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**sstabeler** · 08-04-2013, 01:07 PM

to be fair, the flight attendants didn't actually have to worry about paying for the more expensive room. If my company screwed up, and as a result I got to stay in a 5-star resort for free, I think I'd be pretty tolerant of the original screw-up as well. I imagine they'd be rather more cross if they had to pay the difference...

**raudf** · 08-04-2013, 01:18 PM

You can have the no vacancy sign flashing all you want, but like the words, "50% off all clothes," the customer will only read the "vacancy," part. Selective denial is the new super power, doncha know? "If I don't see it/read it, then what I want MUST BE!"

**Raveni** · 08-04-2013, 02:19 PM

At least the guy who couldn't read was honest about it and in good spirits.

**Skittles88** · 08-04-2013, 07:19 PM

Quoth Raveni View Post

At least the guy who couldn't read was honest about it and in good spirits.

Oh he could read; he was fishing for a room that didn't exist by flaunting his rewards status. But yes he wasn't rude about it which was a surprise.

**JustaCashier** · 08-04-2013, 08:50 PM

Did anyone ask if you had any more rooms stashed in the backroom?

Argabarga, snugglegirl, and others that are, or ever have been in the parking business will be able to relate to what I had to deal with from 1983-98, that is similar......the GARAGE FULL sign.

Mike

**Skittles88** · 08-04-2013, 09:04 PM

Quoth JustaCashier View Post

Did anyone ask if you had any more rooms stashed in the backroom?

Argabarga, snugglegirl, and others that are, or ever have been in the parking business will be able to relate to what I had to deal with from 1983-98, that is similar......the GARAGE FULL sign.

Mike

I had a few people tell me they knew I had a room, because "most hotels hide rooms" when close to full. And while they were right (we make false reservations with my GM's name on 2 rooms in case something goes wrong and we need them), I can not release those rooms until 9 pm if not needed. So of course I lie to these people, as i am supposed to.
Some people can just not wrap their head around the word "no." Last night, not only did the entire town fill, but every other city within a 3 hour drive did as well. I had a few late night walkins who were desperate for a place to stay, and when i explained how full everything is, they just couldn't believe me. This of course resulted in begging and trying to pressure me into calling everyone. Or just dumbfounded looks like I was BSing them.
It was so busy that I actually couldn't technically release the "dummy" reservations, as that would be dangerous. I'm quite sure there were people refreshing on our website waiting for a room to pop up, so instead I had to wait for a walk in and then just change over the name. Otherwise we would have overbooked, with absolutely nowhere to walk the guest.
It was hell on wheels this weekend lol

**Racket_Man** · 08-05-2013, 04:53 AM

Kind iof the same thing happens at my pizza place. We CLOSE at a certain time. Yes we will (now) sometimes answer the phone after close.

We get the people who even AFTER we have stated we are closed and it is at least 5 minutes after the scheduled closing time:
1. just start rambling off an order
2. TELL us we will take their order
3. attempt to bride us to prepare their order
4. attempt to tell us we are NOT closed because 2 of the 5 stores in the area stay open later than we do (the 2 stores close at 3am on weekends we close at 2am).
5. threaten us by saying they will be "tattling" on us to the area manager for shutting down "early" BONUS they "know" the area manager personally (some have even correctly named dropped the AM not that it matters).
6. "stand there" in utter disbelief that we ACTUALLY closed for the night.
7. Attempt the Jedi mind trick on whomever answers the phone: "You WILL take my order and you WILL deliver it". My mental responce is "You ARE a moron. Now go play on the highway".

**wolfie** · 08-06-2013, 01:07 AM

Quoth Skittles88 View Post

It was so busy that I actually couldn't technically release the "dummy" reservations, as that would be dangerous. I'm quite sure there were people refreshing on our website waiting for a room to pop up, so instead I had to wait for a walk in and then just change over the name. Otherwise we would have overbooked, with absolutely nowhere to walk the guest.

