“The hotel manager hung up on us”

Gary Benedik was driving through Memphis recently when he decided to stop for the night. He made a reservation at a Holiday Inn, but discovered a short while later that the hotel was too far out of the way. But by then it was too late: he’d already been charged for the room.

Shouldn’t Holiday Inn cut him a little slack?

Here’s what happened:

At 5:57 p.m., I called the 800-number for Holiday Inn, and was told told of a Southaven Holiday Inn Express with “plenty of availability.”

I punched in the address on my GPS. By that time our GPS indicated we were well beyond this location. I called the 800-number to then find out one must call the exact location directly to cancel a reservation.

The Southaven Holiday Inn Express desk clerk said if a reservation is canceled after 6 p.m., there are no refunds. The phone calls/cancellation time frame totaled 30 to 40 minutes.

Subsequent requests to both the hotel and Holiday Inn proved equally frustrating. The general manager indicated he had the authority to refund $106 but held to their rigid cancellation policy.

This is an interesting case. Benedik made his reservation just before the cut-off time for refunds, yet there is no evidence he was advised that he’d be billed, regardless. A Holiday Inn reservations agent should have disclosed that. However, Benedik should have also advised the agent that he was enroute, that he was unsure of the hotel’s location, and that he’d need to double-check with his GPS before confirming.

In other words, plenty of blame to go around.

Benedik sent a brief, polite email to Holiday Inn. Here’s how it responded:

I have reconsidered all of the information available regarding the situation, including the details of your booking. In addition, I have contacted the hotel management on your behalf for consideration of a goodwill credit. Unfortunately, as your reservation was cancelled past the 6 pm deadline, the hotel has advised that the charge will stand. If you need further information or have any questions, please contact the hotel management directly. The telephone number to the hotel is 662-393-2881.

He tried to phone the hotel to plead his case, but “the hotel manager hung up on us,” he says.

I thought I’d give it a try, so I contacted InterContinental Hotels, Holiday Inn’s parent company.

I discussed with our executive guest relations team, and after further review, they still agree with the decision made by the hotel. The credit card is placed on PCR profiles to guarantee the reservations. The guest tried to cancel outside of the cancellation deadline and so the hotel declined to issue credit. If he was lost or needed directions, our agents could have assisted at anytime and would have been more than happy to do so, to ensure he made it to his destination for the evening. Unfortunately, there really is no criteria here to offer a goodwill credit in this particular case.

Sorry to not have better news, but please let me know if you have any additional questions in the meantime.

That’s too bad. If Holiday Inn had taken the time to review Benedik’s file, it would have noticed that he was a frequent guest with the hotel chain. Why risk a lifetime of business over $106? That doesn’t make any sense.

Are hotels stealing a page from the airline playbook, when it comes to rules? I hope not.

Update (1/20): Holiday Inn has responded to this post and some of the comments.

Our guest relations department always checks the records of our guests prior to finalizing any decision. According to our records which are accessible back through 2006, the PCR member below has only 2 stays on record, one of them being the actual HIEX in question where they were charged but did not wind up staying.

The other interesting thing to note is Mr. Benedik did not book under his information, but rather another person’s (his significant other according to his email below), so this information applies to Ms. Will’s PCR membership and credit card, not Mr. Benedik. We also researched our records on Mr. Benedik specifically and there are no stays listed for him in our records.

Thought this information might be interesting to add on to the story just based on some of things I have been reading in the comments section and because it provides more accurate details behind the whole story then originally provided by Mr. Benedik.

(Photo: jenniferrt66/Flickr Creative Commons)

  • Bill

    I ran into this years ago with Marriott. However, I did not have a GPS at the time and could not find the property – there was construction etc. Marriott DID waive the cancellation penalty and didn’t charge me for the room. However, when I called their reservations number about the issue, I also assured them that in return, I would stay in another Marriott property along the way, which I did.

