Booking Logic Fail

[PoliteBoy]

It was a good shift till it lasted.

So I'm handling check-ins for Saturday night and we're a full house tonight. Nothing new. A guest has booked a spa room for one night because that was the last room we had with just a queen size bed. Then the guest comes in and things go to shit.

They booked through the phone so there may have been some miscommunication when it was made, because the standard rate is $165 and they must have misheard $150. I try to tell them that, but they refute it, so I decide to play along.

Then this:

Me: Fine, I'll charge $150 for the room tonight.
SC: One sec.
Me: Yes?
SC: Can you lower the price a bit more? We're not gonna use the spa tonight.
Me: ...

Yeah.

I assumed they were gonna use the bathroom sink at least, but asking me to lower the price beyond the discounted amount was ludicrous. The guy was asking for $135 or something, but I kept playing hardball and asking for at least $145.

The guy kept going on about how they should get a lower rate if they weren't using the spa, so I had to ring up my manager to try and convince him.

I don't know what they said, because I had two or three guest backing up coz of this guy's crap and answered their questions

Eventually, we settled on $160.

As wasteful as it it is, people need to learn to suck it up and just take what they can get on a busy Saturday night. A room with a different facility will always be more expensive than the others, and you can't remove that from the equation when pricing a room. It's like making the Presidential suite at the Continental $50 a night when it costs a year's salary.

Ugh, we need to make these rates non-negotiable.

[eltf177]

"You don't want to pay that rate? Then step aside, I've got others who will!"

[Mr Hero]

On sold out nights I don't ever negotiate because I know there's someone else willing to pay regular rate for the rooms.

[eltf177]

Reminds me of a story which I believe I might have read here.

Local area has some sort of event and rooms have sold out fast. Hotel has one room left. SC comes in but balks at price. SC is told take it or leave it as clerk knows its probably the last available room for miles around. SC leaves, giving desk clerk a ration of sh*t as they go. Another customer comes in minutes later, is relieved to find an available room and takes it.

Some time later SC returns and reluctantly agrees to pay the price for the room. The clerk is pleased to announce room has been sold and they are now full. SC is screaming there's nothing else around and it's now late at night. SC is told that's not hotel's problem and to please leave!

Karma at its best!

[Mr Hero]

I've had that happen to me as well. It was the first story I ever posted on this site.

[smileyeagle1021]

On sold out nights I don't ever negotiate because I know there's someone else willing to pay regular rate for the rooms.

For that matter, there are people willing to pay more than the regular rate just to get a room.

[eltf177]

For that matter, there are people willing to pay more than the regular rate just to get a room.

Like that episode of FAMILY TIES where Alex rents out rooms in the house during the local college homecoming game to pay for the damages done to the family car by his sister. They had people bidding on it!

[WishfulSpirit]

Seems like Family Ties anticipated AirBnB. Which despite all the hand-wringing going on in my corner of the world is not going to kill traditional hospitality.

[wolfie]

Like that episode of FAMILY TIES where Alex rents out rooms in the house during the local college homecoming game to pay for the damages done to the family car by his sister.

Yep, hitting a pine tree will do a lot of expensive damage to a DeLorean.

[Pixelated]

"We're not gonna use the spa tonight."

Sure. Right. I believe you. Of course, I also believe in unicorns.

[smileyeagle1021]

Seems like Family Ties anticipated AirBnB. Which despite all the hand-wringing going on in my corner of the world is not going to kill traditional hospitality.

Yeah, I am a huge fan of Uber/Lyft, will never use a traditional taxi if I can avoid it, yet I would never stay at an AirBnB. Getting in a stranger's car is essentially what I would be doing if I were getting in a taxi(yeah, I guess one is an employee of a company and the other is a contractor for a company, but either way, being driven by someone I don't know), so it really isn't that different, but I wouldn't want to stay in a stranger's home. A hotel is a completely different setting than someone's spare bedroom.
That and locally, Uber charges $0.11 per 1/10 mile while taxis charge $0.33 per 1/8 mile, the last time I looked into hotel versus AirBnB, it was in Ogden UT and hotels were running between $40 and $60 and the AirBnBs were running at... $40 to $60.

[WishfulSpirit]

I love Uber. Taxis in Denver take an hour to show up, but if I miss my bus or something happens with transit, I can get a ride in 5 minutes. Never had a problem with any of the drivers except for one or two who decided to take a bath in cologne or didn't understand that"chasing bitches" rap isn't the best choice for music when there's a woman in the car. Nobody was outright rude or mean though. I even had one driver take me home when I was having very painful stomach cramps who was also a CNA and helped me stay calm until I got to my door and could get to the bathroom.

[roxtar]

"we're not gonna use the spa"... does that mean I can let other guests into the room to use it? no? then it's unavailable because of you. ergo, you're using it.

[KatherineB]

Yeah, I am a huge fan of Uber/Lyft, will never use a traditional taxi if I can avoid it, yet I would never stay at an AirBnB. Getting in a stranger's car is essentially what I would be doing if I were getting in a taxi(yeah, I guess one is an employee of a company and the other is a contractor for a company, but either way, being driven by someone I don't know), so it really isn't that different, but I wouldn't want to stay in a stranger's home. A hotel is a completely different setting than someone's spare bedroom.

I used AirBnB for the first time the other week and actually really liked it because the place where we were staying had clearly been bought for that exact purpose. So there was basic but good furniture - large TV, comfy bed, good couch that folded into a bed, small kitchen, good bathroom - but nothing that belonged to the person. They weren't there (there is a category that will tell you if you have the place to yourself). It was just like staying in a hotel, but for a lot less than you would pay for the same space. I'm not converted yet, having had the same feelings, but I like it a lot more than I thought I would.

[nutraxfornerves]

You have to be a little careful about those "all to myself" AirBnB rentals. Some localities are making them illegal or seriously restricting them. For instance, in New York City, short term rentals of less than 30 days are illegal, unless the permanent resident is present in the dwelling during the rental.

More cities are making it harder and AirBnB has been kicking off hosts who don't meet city requirements.