computer + random = contradictory

automated systems could have hundreds of steps

I've seen enough on here from both major-chain employees as well as people who've worked in smaller places to know that 99% of it isn't random.

It isn't random, but for 99% of employees, it isn't done with any maliciousness (that some people may think). I'd love to give everyone an upgrade on the top floor with the best view. However, sometimes, people get stuck with the least desirable rooms.

Dear OP,
Your stating that you are a loud snorer does make me wonder if you have ever been tested for sleep apnea by doing a sleep study?
It's really an epidemic these days and the long term health consequences of not treating this condition are really serious and can be ultimately life threatening.
I am one of those afflicted with this,I am not obese so it was a surprise to me to discover how bad my study was.
Yes it is a real PITA to drag my CPAP machine with me-but there are really great compact portable devices as well but if I am unable to use my device at night I feel horrible the next day.
Hope you will explore this so you can feel better and not wake up your neighbors?!
It was life changing for me to do this.

Agree. Was wondering the same thing. Please get a sleep study done if you haven't OP.

Quick aside here.

Star ratings systems in many countries are prescribed by law. These ratings have nothing to do with luxury, but with meeting specific standards on things like room size, reception area size, presence of a restaurant, frequency of housekeeping service, foreign languages spoken by staff, etc.

So a five star hotel will have larger rooms and reception rooms, a restaurant, etc. It doesn't mean that the restaurant is any good, that the rooms are elegant, that the staff responds to your every whim, etc.

The ratings aren't 'fake' at all. They are just measuring different things from what you expect them to. In some ways, they are more real than simply the word 'luxury' which is very much in the eye of the beholder.

One qualification - so-called 7-star hotels are 'fake' in that I am unaware of any standard rating system which goes that high. They may or may not be 'luxury' to your standard, but the only organization that is awarding them 7 stars is the hotel's own management.

Very helpful. Some more information can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_rating

It's my understanding that they usually try to assign rooms that aren't already occupied by someone else, but I can attest that they don't always succeed. :D

It has happened to me too. Quite a surprise to walk into your room and see luggage and shopping bags that do not belong to you!

For the purposes of this discussion, Marsenne Twister approach can be considered completely random.

I'm not sure if it would be worth the effort...you might get by just grabbing some digits of pi or using the system clock (microseconds since login).

I was forbidden to write reservation systems in four states after feeding a (random) negative number through a log function and assigning imaginary rooms;-).

I walked into a Delta attached to the Calgary Airport around 8PM. I asked for a room, and for 220 dollars CDN I was given a room very far from the elevator, the fire escape or the vending machine.

I got up at 7AM and went home (via Greyhound). I wasn't expecting the world and to be honest, 9 hours of sleep in a Delta is better than getting on the 4AM bus to my home and I was able to catch a noon bus back to my city.

I suspect those hotels are probably 85% full, then special events like a delayed flight can be factored in. I remember talking to a ground agent and being told that when they needed rooms for a whole flight of say, 30 people, they would have to split them between several hotels because occupancy, especially at the Delta attached to the airport was high.

Rooms at random? Yea, nobody wants to be on the 1st floor and everybody wants to be away from the elevator and the ice machine. I worked in a hotel once and is was less than random. They put the people in rooms which are easy to clean. Because there were no elevators, people were put in rooms which were near stairwells and which could be accessed by bellhops and housekeepers. Some people were "upgraded" from a smaller room to a larger room if it was easier for the staff.

CK

Also depends on your check in time. Whether your arrival time is accurate or delayed. Rooms are initially blocked for each guest but usually gets shuffled around as the day progresses.

It's best to belong to a hotel rewards program where they have a good tracker of adhering to your profile. Depending on the type of structure of the hotel, for high rises, I prefer higher floors away from the elevator. For smaller lower structures, I prefer 1st floor.

I can only speak for my past experience in the industry. Preferences were something that really only came into play with (1) VIPs/frequent guests and (2) people who pressed the issue. Optimized utilization was the name of the game and no promises were made that leaving a comment saying "I want a room to the back of the hotel" or "I'd like to have view of the river" would make a difference. In fact, I'll be honest, if the hotel was full enough it's highly unlikely anyone gave that comment even a second glance.

but i dont think any laws control marketing language, do they?

Not at all. I wasn't trying to suggest such. However, most people equate Stars (or diamonds or rosettes) with either a government or independent rating agency (Fodors/Mobil, AAA/AA, Michelin). There are people who don't realize that seven stars are just that, marketing by the hotel, not an independent rating.