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You’ve booked your hotel reservation, you paid the amount of points or cash required, and received a confirmation of your booking. You arrive at the hotel, only to be told that there are no rooms available.
Just like airlines, hotels can overbook their rooms, resulting in a case of too many guests and not enough rooms. This is known in the hospitality industry as “walking a guest.”
Unlike being bumped from a flight, there are few government regulations in place for dealing with an overbooked hotel beyond contract law. Read on to find out why this happens and how to avoid getting “walked” all over.
Page Contents
Why Are Hotel Reservations not Honored?
There are some reasons why overbooking could happen:
- Guests may end up staying more nights than they originally planned.
- Scheduling mishaps.
- Major events in the area (like sports playoffs or a convention).
- An unexpected maintenance issue taking rooms out of service.
- Unexpected weather that causes rooms to be out of service or guests to stay longer because of canceled flights.
How To Avoid Getting “Walked”
So, how do you reduce your chances of being walked, as much as possible, by a hotel?
Book directly through the hotel when possible. This is especially important if you’re traveling during a peak time. If you see a lower price on a third party website, most hotels offer a best rate guarantee, so it’s worth calling to see if they’ll match the lower rate.
Think you’ll be checking in late? Call the hotel the day before (or as much in advance as you can) to give them a heads-up. Ask them to hold your reservation for you, and get the name of the person with whom you spoke.
Here are a few more tips to avoid being turned away from the hotel:
- Read the Terms and Conditions of the confirmation you receive from your booking.
- If you booked with a third-party service (such as Hotels.com or Expedia), make sure you have a confirmation number from the hotel itself, not only the booking site.
- Join the loyalty program of that hotel.
- Call the hotel a day before your check-in to confirm your booking.
Hotel Overbooking Policies
If you find yourself getting “walked,” the hotel should relocate you to a comparable alternative property. Your original hotel also should cover the cost of transportation to the new hotel. Most hotel chains have a specific policy on overbooking or “walking” a guest, and it can pay to be aware of these policies before agreeing to everything.
Here's a quick look at some of the overbooking policies of some of the major chains:
- Hilton: Does not publicize a policy, but reports indicate that it is similar to that of other chains, with the hotel paying the first night's cost and relocating you to a comparable hotel
- Hyatt: If you book on Hyatt.com and prepay with a credit card and are walked, Hyatt will provide a free night at a comparable hotel and free transportation to and from that hotel.
- IHG: A room and transport to another convenient and comparable hotel will be provided. IHG also will pay the full cost of the first night’s lodging price, including tax.
- Marriott: The brand will pay for your accommodations that night at a nearby hotel and compensate you for the inconvenience. The amount of compensation depends on the brand and your Bonvoy elite status.
Other chains have similar policies where the minimum you should expect to receive is a comparable hotel room to the one that you booked. And, as you can see, sometimes being a member of the hotel's loyalty program or having elite status can impact not only your chances of not being walked but also the compensation you'll receive if it does happen.
Related: How To Get Hotel Elite Status for Free (or Almost Free)
Bottom Line
What if you're not satisfied with the solution offered by the hotel? Ask to speak with the General Manager. If they or another manager aren’t able to help, you should write a letter to the owner of the hotel detailing the situation. If you can find the hotel's overbooking policy, cite that as you politely but firmly talk to hotel staff. Remember, too, that the person you're talking to likely isn't the person who caused you to be overbooked. So be polite, but also try to be informed about different options. The hotel may be willing to give you a decent amount of points or perks for your trouble.
Lastly, you may only get what you ask for, so ensure you ask for what the hotel's policy says you're owed, plus whatever you think is fair in your situation.
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