I happened to do a Google search for ihg intercontinental overbooked, and in the middle of results was a PDF file from "ihgrevenueroom.com" It appears to be some kind of internal IHG training site, and the document is called "Driving a Winning Sell Out Efficiency" I won't post a link to it, but it should be easy enough to find for yourself if you wish.

The majority of the document is about maximizing occupancy, but towards the end it starts talking about what should be done in the event of overbooking, something they would never actually come out and say in a public forum.

So, from their document here's how the hotel is supposed to operate in such a situation:

I am overbooked!
What shall I do now?
? Remain calm
? Regularly check local hotel availability (just because the hotel
down the road was full at 7pm, does not mean they will be at
9pm)
? Make sure you have copies of direction to alternative hotels
to give to guests being re-accommodated
? Only re-accommodate to hotels of a similar standard or
higher
? If you have seriously exceeded your capacity consider reaccommodating guests BEFORE they arrive at your property.
Guests much prefer to have advance warning in these
situations

I am overbooked!
Remember our brand standards
DISHONOURED RESERVATIONS
In the event an overbooking occurs due to an unforeseen stay over or any other circumstance, and a room is not available to a guest
holding a reservation (prior to 16.00h), or a guaranteed reservation, the hotel must do the following:
The Guest Service Manager or MOD must meet with the guest and:
? Explain the circumstance and reason for the situation (i.e. guest staying over).
? Apologise to the guest and explain what will be done.
? The hotel must arrange and pay for the first night�s accommodations at another InterContinental Hotels Group hotel if available, or at
another comparable and convenient lodging facility.
? The hotel also must reimburse the guest for any reasonable expenses incurred by reason of the change, including transportationand
the cost of telephone calls to notify family.
? For 16.00h reservations, the hotel must reimburse the guest for the difference, if any, in the first night's lodging rate, plus tax ifthe
guest arrives by 16.00h.
? For Guaranteed All Night Reservations, the hotel must pay the full cost of the first night's lodging rate, plus tax, at another
InterContinental Hotels Group hotel or at another convenient and comparable hotel.
? If the guest has paid an advance deposit, this must be refunded to the guest in addition to the payments described above.
? If the guest is still not satisfied, the hotel is responsible for taking additional necessary measures to satisfy the guest, including but not
limited to a free return stay at their hotel, etc.
? If a hotel does not deliver the guaranteed reserved and confirmed smoking/non smoking preference, the hotel must provide the guest
with their first night�s stay free (room only).
The General Manager/MOD is required to personally contact the guest that night or the following morning by phone. They must:
? Apologise for the situation, and inquire into the guest�s satisfaction with the alternative accommodations.
For groups, a "walked room" (when a guest must be re-accommodated in another hotel) must count toward their contracted
complimentary room policy (e.g., "one complimentary room for every 50 rooms occupied", etc.).
Guest complaints are investigated and if the hotel is found to have not complied with these standards it will result in loss of CQI Guest
Relations points.

I will need to re-accommodate guests
Who can�t I re-accommodate?
? Priority Club Members (who should all be pre-checked in)
? Key corporate accounts
? Lone female guests
? Disabled Guests
? Previous book-outs
? Group members where other guests may leave
? Guests staying more than one night

Exceeding capacity is never our intention
Make sure to follow up
? Make a note of the guest name, telephone number, where
they stayed
? Call the onward hotel and speak to the guest. Check
everything is suitable in the new hotel
? Pass this information through to your General Manager who
must call the guest to apologise again and to check guest
satisfaction with the way the situation was handled
? Confirm apology in writing
? Make a note for the guest�s return visit to upgrade or similar
gesture from the manager

Right, I would just just love to be walked from an IC to another IHG brand eg HIE. Not many cities have 2x IC's .

Lone female guests??? That sounds rather sexist to me.

Safety First

Same as women parking spaces.

HTB.

It does say to reaccomodate to similar quality....

I'm actually pretty surprised that this is not the first time where IHG training manuals are leaked.

In any case, this policy/protocol is pretty well covered.

The manual looks really proper, the only problem is if properties will actually implement it when it happens.

Can you volunteer to be placed at another hotel under the condition they give you like 15,000 points or something. Kind of like an airline bump of sorts

Seems that it depends on your negotiating ability with "etc."

As a Royal Ambassador you'd be last on the list to be bumped. In fact it says they should not bump priority club members of any status as they should be pre-checked in.

Trouble is on an ADR (prepaid, non-cancelable) when arriving very late evening (or early morning if flight arrives midnight and later) that the hotel wrongly assumes in a hopeful way, that you are not coming after all, and did not cancel your room as you have to pay anyway.

Has happened to me but at a CP. Arrived after midnight and hotel had given my room away assuming a no show despite advance payment rate.

deleted

Last year (2013), Holiday Inn at Denver Stapleton, when I took the shuttle from the airport to the hotel, just past midnight, I got the overbooking notification from the lobby agent, and they gave me the the choice of getting a refund for the original booking (priceline), or to be reaccommodated to a Crown Plaza approximately 5 miles away.

As the choice of getting a refund defeats the purpose of winning a bid on priceline, of which I was traveling on, I chose the latter for re-accommodation to a nearby Crown Plaza. So they booked the rez at the Crown Plaza and shuttled me over there. By the time I was on the shuttle, I found out too late, I was being re-located 5 miles further away to my intended reason for my travel.

About an hour of my original check-in, I finally reached the new hotel and checked-in. The hotel was nice, and of comparable quality, however, with the 5 miles I now have to travel near the original Holiday Inn, it created transportation headache of which I ended up resorting to city busses for three night stay.

The original hotel only provided me a hotel re-accommodation, and never provided me with any type of compensation for my hour of delayed check-in, and increased transporatation time and costs. No points, no free voucher, nothing else.

I know, being cranky at 12 midnight probably wouldn't have been productive but not knowing the new hotel and relying on the lobby agent's expertise was probably the worst thing for my decisions. What, if any, should I have asked, or been provided for my re-accommodation?

Jiburi

Hmmn, boy's scout motto "Be Prepared" comes to mind here.

If planned arrival that late, hotel when overbooked will assume you are not coming. so ... should always contact ahead of late arrival , on the morning of stay, to say you will arrive late even give flight number; and if IHG elite add to your booking to reduce liklihood of being walked as a non-status guest.

I don't think one needs accept the first offer of hotel alternative, If i was told 5 miles, I would immediately reply that they need to supply a hotel much nearer if not on a 1night stay, and where I need public transport as not having my own car.

The walking IHG Hotel does not have to use aniother IHG hotel, and it would have helped if you knew of other 'airport' hotels nearby you could have requested instead. It is not your problem if hotel nearer than the CP is more costly, unless you are trying to upgrade from say HIE to Shangri-La.
They offerered you a standard of hotel (CP) at least as comparable, but you could ask for a more local not so good switch if location is important to you, if local same standard hotel is not available.

In terms of compensation, there is no IHG to compensation scheme, although eg Marriott have a written scheme of requirements/compensation if an elite is walked.