A pre-paid hotel dilemma

[editor]

So my trip to Amsterdam got cancelled. My hotel booking is non refundable. The hotel is writing to me to ask if I am coming.

Seeing as I've paid for the bloody room and they won't refund me, do I just ignore them rather than let them get double the money, or do I tell them the room is free?

They're not a small independent, btw.

 

[Crispy]

What harm does it do you to let them know?

 

[Yossarian]

They might be willing to give you some credit toward a future stay if you cancel in time. There are also websites where you can apparently buy and sell non-refundable rooms, never tried them so I'm not sure how it works.

Hotel booking | Sell & Buy Hotel Reservation | Cancelon.com
https://www.roomertravel.com/

 

[Stanley Edwards]

I assume it is non-transferable also.

Personally, I would simply email back letting them know. Someone else may get a lucky last minute booking. What goes around comes around.

 

[bimble]

I'd tell them and ask (probably in vain) that in return for your kindess they do you a discount when its not snowing & you can get there.

 

[Spymaster]

I'd let them know. A quick email doesn't hurt and you might free up a cheap room for someone else. Also, if you do ever go back there you won't be on their system as a no-show.

 

[Yossarian]

If they can't at least offer you some partial credit toward a future stay or something, maybe you should tell them you'll be turning up after all - the easier it is for them to double-sell rooms, the less flexible they'll be with future customers.

 

[editor]

What harm does it do you to let them know?

Because I'm pissed off that it's 100% non refundable.
But I'll tell them it's free anyway so they can rake more money in.

 

[editor]

I'd let them know. A quick email doesn't hurt and you might free up a cheap room for someone else. Also, if you do ever go back there you won't be on their system as a no-show.

A paying customer no-show, saving them cleaning and laundry expenses.

 

[Spymaster]

Because I'm pissed off that it's 100% non refundable.

Ah come on! You got a cheaper rate when you booked because it was non-refundable. You could have paid more and had better refund options. That was your choice.

 

[editor]

Ah come on! You got a cheaper rate when you booked because it was non-refundable. You could have paid more and had better refund options. That was your choice.

Yep. And it's my choice whether they should get to make double the money off my paid room.

Oh, and I've had plenty of much cheaper rooms that have been refundable.

 

[editor]

They might be willing to give you some credit toward a future stay if you cancel in time. There are also websites where you can apparently buy and sell non-refundable rooms, never tried them so I'm not sure how it works.

Hotel booking | Sell & Buy Hotel Reservation | Cancelon.com
https://www.roomertravel.com/

Wish I'd seen that yesterday!

 

[Spymaster]

Yep. And it's my choice whether they should get to make double the money off my paid room.

So why post the thread?

At the end of the day it’s down to the kind of person you are and how you want to deal with people. You seem to have made your mind up anyway.

<shrug>

 

[J Ed]

So why post the thread?

At the end of the day it’s down to the kind of person you are and how you want to deal with people. You seem to have made your mind up anyway.

<shrug>

It's not really people though, is it?

 

[editor]

So why post the thread?

At the end of the day it’s down to the kind of person you are and how you want to deal with people. You seem to have made your mind up anyway.

<shrug>

Because I was interested in people's opinion on the matter, and I think it is an interesting conundrum when you've paid a company for service you can't use but they want to resell it without giving you credit.

But I see you're trying to change the tone with this 'kind of person you are" bullshit.

 

[editor]

It's not really people though, is it?

Indeed. I'm dealing with a company who run quite a big hotel, not an individual who will suffer any personal loss (or in this case, will gain from my misfortune).

 

[chilango]

Is it a hotel/chain you're likely to use again?

 

[J Ed]

I had a similar experience with RyanAir fairly recently BTW, the thought of notifying them that I would not be flying did not even enter my head.

 

[editor]

Is it a hotel/chain you're likely to use again?

Let's see how they respond to me telling them that I'm now not using the room I've paid for....

 

[Saul Goodman]

On the basis that there may be someone desperately in need of a hotel room, who would otherwise be turned away, I'd let them know I wouldn't be checking in.

 

[Spymaster]

It's not really people though, is it?

Of course it is. Totally. Some people will go out of their way to ‘get some payback’ or ‘make sure the business doesn’t profit’. It’s very much a mindset that I’ve come across frequently. Others will accept that they were happy with getting the lower rate right up until things went wonky, it’s nobody’s fault, drop them a line and maybe give someone else the room. Just a different mindset.

 

[bimble]

Urban 75 Informal Anarchist Actions

 

[J Ed]

Of course it is. Totally. Some people will go out of their way to ‘get some payback’ or ‘make sure the business doesn’t profit’. It’s very much a mindset that I’ve come across frequently. Others will accept that they were happy with getting the lower rate right up until things went wonky, it’s nobody’s fault, drop them a line and maybe give someone else the room. Just a different mindset.

Yeah it's a mindset called 'not licking the boots of the already extraordinarily wealthy'.

 

[editor]

On the basis that there may be someone desperately in need of a hotel room, who would otherwise be turned away, I'd let them know I wouldn't be checking in.

I didn't realise that there was a surge in people "desperately in need of a hotel room" in Amsterdam recently.

 

[Spymaster]

Yeah it's a mindset called 'not licking the boots of the already extraordinarily wealthy'.

Ahhhh

 

[Saul Goodman]

I didn't realise that there was a surge in people "desperately in need of a hotel room" in Amsterdam recently.

I haven't looked up any figures. It was simply a suggestion.
Anyway, that's what I'd do. It's your choice what you do, and I'm sure you don't really need advice from anyone else.

 

[editor]

Of course it is. Totally. Some people will go out of their way to ‘get some payback’ or ‘make sure the business doesn’t profit’. It’s very much a mindset that I’ve come across frequently. Others will accept that they were happy with getting the lower rate right up until things went wonky, it’s nobody’s fault, drop them a line and maybe give someone else the room. Just a different mindset.

An even better mindset would be to give some money back to the person they're profiteering from. You know, share their good fortune rather than solely profiting from someone else's misfortune.

Now that's a mindset I haven't come across frequently enough these days.

 

[Idaho]

I've been in the same situation and tried and failed to negotiate a deal of some sort. They refused to give me anything... And then asked if I planned to use the room. I told them that I had no incentive to tell them either way.

 

[J Ed]

IMO if you tell the hotel you are scabbing

 

[Spymaster]

An even better mindset would be to give some money back to the person they're profiteering from. You know, share their good fortune rather than solely profiting from someone else's misfortune.

Now that's a mindset I haven't come across frequently enough these days.

Pretty much every hotel on the planet will give you different rates for the same room. The cheaper rate has fewer options because it gives them certainty that they’ll be paid. You can elect for them to share your risk that you won’t arrive in return for paying a bit more at the time of booking. I let them know if it’s convenient. You normally just get a thank you or occasionally discount vouchers.