Thanks for the comments. Please note that my wife's reservation was NOT guaranteed. It was already paid for, lock, stock and barrel. There is a difference. Had she wished to cancel three weeks prior to her stay, the hotel would have just laughed in her face and said "sorry." It was an advance purchase.

Second, the filing fee in Alabama for a small claims action up to $1,499 is something like $68. So the filing fee is not excessive and assuming we prevail defendant has to pay court costs.

Third, as to damages my wife's employer certainly wasn't hurt. They made out like a bandit. They got one night of a sub-$100 hotel for free and the second night for $100. My wife, of course, was forced to do hundreds of dollars worth of additional work and yes, she is entitled to compensation even if contractor is deemd to be her employer as she is the recognized by law as the third-party beneficiary of that contract.

Fourth, I suppose my wife could have just paid the $240 for her room and let the Sheraton keep the money and then pay $70 or less for a room a room at the Doubletree and "get the points," but that isn't a reasonable suggestion.

Fifth and finally, hotels are not airlines. They know they have a certain number of rooms which are prepaid and they have a duty to hold these rooms inviolate or else to pay compensation when they breach these contracts. Hotels give no refunds and don't apply a percentage of a cancelled reservation to a future reservation. There is no risk for them in honoring a prepaid reservation. It's paid for and there are no refunds!

With all of that said, I think I will send one short email explaining that my wife hasn't been compensated for her walk. If not happy, then I'll send my letter.

My wife has traveled for the past 12 months with a cloud of bad luck over her head, mostly with airlines but also with hotels. I know she has gotten far more than her share of abuse. Had I been there with her I would have been very, very polite, but I also would have had a look like I might just explode. They might have walked me, but they would have made me happy on the spot or had Mt. Vesuvius in the lobby.

The bottom line on this is that if the hotels aren't forced to pay a price for doing this, they won't stop. But thanks, all.