OliverB

Once again I waited too long and can not get a room at the Fairmont Chateau Montebello over the Christmas holidays.

I am looking to stay over one night on December 24th and can not find a single room to book. Does this literally mean that every last accommodation in the hotel is booked, or are rooms sometime alloted for special reservations or events?

Is there any way at this point to secure a room for the night of the 24th?

I was initially worried that I couldn't get a Deluxe Corner Room or Suite... now I'd just like to be able to get a room period!

Is there any way around this or anything that can be done?

I'll do anything to secure a reservation for two with a king bed on the 24th of December... any help or feedback would be greatly appreciated!

I shouldn't be surprised that the entire hotel is sold out for the holidays given that the exact same thing happened to me last year. I'm just really disappointed as I usually don't plan vacations far in advance and I'd really like to spend Xmas night with my girlfriend.

Thanks

OliverB

Does Fairmount keep blocks of rooms off of their rotation for last-minute bookings or reservation changes? What about rooms allocated to travel agencies or other travel brokerage sites that would keep rooms in their inventory? I imagine it would be rare for a hotel to completely sell out, even over the holidays. There is surely some rooms set aside for spares in case of emergencies or guest related issues... and there are always unconfirmed reservations or cancellations. Is there any hope for me at all?

kokinos

You are lucky I'm at home sick and kinda bored!

I just checked Dec 23-27th and there is availability. Book those dates and then call fairmont to adjust your stay to just one night. This should work I think...

ABG

Call them directly or try working with one of the better Fairmont plat line reps or Fairmont TAs out there. Sold out rarely always means sold out

OliverB

Thanks so much!!

Any Fairmont reps or TAs on the board that would be willing to help?

If not, I'll book the longer block and call to adjust my dates.

Thanks again!!!

OliverB

Okay, here's the problem... apparently there is some sort of Christmas package and I'm told that they will not allow any check-ins or check-outs on either the 24th or 25th of December. So I would need to book a min. stay of 3 nights from the 23rd to 27th which I really do NOT want to do. There's really no reason to spend three full nights and four days in Montebello in mid-December without going crazy. I just really wanted to spend Christmas night on the 24th and 25th and head back to Montreal. Is there ANY way around this at all?? Could I book from the 23rd to 27th and then cancel the extra nights even if it's a package deal (meals and lots of unnecessary family stuff)? The agent was not very helpfull with me and only said that it's possible some agencies might have limited inventory but she couldn't tell me which ones and I would still not be able to check-in or out on these two dates. What to do now??

Jasper2009

It´s not uncommon for hotels to impose a minimum stay requirement during Christmas/NYE or force guests to buy a package deal including meals, festivities etc.

Two options I can think of:

1) Contact the sales manager or have your TA contact the sales manager
2) Waitlist for the one night, and your request will be forwarded to the sales team

I´d go with option #1, you may be able to find a compromise (like staying two nights), but I wouldn´t expect too much as some hotels indeed have an occupancy rate close to 100% during the holidays.

OliverB

Thanks, I'll give it a shot with the Sales Manager... I'm not interested in any Christmas packages that are geared towards families. The only meal we're interested in is the Sunday Christmas brunch. We could eat better elsewhere on other nights; which is why I never go for inclusive deals. Perhaps if I were travelling with family and kids, but I'm not typically a fan of hotel dining period. I'd just really like to spend the 24th, do Christmas brunch on the 25th, and then head home. I'd be willing to compromise and spend an extra night if need be, but not more than 2 nights. I'd just go to Quebec City if that were going to be the case.