We booked a room at a non-chain hotel as part of a block for my brother-in-law’s wedding. When we arrived, I turned on the AC because the afternoon sun was shining directly in our room. To my dismay, the room did not seem to be getting cooler. I went to the wall unit and felt hot air. The room temperature was up to 74 and seemed to be climbing more (outdoor temps were around 70 but it would be much warmer in direct sunlight). I went downstairs to inquire and had a front desk clerk come up. The maintenance technician had left for the day and did not answer his phone. Meanwhile, the poor clerk was unplugging and replugging the wall unit to no avail. I was told there were no other rooms available due to other weddings and nobody tried to switch out with a guest who had yet to check in. There was no way one (or both) of us could sleep comfortably in that warm of a room and with no air circulation (the fan could not run independently).

I found a room at the other blocked hotel (the last one available) but could not get the block rate, so the cost to us is about double what we would have paid. The hotel apologized and released us at no charge but that was it. The bride to be was furious when she heard what happened.

I know that compensation is normally owed when a reserved room isn’t available but how about if no functioning rooms are available? I was going to e-mail the hotel management next week to see if we could be compensated for the extra expense, but maybe that’s too much to ask. I’ve never had to walk myself from a hotel.

This s up to the discretion of the hotel management. I'd contact them; be pleasant and outline expectations. Depending on many factors, you might get lucky. Or a rock. YMMV. Either way, you can let us know the end result if you want. Thanks!

I'm surprised the hotel couldn't offer you a fan or something similar that might have made things a little cooler.