Sounds like the programmer for the online reservations system was incompetent. For a real-time multi-user system selling finite inventory, a FUNDAMENTAL function is the ability to lock the database so only one user's "thread" can make changes at any one time. With a properly-designed system, you could have a hundred people refreshing the site waiting for a room, and here's what would happen:

- You release the "dummy" reservations (assuming they're the same class of room as each other).
- 100 users see 2 rooms pop up.
- 100 users hit the "book now" button.
- 100 "threads" try to book one of the 2 available rooms. All of them get to the "lock database" stage.
- 1 thread (either a picosecond ahead of the others, or picked randomly) gets the lock, 99 threads get the message "you'll have to wait, someone else is changing the database" (not seen by the customer, used internally).
- First lucky user gets their booking. Database is unlocked.
- 1 thread from among those waiting gets the lock, 98 get the message "you'll have to wait, someone else is changing the database".
- Second lucky user gets their booking. Database is unlocked.
- Each of the other 98 threads, in turn, gets the lock, finds there is no inventory of the room type requested, releases the lock, and reports to the user "Sorry, someone else already booked the room between when you got the screen showing it was available and when you chose to book it".

**Jester** · 08-06-2013, 02:56 AM

Quoth Racket_Man View Post

My mental responce is "You ARE a moron. Now go play on the highway".

Now now, that's not nice. Think of all the innocent drivers on the highway who would be traumatized by hitting someone, not to mention the damage to their cars!

No, you should send them to the bear- or wolf-infested woods, since bears and wolves enjoy a diet of stupid, slow, clueless morons. No traumatized drivers, no morons, full and happy bears and/or wolves, who now won't prey on anyone else.

Everybody wins! Just this once, Rose, everybody wins!

Quoth wolfie View Post

Sounds like the programmer for the online reservations system was incompetent.

Not so fast, my friend.

What you're saying would be the case if they wanted to allow people to book the released rooms online. But it seems clear to me by the OP's comments that they DON'T want that, but prefer to use the locked dummy rooms for late walk-ins. In which case, the system was designed just the way it should've been.

**wolfie** · 08-06-2013, 03:31 AM

Quoth Jester View Post

What you're saying would be the case if they wanted to allow people to book the released rooms online. But it seems clear to me by the OP's comments that they DON'T want that, but prefer to use the locked dummy rooms for late walk-ins. In which case, the system was designed just the way it should've been.

The way I saw it (especially that it would be dangerous to release the rooms, and that they would have overbooked if they'd done it that way instead of changing the name) implied that when the online system was stressed by high demand, it might accept 2 reservations for the same room due to simultaneous database access.

Let's wait until Skittles88 re-visits this thread to see which of us had the correct interpretation.

**Skittles88** · 08-06-2013, 08:16 AM

Imagine this: you are a walk in. You are getting the last room, but just after your credit card is swiped the clerk says they hadn't saved the reservation yet and someone online just booked. Now your promised room doesn't exist.
I'd be pretty choked.
I'm pretty sure the system won't accept 2 reservations at the same time for the same room, but you never know when there are multiple systems working at once ie: 3rd party websites and central reservations. One could be faster than the other.

**BroSCFischer** · 08-06-2013, 08:27 AM

It seems that some people forget the we desk clerks are the gatekeepers. If you annoy the gatekeeper, he (or she) won't let you through.

Hence that "lady" who kept harassing you, asking whether or not there were any cancellations, would very likely continue to get denied a room, even if there were some to spare. (At least that would be the case if it were me at that desk)

ETA: For those that are worried that those 2 rooms will drop right in to the inventory online. Many hotels block access to internet bookings when they are getting close to full so that they have more control of their inventory. This would include 3rd Party and Central Reservations. That way the ONLY way to book the room is directly through the Front Desk. (This is how we do it here)

Also, in Skittles88's case, if they are truly afraid that someone will swoop in at the last minute to change one of the GM rooms, all they have to do is leave them in the system, and then change the GM's info to the guest's info, thus the reservation never becomes available in the system (did this at my old hotel).

SC

**Skittles88** · 08-06-2013, 09:23 AM

Quoth BroSCFischer View Post

ETA: For those that are worried that those 2 rooms will drop right in to the inventory online. Many hotels block access to internet bookings when they are getting close to full so that they have more control of their inventory. This would include 3rd Party and Central Reservations. That way the ONLY way to book the room is directly through the Front Desk. (This is how we do it here)

SC

My GM decided he didn't want to tun off online bookings, even after all of us protested. You can't tell that man anything -_-

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