Sure sounds like a you problem. There have lots of reports of similar things happening. I believe the booking clearly states that you will be charged in cash if you are a no show.

I had a similar problem with another hotel chain in December. My kid wasn’t ready when our airport transportation came, and after 10 minutes, they left. I immediately called the airline looking for a later flight that day. No luck. We could go the next day. Called the hotel in HI, explained the circumstances. They agreed to change the non-refundable reservation to 3 nights instead of 4. I was, of course willing to just pay for it. I didn’t wait until the stay had passed, and called early enough so they could still rent the room out.