press101

I am in a weird situation where I am supposed to be booking a hotel for a family trip to scatter my mother's ashes. My father wants to stay at a particular hotel but from what I can see online it is totally sold out that week. I have been told there are special managers and experts at the hotel who sometimes have rooms put aside, but I'm not sure who to ask for--has anyone done this?

Andrew

Try calling the hotel's front desk! They can tell you better than anyone what's going on at the hotel and whether it is really sold out. The hotel's website is not always a reliable indicator.

Andrew

fdecarlo

First try calling the hotel and speaking to a manager. Explain your situation. If he/she still claims there's nothing available, try a local travel agent. Often, when a hotel says they're booked, what they really mean is, "We have a few rooms available, but you're not important enough to get one." Travel agents usually have the contacts and/or clout to get a reservation.

poochie

Try Expedia,Travelocity,Hotel Kingdom etc. We have gotten rooms thru them when the hotel tells us "No rooms available".

BeachBoi

press101.....If you are going to call the hotel,I would suggest doing so during "normal" business hours.Ask for "in-house" reservations.Often even the large hotels automatically connect you with Central Reservations..not what you want.Then ask for the Reservations Manager.Explain your situation and see where it goes.Failing that,make an attempt to book your reservation for the day before you actually want to arrive.Then at some point in time before arrival, cancel the day of arrival and keep the rest of the reservation so that you have the days you actually want.Doesn't always work, but worth a shot if all else fails.Best of luck!

Ann41

It is extremely rare for a hotel to be completely sold out. They always hold back a couple of rooms just in case, special patrons, etc. As another poster said, explain your situation, and it's likely you'll get a room.

Keith

Recently a friend arrived at a motel to learn that his booking was wrong. Two rooms for one night, rather than one room for two nights. The desk told him that the following night was fully booked and wouldn't even put him on a waiting list.

He called me because I was staying at the same motel the second night. I kept him on the phone while I went to the chain's website and booked his room for the second night. There was a variety of rooms offered online.

Keith

OO

From experience with my husband's hotel I can say unequivocally, they do not hold back rooms "just in case". That is urban legend, and not just with his chain.

In the case of Hyatt hotels, their reservation system is transparent. Central res can see all inventory, and all rates available in their domestic hotels, so if they are showing "sold out", they are indeed sold out. The local hotel res (which doesn't really exist now, instead there is a revenue manager) will not be able to find rooms. I suspect most of the larger chain have similar systems.

Often in a sold out position it's sold out by quite a few rooms. Generally because of no shows, it all washes out and you actually end up with a couple of rooms unoccupied on a night you expected to be full. That would mean it is possible you get in at the last moment, but it's a big chance and it would be late at night, which I'm sure would not be an acceptable arrangement for your family. Would it be feasible to move your date? Sometimes a switch of just a day or two can move you from a sold out position to one where there are plenty of rooms available.

Leona

Thank you, OO, it is time that this "legend" is put to rest (or death).

No hotel has rooms "set aside". Sold out is sold out. If there were anything available, they would be delighted to sell it to you.

And under no circumstances should you make a reservation & change the arrival date. If you try to do that, either they will refuse sell you through your "real" arrival date, or
they will cancel your entire reservation, especially if you don't show up.

Sold out is sold out.

BeachBoi

Leona...Sorry but I must beg to differ with your advice.....Most of my travel is for business and I frequently, if not always have to "adjust" my schedule.I have NEVER been refused a reservation because I have to change my arrival date.Whether I am trying to pull a "funny" or it is for real.BUT, I do agree wholeheartedly with you that "sold out is sold out".

Anonymous

With hotels that have a 6 PM cancellation deadline, it's sometimes possible to catch a newly-available room in the afternoon. In the OP's case, if calling the hotel directly doesn't work, they could book a nearby (cancellable) hotel and keep trying. When snowstorms or other weather cause travel problems on the east coast, the flurry (sorry) of late-day cancellations and new bookings (by people who are stranded by cancelled flights) can be quite specatcular!

