So Let Me Get This Straight

[TruthHurts]

SC-duh
M -manager

SC: You charged me 400$
M: Yes you're room is 2 hundred something per night plus tax
SC: When my wife made the reservation, she was quoted 120
M: No we don't sell our rooms for that low here
SC: Well I don't think we're going come back here

So let me get this straight, your wife calls our hotel where the bare minimum price right now is 140 for a single. You wanted a suite which is more expensive than a single. She for some reason remembers it as 120. Somehow after she makes the reservation and gets her total she doesn't notice that the difference between what her fantasy rate and the real rates are. Because you're wife obviously didn't listen or pay attention we need to discount your room. And if this doesn't happen we risk losing your business. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Talk about a selective memory.

Don't like the rates? Go sleep in your car then.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Why Yes, how else should it work?

[bigjimaz]

Last year, I made and paid for reservations at a hotel near my son's home in Tucson. Even though I had my printed receipt in hand when I got there, the manager on duty said I would have to pay an extra 20.00 per night citing the hotel changed hands from company to private ownership (franchise) and the rates had gone up. I showed him on the receipt that the price was unconditionally guaranteed for the dates I was staying. He still refused. I had to end up calling the chain's 800 number. They said they would take care of it and they did. Not 5 minutes later, the manager came outside and told me the room was ready for me. He asked me for my credit card to verify the reservation on his system and when i was handed the receipt to sign, I noticed that I got the room for 20.00 LESS than what it cost on the website. The manager told me the difference would be refunded to my card. It took a month, but I did get the money back too.

I understand new ownership, but when the hotel chain says unconditional guarantee, it means exactly that.

I know it's the flip side of the coin form OP's post, but I remembered this because of the OP.

[Rapscallion]

Under UK law, at least, buying a business means you have to buy and honour the contracts made. Does that not happen in the US?

Rapscallion

[reformedwaitress]

Quoth Rapscallion

Under UK law, at least, buying a business means you have to buy and honour the contracts made. Does that not happen in the US?

Oh, it does, but a lot of people would not know that and would go "Oh, okay", so my guess is this was a sucky manager trying to override the system. Vigilant people don't let that work.

[Gurndigarn]

Quoth Rapscallion

Under UK law, at least, buying a business means you have to buy and honour the contracts made. Does that not happen in the US?

Rapscallion

Depends on whether you buy the business or just the assets of a business.

If those assets include physical retail/similar business, then it can get messy. I've seen one circumstance where hotel chain A sold the business to another company, and just before closing, they handed away free stay coupons like they were going out of style.

The company that bought them refused to honor them... pointed out the original chain's logo on them, said "we're not them." I understand why not... the original chain blew through them, and so they had about a months worth of customers expecting fully comped rooms... but it wasn't a popular move.

[Phone Jockey]

I guarantee she called more than 1 hotel & was quoted $120 for a different one. What an asshat.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Quoth Gurndigarn

The company that bought them refused to honor them... pointed out the original chain's logo on them, said "we're not them." I understand why not... the original chain blew through them, and so they had about a months worth of customers expecting fully comped rooms... but it wasn't a popular move.

That sounds like they reopened under a different name and the original company is out of business (?)

If it's a franchisee using the company's name I would imagine they would have to abide by any 'contracts' with customers made before the changeover. Going forward they can choose to participate in national promotions or not but if a customer already has a promise from the parent company they should have to honor it.

[Starlord]

It does indeed, Rap, the only way to escape it is to change the name of the business as szoon as you get it. If you keep the business name, you accept all liabilities and contracts in force at the time.