Originally Posted by NYBanker
Certainly two factors are (a) being a repeat guest and (b) the time you arrive (earlier the better - as these often come down to first-come, first-serve situations).
I would have guessed these factors, as well, which is why I was surprised that Le Parker Meridien walked me: I'm a repeat guest and was checking in at 7:30pm (which, while not early, is not terribly late).
Originally Posted by NYBanker
When I asked for the room that I'd been charged for, he told me they gave it away, as last night was a very busy night. There was a long line of checkers-out, and I asked when housekeeping started. Sadly, not till 9am - so earliest a room could be ready was 10am.
No sympathy, no apology, not even an offer to find another hotel. And - the clerk wouldn't refund the charge - insisting I hadn't shown up. (Subsequent calls to the hotel manager did get a prompt refund, and a promise that this will never happen again - a promise I've chosen not to follow up on.)
I find this to be the most frustrating part about being walked: I know that if I hadn't shown up at all, I would have been charged for the room, even though the hotel had already given it to someone else. Your experience at the Barclay I/C is yet another example why they (and the entire chain) are so far from the luxury hotel they believe themselves to be.