Sorry you had such an experience; you must have been exhausted, and it must have been very frustrating. I also believe if you'd called ahead, you might not have been walked.
(My flight into SFO was delayed on April 23, so I called the property I'd booked near SFO to alert them. My room had been preserved, though conventions in San Francisco meant that property, as well as many others, were fully booked.)
In any case, knowing the chain's rules would have you explain proper procedure to the clerk - they were obligated to find and pay for the first night's stay at another comparable property, including pay transportation costs to the property they booked you in. You were badly short-changed by the Holiday Inn desk staff you dealt with.
See this post in the IHG Forum:
Originally Posted by
hailstorm
I happened to do a Google search for ihg intercontinental overbooked, and in the middle of results was a PDF file from "ihgrevenueroom.com" It appears to be some kind of internal IHG training site, and the document is called "Driving a Winning Sell Out Efficiency" I won't post a link to it, but it should be easy enough to find for yourself if you wish.
The majority of the document is about maximizing occupancy, but towards the end it starts talking about what should be done in the event of overbooking, something they would never actually come out and say in a public forum.
So, from their document here's how the hotel is supposed to operate in such a situation:
I am overbooked!
What shall I do now?
? Remain calm
? Regularly check local hotel availability (just because the hotel
down the road was full at 7pm, does not mean they will be at
9pm)
? Make sure you have copies of direction to alternative hotels
to give to guests being re-accommodated
? Only re-accommodate to hotels of a similar standard or
higher
? If you have seriously exceeded your capacity consider reaccommodating guests BEFORE they arrive at your property.
Guests much prefer to have advance warning in these
situations
I am overbooked!
Remember our brand standards
DISHONOURED RESERVATIONS
In the event an overbooking occurs due to an unforeseen stay over or any other circumstance, and a room is not available to a guest
holding a reservation (prior to 16.00h), or a guaranteed reservation, the hotel must do the following:
The Guest Service Manager or MOD must meet with the guest and:
? Explain the circumstance and reason for the situation (i.e. guest staying over).
? Apologise to the guest and explain what will be done.
? The hotel must arrange and pay for the first night’s accommodations at another InterContinental Hotels Group hotel if available, or at
another comparable and convenient lodging facility.
? The hotel also must reimburse the guest for any reasonable expenses incurred by reason of the change, including transportationand
the cost of telephone calls to notify family.
? For 16.00h reservations, the hotel must reimburse the guest for the difference, if any, in the first night's lodging rate, plus tax ifthe
guest arrives by 16.00h.
? For Guaranteed All Night Reservations, the hotel must pay the full cost of the first night's lodging rate, plus tax, at another
InterContinental Hotels Group hotel or at another convenient and comparable hotel.
? If the guest has paid an advance deposit, this must be refunded to the guest in addition to the payments described above.
? If the guest is still not satisfied, the hotel is responsible for taking additional necessary measures to satisfy the guest, including but not
limited to a free return stay at their hotel, etc.
? If a hotel does not deliver the guaranteed reserved and confirmed smoking/non smoking preference, the hotel must provide the guest
with their first night’s stay free (room only).
The General Manager/MOD is required to personally contact the guest that night or the following morning by phone. They must:
? Apologise for the situation, and inquire into the guest’s satisfaction with the alternative accommodations.
For groups, a "walked room" (when a guest must be re-accommodated in another hotel) must count toward their contracted
complimentary room policy (e.g., "one complimentary room for every 50 rooms occupied", etc.).
Guest complaints are investigated and if the hotel is found to have not complied with these standards it will result in loss of CQI Guest
Relations points.
I will need to re-accommodate guests
Who can’t I re-accommodate?
? Priority Club Members (who should all be pre-checked in)
? Key corporate accounts
? Lone female guests
? Disabled Guests
? Previous book-outs
? Group members where other guests may leave
? Guests staying more than one night
Exceeding capacity is never our intention
Make sure to follow up
? Make a note of the guest name, telephone number, where
they stayed
? Call the onward hotel and speak to the guest. Check
everything is suitable in the new hotel
? Pass this information through to your General Manager who
must call the guest to apologise again and to check guest
satisfaction with the way the situation was handled
? Confirm apology in writing
? Make a note for the guest’s return visit to upgrade or similar
gesture from the manager