GoTravel

Coming from a background in hotel management, OO is completely correct in that sold out is sold out.

In fact, a hotel being sold out is usually oversold.

Hotels sell out all the time.

Hotels would go out of business if they tried to 'hold back' rooms just in case. Just in case what? They might sell them? That makes no sense.

MFNYC

Where online did you look? If it's a booking site, and not the hotel website, you may have a chance. TRhe booking sites sometimnes only have an allowance for a certain number of rooms, especially if they offere a special price. I have seen hotels with 'no rooms avilable' on expedia, but still had available rooms if you call them. If the hotel website says sold out, then you may be out of luck. In any case, it can't hurt to call.

Good luck.

placeu2

Glad someone said sold out means just that!

press101 (original poster) does not mention where this is but most of the responses are reacting like there is a big hotel or chain involved here. That may not be the case. Perhaps Dad has an affinity for a mom and pop place at this location.

At any rate, calling directly is a good thing or maybe going the next week.

press101

Thanks for everyone's help. I spoke to the hotel's manager who said it is really sold out, but also offered to let me know if anything opens up, which is very nice. For all the experts on the board, one more question: why is it that the hotel's own website often has much cheaper rates than the hotel reservations desk itself? Trying to find a back-up hotel, I called a boutique hotel who gave me a rate of $250 per night, swore there was no better rate. But their website had the same room at $150! And hotels.com had it for $125!

kaudrey

Last weekend I called a Best Western asking for a room. They said they were sold out.

My friend and I drove there, and my (male) friend charmed the lady at the hotel desk into giving us a room.

If they are not holding back rooms, how is this explained?

Just curious.

Karen

fdecarlo

Whether a hotel really is sold out when they claim they're sold out depends entirely on the hotel. We can't count the number of times over the last 20 years where we've tried to make last-minute reservations directly with a hotel (or airline, car rental agency, restaurant etc), were told nothing is available, and one call to our travel agent later, we had our reservations.

MFNYC

I find in many cases the hotel offers lower rates than the booking sites so who knows. It just pays to research. ALso with a chain, the 800 central reservation number may give a different rate than calling the hotel itself. ALso many times when you call, they don't offer specials (like AAA). You have to ask. I've also seen specials on hotel's own websites that can't be booked when calling the hotel. ALso if you are a rewards member, there sometimes are special rates for that. None of it makes any sense to me. You just have to check as many sources as you can before booking. ANd if a better rate comes along, cancel and rebook if necessary. I've done this.

CarlosSandoval

I agree with GOTRAVEL,.. having a hotel background as well when it's sold out is sold out. What you can do though, is to try calling the hotel and speak to the front desk manager or the reservations manager at the hotel....NOT to main reservations, find out what's going on during the time that you want to stay, maybe there is a big convention in the city and therefore all of the hotels will be in the same situation and you might be out of luck, if not, you can also explain your situation.

Or you can keep on trying and trying as the date gets closer, as the inventory might open up and you'll be able to get a room (ask to be put on a waiting list "priority").

There is also a "restriction" of booking ie. for example let's say you are only wanting to stay for a night on a Friday night, and the system will not allow anyone to book a one night stay and therefore they will tell you they are sold out, and the restriction is to stay 2-3 nights, are you willing to do that?

Best of luck!

GoTravel

kaudry, they gave you someone else's room.

Ever arrived at a hotel that you had a guaranteed reservation for and they informed you they were sold out? Someone else got your room.


BIG tip; if you have reservations at a hotel over a busy time period, arrive at the hotel as early in the day of checkin as possible to avoid being walked. The last time I stayed at the Hyatt Savannah over St. Patricks Weekend, the front desk person told me they were oversold by 22 rooms. Sure enough, later that evening they were having to bus people to Hilton Head.