<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Lpas:
Hi g_leyser! Thanks so much for all the helpful information. There is a certain hotel I return to approximately 3x a year. On one prior stay I lucked into a room I really liked for a number of reasons (regular price, not exec level or anything) but when I inquire about it on subsequent stays I'm always told it's "already assigned" or simply "unavailable." When do hotels assign rooms for the night? I always thought it happened on a first come/first served basis as people checked in. Is it ever possible to reserve a specific room in advance? </font>
Hi Lpas-
Yes! It is absolutely possible to reserve a specific room ahead of time. Rooms can be "blocked" (hotel lingo) for any number of reasons. For example if you want to be on the same floor as a friend, they will block two rooms on the same floor at time of booking. Just like an airline will preassign two adjacent seats. If you want that specific room you speak of, request it at the time of booking. The hotel probably cannot guarantee it in advance, but they will put in a request. It also wouldn't hurt to call the a day or two before you check in to make sure.
I've seen rooms blocked more than a year in advance, so it is definitely possible. Good luck!