Travel Deal of the Day (June 4, 2007)

You arrive at your hotel, only to find out that the hotel is overbooked. This can be bad news or good news, depending on the flexibility of your travel plans.

The Deal:
Hotels, just like airlines, overbook to compensate for customers that do not show up to use their reservations. If your hotel is overbooked, the hotel will likely pay for your hotel stay that night at a comparable local hotel as well as transportation to/from that hotel and possibly also meals. This can be an incredible deal for people who are flexible, especially when your original room rate was high. In addition, if you are staying at that original hotel for more than one night and you are only bumped to the replacement hotel for one night, you will likely be upgraded to a nicer room/suite when you return for the remainder of your hotel stay.

However, for people whose plans are not flexible, this can be a nightmare. If you are not interested in a free night and would like your original hotel, the best way to avoid being bumped to another hotel is:

(1) arrive at the hotel early (if you arrive at midnight, the hotel is more like to have given away your room even if the room was guaranteed with a credit card),
(2) join the hotel’s frequent guest club (hotels are less likely to bump frequent guests, and
(3) call ahead on the day of arrival to the hotel’s front desk manager to let them know you will be arriving, especially if you will be arriving late.

The Inside Scoop:
If your plans are flexible and you would be interested in a free hotel night, you may want to inquire at the front desk at check-in whether the hotel is overbooked. If the hotel must bump a customer, it would be much happier about bumping a willing customer.