    I do notice a recent tendancy to put all of the guest concerns, even the ones sent to the head office – directly back to the hotel manager. I find that this seldom works and is akin to putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.

    In this case, it certainly appears that the hotel is entitled to the money and the guest is at fault. However, the $106 gain for the Southaven, MS property will likely result in much more significant revenue losses to the hotel chain. The guest did make mistakes in this instance – and it is not disclosed where he did eventually stay – did he stay at another Holiday Inn property or some other chain?

    I have not stayed in Holiday Inns a lot, but when I have, I found them to be fairly unbending. I remember one time years ago happening upon a Holiday Inn property after midnight, trying to get a reduced rate from the front desk clerk since it was past midnight. He wouldn’t relent. I got back in the car and drove, his hotel didn’t get anything for that room. However, the big thing is that it generated a disinterest in the chain for me and Holiday Inn often sees less than one night per year of room revenue from me.

  • http://www.eyeonannapolis.net John W. Frenaye

    The last time I checked, don;t all GPS devices all have hotels programmed into them? Why does he call fist, make a reservation, and THEN look it up in the GPS?

    Seems it would make more sense to punch in Holiday Inn (since he was a loyal client) and see the closest one to him, and THEN call the reservation number (or better, the hotel–as the number also would likely be provided).

  • http://oussamastake.blogspot.com/ Oussama

    It seems everybody is looking at the short term bottom line as opposed to customer service and customer retention. This is a problem for another day.

  • Charles

    While the hotel could have been flexible one must remember those rules are in place for a reason too. What if the hotel had been very full that night and they had to turn away a willing guest? In that case I do not blame the hotel for enforcing its rules.

    I do agree the hotel could have been more flexible for a loyal client but often we only hear the customer-side of the story. When reading this site, every story involves “oh the customer politely did this” well we have all been in line behind someone ranting at a manager not at all politely. I cannot believe readers of this site are just that angelic.

    I guess I type this from a business owner who often deals with customers with strange complaints and people trying to find ways out of things they agreed to.

  • Chris in NC

    Ummm…. what about looking at a MAP? When he made the call to HI reservations, a quick glance at a MAP would have told him that Southhaven, MS was out of his way. When we travel, a map often provides more useful information (with regards to your surroundings) than a GPS unit.

    Regardless, he made the call at 5:57PM. While it is true that when he made the reservations BEFORE the 6PM cancellation time, not all hotels allow cancellations at 6PM. What if the cancellation time was 4PM or 24 hours before arrival? When I make a reservation, I always ASK and confirm what the cancellation policy is. If there is any doubt, and there indeed is a lot of availability, I may call back in 5-10 minutes or call the hotel back direct.

    While the hotel manager has the ability to waive rules, this should be viewed as an exception, rather than an expectation. Honestly, in this case, it seems the OP dropped the ball here (didn’t do his due diligence) and now wants a bail out. I’m sure there is a lot more to this story than can be published. Yes, this may mean that the OP never stays in an IC chain again, but given his performance in this scenario, is that necessary a loss? Maybe harsh, but true!

  • Lisa S

    I don’t think the hotel lost any revenue. The hotel was said to have “plenty of availability.” The telephone calls, booking, GPS looking, and request to cancel took all of 30-40 minutes. This is assuming the OP is telling the truth, which I would like to believe. It doesn’t seem that the hotel would have lost anything in that short time frame. (Note to self: don’t give your credit card if you don’t want to get charged.) Not to mention, the manager didn’t say, “I’m sorry, sir. Not only is it our policy to not refund room reservations after 6pm, but we are full up and I had to turn away another customer.” Certainly, if someone told me that (although the manager’s veracity might also be questionable), I would obligated to pay for the room. While people are correct that the OP did make the mistake, this is really a case of poor customer service because of the potential lost revenue.

