Originally Posted by
rflor
I guess it's possible, but that would mean a 4-night minimum stay. I've heard of 3 night minimums, but never 4.
I'm a former Revenue Manager. A 4-night minimum stay over would not be extraordinary when the New Year's Eve falls on a Sunday night. Most people would have a 3-day weekend in that scenario. Holding the room for someone who wants to stay an extra night isn't crazy. That's especially true at a high-demand leisure destination (Disney) where there are millions of people within driving distance that have kids off from school.
Holding the room is essentially what a minimum stay requirement does. Here, the hotel is betting that between today and the arrival date, at least one person is going to want to stay 4 or more nights. It's a pretty smart bet in this case.
I think it's worth noting that the only way you were able to make your reservation initially was due to the fact that the hotel had put a minimum-stay requirement on New Year's Eve. If they hadn't done that, I guarantee the hotel would have sold out that night with 1 or 2 nighters. So, you did initially benefit from the use of minimum-stay requirements.
Originally Posted by
rflor
The agent didn't mention a minimum, only that there was no availability for 12/29-1/1.
Typically, reservations sales agents do not know if a rate or stay control is in place. They simply enter the dates and the software provides available rates and rooms, if any.
The process is opaque for two reasons. First, not everyone understands minimum-stay requirements. Explaining the concept to someone who has never thought about how hotels operate can be time consuming. That's not really a task that reservation sales agents need to do because it doesn't change the outcome of the call. (The chances that someone will suddenly decide to stay an extra night just to meet a minimum-stay requirement is slim.) It's easier to say there's no availability for the dates requested.
The second reasons minimum-stay requirements are not disclosed is strategic. You don't want to provide your revenue management strategy to your competitors. If your reservation sales agents tell everyone your rate and/or stay restrictions, that's what your doing. You don't want your chief competitor knowing you have a 4-night minimum stay if they only have a 3-night one.