I have something here for you guys.

For short notice, I had to be in GSP area for the weekend , my flight left IAH and got in GSP at 11:05PM. My travel dept has booked me in Suburban Lodge in Greenville. I went straight to work instead of check-in, however, I found myself some free time at work, so I called Suburban Lodge, and guess what?? I got the ANSWER MACHINE!!! I said to myself this gotta be a mistake. How can a hotel not check-in people around this time???
My collegue told me that TRavel has put him in Suburban as well and this place is a hellhole, the room is so small that if you open the bathroom door, the door will touch the bed. To make a long story short. I did not check-in. I drove for a long time and finally settled in Hampton Inn. Called Suburban to cancel, and to my surprise, they have charged me for the previous night!!! I told me that if I were going to stay there, I would not have able to check-in, because no one is there!!!! Needless to say, they still charged me for that night. I can't blame them because the Itineary said cancel by 12PM. So whose fault is this?? Shouldn't Travel have figured out that if I wouldn't be in GSP till late night, and I work that night, they should have never booked me on that night? Oh and also, there are tons of Hampton Inns and Holiday Inns out there, why not book me there????

I am just furious, and tired.
Sorry this boring story is so long, but I just want some opinions here as to what Travel should have done, or I should have known about this hellhole Motel before I set my foot in GSP...

Al

Did you cancel before the time required for cancellation or not?

What did you say to the answering machine?

Sorry about your booking and aggravation!

afang: Are you going to get stuck with the bill, or your company's travel department? If it's them, why sweat it? If it's you, I'd try to get them to go to bat for you and get the room charge reversed. Technically, I believe you're liable for the bill. Lousy situation, though, and I sympathize.

When I'm in the kind of situation that you describe, I show up for the first night, and if I don't like the property, check out after one night and find something better for the rest of my stay. That way, I don't get stuck paying because of a hotel stay guarantee.

From some of the situations you've described in the last couple of months, you might want to have a long chat with your manager regarding corporate travel policy. It sounds like they really don't get what it means to travel a lot.

BTW, the Marriott in Greenville is quite nice. Highly recommended. Also, if you have time, and the weather's nice, a drive into the beautiful mountainous area to the west of GSP is great. Good luck!

Lets see, did you cancel? Did you show up?
Did you call back?

As I see it, you made one call to them, didnt get through, decided you werent going to stay but didnt cancel.

Sounds like your fault to me.

In fact I fail to see anything done wrong by the hotel. I've had lots of time I've called hotels and it rang and rang or I reached an answering machine. This seems to happen more at smaller motels. I just wait a few minutes and call back.

You said "this gotta be a mistake"?

How can a hotel not have check-in people around at that time?

Here's a few ways

Lets see, perhaps only one person was on duty at the front desk and that perosn needed to use to restroom? Or maybe there was a medical problem. perhaps a guest slipped and fell in the lobby and the front desk person was helping that person or went to get a first aid kit. Maybe they were on the phone with 911 calling for an ambulance.

Maybe someone was having a heart attack
and answering your phone call was a little less important.
Still think they should have answered your call?

Maybe there was a drive by shooting, maybe a power transformer exploded, maybe the fire alarm was pulled.
Maybe someone smelled smoke
Maybe the phone system has glitch
Maybe a pipe broke and there was flooding
Maybe someone was drowning in the pool.
Still think "it's gotta be a mistake"?

How do you know no-one was there to check you in? you werent there.

So who fault is it? sounds like yours.

Sounds like you expect your travel dept to be mind readers. Did you tell them to book you into a hampton?

Boomer:
My favorite - they were taking a snooze on the floor.

I checked into some hotel (forget which) in Fort Smith, AR at 1:30am. The sign on the door said, "PLEASE KNOCK". I knocked on the glass and watched the person get up an come to the window.

Same thing happened at a Quality Inn in Flint, MI.


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"I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own."

Y'all are going to love this, according to my collegue who stayed there, the front desk hours are 8am-5pm M-F, 8am-3pm Sat-Sun.
So the reason no one answered is that there was no one there!!! I went to see the hotel and after seeing that no one is present to serve, i decided to move.

Al

Normally at hotels where there is no one afterhours they have a security box -- you call during hours, get the combo for the box, and then get the keys to your room. That's what I've used in a few extended stay hotels in the past.

I've stayed at the Marriott in Greenville for a weekend once. Real nice hotel. 24 hour lobby service.

self service hotels -- check yourself in, check yourself out. They do it at the gas pump, why not at the hotel.

This Suburban Lodge is a motel and they have none of the services that y'all mentioned. I checked in the Mainstay at Plano, it was self-serve and very cool. I am just mad that my travel booked me at this Motel.

My manager told me that the Travel Dept has resolved the issue with Suburban Lodge, and Suburban has agreed to credit me. Also, he told me that our company has cut off all future business with Suburban Lodge.

I feel so much better now, "cut off all future business" sounds like my company really sympathized my situation.

Al

[This message has been edited by afang (edited 10-16-2000).]

I don't know, Al, since these folks cut you and the company a little break here, I wouldn't think cutting off all future business was the best way of saying "Thanks!"

Bad timing at the very least, IMHO!

Doc,
I think it is really against company policy to have it's employees in Motels. Nothing against contractors, but we are not them. We dont' live on pre-dims, therefore, they better put me in an Homewood Suite