ncgrrl

This happened to my parents and the situation is resolved, but I'm curious about the why and I know there are a lot of people here with 'insider' info on motels.

My parents are planning a 2-night weekend getaway. It's to a location they've been to before and knew a hotel they liked there. So they tried to place a reservation, but couldn't make the reservation because the hotel has a 4-night minimum stay at that time (BTW I don't know which four nights are the minimum, they just wanted a Friday and Saturday).

To make a long story short, I found a hotel for two nights for them that is within 1/2 mile of the original location at a cheaper price, but doesn't include a breakfast.

So, why would one hotel have a minimum night stay while others in the area don't? I could understand it better if all the hotels in the area had a minimum night stay (commencement weekend in a college town, huge convention in town, etc.) than just one.

As I said the situation is resolved, but I'm curious.

Thanks for any input.

kcapuani

Usually minimum night stay requirements are just the sales strategy of the particular hotel. Perhaps Fri is a very busy night but Sat isn't looking as great reservations-wise so the hotel imposes a 2 night minimum to built business on Sat. Often times hotels will base their rate structure off of competing properties, but not necessarily the minimum night stay requirements.

GoTravel

Because they can. Hotels will not impose minimum night stay requirements unless they are certain they can get them.

Patrick

Kcapuani has it right, but the answer to your question is even more simple than that:

"Because they can".

If the place they booked could stay full with those requirements then they too would do it. Obviously their first choice is more popular and is able to stay full with those requirements. The other place wouldn't be able to stay full with those requirements so therefore they can't or don't impose the same restrictions. That's probably the main reason the second choice was cheaper too.

Patrick

Hey, GoTravel, great minds work alike.

ncgrrl

Silly me, forgetting Business 101. However if the hotel doesn't fill up, the hotel lost 2 nights' revenue. But if they are full, well, good for them. I ended up getting my parents a room at a more business oriented hotel. The money difference was only around $5-6, but that is the base rate for the hotel tax (yikes, the local government must really want a new stadium or something).

Maybe if they said they weren't bringing a pet or children they could have gotten a room?

GoTravel

That is weird. We answered the question verbatim at almost the same time.

ncgirl, when a hotel imposes minimum night requirements it is because there is a bigger chance they'll lose revenue by not doing this.

Example, beach houses have a 7 night Sat-Sat or Sun-Sun rental July 4th week. If the rental agencies had no minmimum stay requirements, probably half would only be rented out for long weekends.