're
within the letter of the policy, which is why you aren't being sued for
breach of contract. But that doesn't mean that a business is going to be
happy about what from their perspective is capricious and excessive changes.

Maybe put yourselves in the shoes of the business owner and ask how you
would run a business if everyone kept their travel options open in the same
way. The hotel manager wants to avoid designing a draconinan reservation
policy to address a small number of what he percieves to be "abusers" of the
system.

You haven't done anything illegal. Your change was allowed. The hotel has
advised you that this is problematic from their end and your business
relationship will end if your plans continue to change. Nothing wrong with
that, either.

-KF

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] oups.com...
    > They should change the reservation policy, not berate guests for
    > actions they guests take that is within their policy. That's what I
    > believe. Am I misiing something?
    >

rk73737

Shouldn't they just change their cancellation policy and stop berating
customs?

Ken Fine

Maybe. But from the hotelier's perspective, the vast vast majority of people
use the reservation policy "responsibly," making changes out of necessity to
deal with genuinely unexpected changes in plans. By your own admission,
you're using the policy simply to keep travel options open for yourself.
Should the hotel limit the options of the vast majority of folks to address
the anomolous business behavior of people like you?

It is also perfectly legal in many U.S. states to enter binding bids on
multiple real estate properties, dicker for a few days, and then rescind
your offers on some or all of them. This effectively screws the seller. The
fact that a particular behavior is legal doesn't make it ethical or
considerate. Even though a few people abuse the right of recision, the
appropriate societal response isn't to eliminate this right from our law. A
sense of reciprical fairness and the ocassional complaining hotel manager
can best address what law cannot.

-KF

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] oups.com...
    > Shouldn't they just change their cancellation policy and stop berating
    > customs?
    >

Ian F.

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] oups.com...

    > Shouldn't they just change their cancellation policy and stop berating
    > customs?

Nope. It's their business and they run it how they like. If you don't agree
with their terms and conditions, you are free to stay elsewhere.

Why on earth would you change dates three times anyway?

Ian

rk73737

Why would I change dates? Well for one the person I was going with got
very sick. But that doesn't matter. If their cancellation policy allows
it than they should honor it, not berate (scold) their guests.

Ian F.

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] ups.com...

    > Why would I change dates? Well for one the person I was going with got
    > very sick.

But why *three* changes? Better planning may have made this situation more
manageable.

    > But that doesn't matter. If their cancellation policy allows
    > it than they should honor it, not berate (scold) their guests.

But you must admit that three changes is a bit extreme. In any event, make
your feelings felt to the hotel, which will be more effective than grizzling
here. Tell them that you are a regular customer, you are very put out by
their attitude and phone-call and that you w3ill, in future, be staying
elsewhere. In these competitive times, they'll soon come around!

Ian

Ken Fine

From your earlier narrative they +did+ honor their policy, but put you on
notice.

I'm sure their policy also suggests they can refuse to do business with
anyone, and if their policy does not, the law gives them this right.

I've studiously avoided blame in this conversation ("... from the hoteliers
perspective...") but for your sake I should ask: Are you looking to learn
from the perspectives of other people, or are you just looking for
validation of your own behavior? Two people now have politely disagreed with
your assessment of this situation. Worth considering.

-KF

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] ups.com...
    > Why would I change dates? Well for one the person I was going with got
    > very sick. But that doesn't matter. If their cancellation policy allows
    > it than they should honor it, not berate (scold) their guests.
    >

rk73737

The reason I posted here was I felt that the hotel manager of a good
hotel wouldn't have called me unless there was some rightful basis but
at the same time I felt there was no basis on their part. They have a
policy and I am a good paying customer (and have been for years).
Truely I am a bit confused and was just looking for some insight from
other travelers.

rk73737

The real estate sellers don't get screwed. There's always buyers at
around the fair market value. The most they lost is some time dealing
with bids that weren't genuine. Time is also valuable for the "buyer"
so you don't get too many tire kickers out there.

Bigbrian

On 9 Sep 2005 00:45:22 -0700, [email protected] wrote:

    >Shouldn't they just change their cancellation policy and stop berating
    >customs?

Why? Their cancellation policy applies to all customers. Why should
they tie themselves to a policy that will impact everyone for the sake
of appeasing the small minority who think that they can liberties with
the existing setup? Much better for them just to stop doing business
with that small minority

Brian

Alan Harrison

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] oups.com...
    > Shouldn't they just change their cancellation policy and stop berating
    > customs?

Maybe add a sentence like: "We reserve the right to decline reservations
from customers who repeatedly cancel bookings"?

Alan Harrison

Gerrit 't Hart

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] oups.com...
    > I like to keep my options open for travel so sometimes I make
    > reservations at a hotel knowing I can cancel within 24 hours prior to
    > check in and not be charged. Well, recently I had made three changes
    > three different times within 2 weeks at a good hotel that I like and
    > the hotel manager calls me and starts telling me how my changes have
    > hurt their business (guests were turned away) and that if I make any
    > more changes they will never give me a room again. Is this right of
    > them? I mean they have a policy right? They can't have it both ways. On
    > one hand if the policy was "you book it you buy it" few would book. So
    > they have the 24 hour cancellation thing to get customers to book. So
    > what if I make three changes. I should be able to make 100 changes.
    > It's their policy. Am I right or am I missing something? I don't feel
    > good about staying at this hotel now. I may run into the hotel manager.
    > Am I overblowing this?

1 YES
2 You are obviously one of those people who are ALWAYS right (in their own
eyes)
3 There have been 4 people who have dissagreed with you (now 5)
4 You obviously don't have the intestinal fortitude to sign your message
with your own name (even if only a first name)
5 If you were the hotellier and one person out of thousands took your rules
to the extreme and cost you money? Would you change the rules to
dissadvantage all or just try to minimise future losses from this one cause?

Gerrit - Oz