Travel nightmares: what to do if your hotel reservation is lost?

After a long drive from Buffalo to Gananoque, Ontario, Adam Cole’s hotel gave him bad news: his reservation was “gone”.

“I got confirmation from my travel agent,” says Cole, principal of an Atlanta music school, “but there was no room.”

The Coles needed a place to stay, and the independent motel was full and suggested he try his luck elsewhere. “I had a toddler and a 12-year-old in the car, and we had just been in the car all day, including a long delay at the Canadian border,” he recalls.

What went wrong? Cole suspects the hotel has sold more rooms than it had. A property typically oversells its room by 2-10%, depending on the time of year, anticipating that guests will cancel their reservations. But when everyone shows up, the hotel cannot accommodate all the travelers who have booked rooms. A smaller percentage of bookings are lost by the hotel or an intermediary such as a travel agency or website.

Missing booking is a common travel problem with a little-known solution. While overbooking is perfectly legal, the hospitality industry also has industry-standard policies in place to prevent guests like Cole from being kicked out on the streets. If you know the rules, plus a few insider strategies, you’ll never be without a room.

What to do if your hotel reservation is “lost”

A hotel should never send you packing when your reservation is lost, especially if you have a record of the reservation. And if he tries, you should stand your ground and ask the hotel to fix the problem. That’s what Cole did when his motel tried to fire him.

“After a while, they offered to send me to another hotel,” he says. “It wasn’t the prettiest place, but it worked.”

Unknowingly, he had discovered an industry-wide policy called “walking.” If a hotel refuses you even though you have a reservation, it is customary to send you to a comparable establishment. Plus, it can pay for your first night of stay, cover transportation to the new hotel, and any phone calls you need to make to tell friends or colleagues.

Just ask this question – “Can you accompany me to another hotel?” – is usually sufficient to set the wheels in motion. No need to cause a scene. No need to negotiate.

What if the reservation was never made?

But what if the hotel has never heard of you or your travel agent? What if the reservation had never existed? It’s a little trickier, and it’s a problem I’ve encountered many times as a consumer advocate.

“Often the computer systems don’t match, so the site confirmation number used to book your stay doesn’t always match the reservation number issued by the hotel, which creates even more confusion,” says Michael Sheridan. , Assistant Professor of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Temple University.

But there are other ways to lose a reservation. Smaller hotels with less reliable IT systems can lose reservations, especially those made through a third party such as an agent or online travel agency. The technology is far from perfect.

“Booking directly with the hotel, airline or car rental company avoids any issues that may arise with a third party or middleman,” adds Sheridan.

Whether you book through a third party or not, it is advisable to keep a copy of your booking on your smartphone or on paper. If your reservation disappears, you have proof that you made at least one reservation.

How to handle a lost reservation

If you ever find yourself in the same situation as Cole, stay calm. It doesn’t matter who lost the reservation. Assigning blame won’t get you a room for the night. If anything, that might guarantee you don’t have a room. Or, in the worst case, have a hotel representative call the police to escort you off the property.

“Stay polite,” advises Billie Jean Bateson, a Houston fashion consultant and frequent hotel guest. “Try to convince the employee to give you a room. If the employee seems helpless, be polite and ask for a reservations manager or general manager. Calmly explain the situation and your desire to stay in place.”

Also, call your travel agent. Even an online travel agent should offer a 24-hour phone number where a representative can either find a room at that hotel or a comparable one. If you have the documentation you need and neither your agent nor the hotel will help you, politely ask to be “accompanied” to another hotel. The hotel staff will know what to do next, and if they don’t, you’re probably not at a hotel.

Tips to avoid a missing reservation

• Call to confirm before your visit. Yes, even if you booked directly with the hotel. Check and confirm your reservation number. If possible, get the name of the employee you are speaking with and write it down. That way, if something goes wrong, you can say, “I spoke with so-and-so from your reservations department. She confirmed it.

• Double check your dates. Even seasoned travelers get the wrong hotel dates. The confusion is that you are staying at least one night, so your check-in is one day and check-out is the next day. I’ve seen professional travel agents confuse these two times, leaving me standing at reception without a reservation.

• Make a printout of your reservation. A paper printout remains the most reliable proof of your reservation. Also, you don’t want a stranger wandering around on your smartphone while you’re standing on the other side of the counter.

Christopher Elliott is a consumer advocate. Contact him at [email protected] or visit elliott.org.