    I seldom stay at Holiday Inns, so I don’t particularly care about the chain. However, I do stay at Hampton Inn. The Hampton Inn in Sioux Falls SD was fantastic about cancelling a reservation I had and about which I called 4 hours after the deadline. Of course, the establishment knows that I stay there 4 times a year and they will get my repeat business. Still, they didn’t have to not charge me. I called with the hope but not the expectation that my credit card would not be charged. The Hampton Inn insured itself of my continued business with the great customer service they provided.

  • Buckster

    The guy had a GPS, made the reservation, and THEN figured out it was out of the way. My dad used to call this “stupid tax.”

  • Robert

    I feel like we don’t have the whole story here, but just going on the facts presented, I have to side with the customer. This seems to be an example of a customer changing their mind in the minutes following a purchase, because of information they hadn’t taken into account when making the decision, but which they remember a few minutes later is important. Most retailers will cut customers slack here and there are even “cooling-off” laws which apply to some such circumstances. The 6pm deadline is artificial, is also designed with customers in mind who have made reservations days or weeks before, and may not have been communicated to the customer. I’d recommend trying for a chargeback here, or possibly taking the hotel to small-claims court. Wouldn’t judges notice that the hotel would not have suffered an actual material loss if they had refunded the money?

  • Carver

    @Chris

    Yes, I agree that your comments are harsh. The OPs biggest sin here is that he made a mistake. Hardly a reason to screw him out of $100.

    @Charles

    I too am a business owner, and I have a tendency to side with business, but not in this case. I would be agree with you had the hotel lost money as a result of the OPs action. However, there is no indication that the hotel was full and/or had to turn away guests because of the OP. The chances of that happening in such a short window of time is infinitesimal.

    I love traveling. I spend a good chunk of change; my own money, annually on travel. I do think that it is fair and appropriate for my travel providers to cut me some slack. I am not perfect and I will make mistakes.

    If the rules are enforced against me as strictly as the person wandering in off the street, why shouldn’t I go to someone else who will appreciate my business. That’s true in travel as well as all levels of commerce.

    IC screwed this one up royally.

  • Andrew

    @Chris in NC: LOL! A map? A MAP? I mean, he also could have sent a snail mail letter a month in advance instead of calling to reserve–that would have prevented any confusion. Or maybe used a horse-and-buggy instead of driving… then he wouldn’t be that far by the time he realized he had passed the hotel.

    (I can’t wait until my children grow up and call me old when I tell them how I used to plan trips using paper maps!)

    Just giving you a hard time, Chris–I agree with your other points entirely.

  • GSA

    If he is a frequent Holiday Inn traveller, wouldn’t he be aware of the very standard 6pm cancellation time?

    Regarding hotels in GPS systems: they might be in the system but they are rarely correct. Almost 90% of the guests checking into my hotel get lost for 30 minutes (or so they claim) because the gps sends them to a vacant lot at the complete opposite end of the road. NO ONE CALLS FOR DIRECTIONS UNTIL THEY ARE LOST AND/OR MAD.

  • Charles

    Carver:

    I totally get what you’re saying. My thing is that, while the hotel could have chosen to refund the fee out of good will they chose not to do that. It’s their choice and I don’t think the customer who- let’s be honest, is the one who screwed up here – has the right to make a big fuss about it.

    I see it like this: he booked the hotel late at night, decided to change his mind, and expected the hotel to refund his money just because he said so. Sure the hotel maybe should of refunded it as a matter of good service but it’s their right not to as well.

    I just wouldn’t have made a big deal out of it if I were him and learned my lesson to think if my choice is correct before handing out my credit card number.

  • Josh

    I’m going to side with the hotel here too, with one big caveat — I’m assuming the reservations agent said something like “And sir, this reservation must be cancelled by 6PM. That’s 3 minutes from now, so you will be bille for this stay; is that okay?”. At that point, it’s up to the customer to decide whether they want to double check the location first (and have the hassle of calling back) or just take the location regardless.

    6PM same-day cancellation policies actually seem pretty fair to me, giving the customer assurance that a room is being held for a late arrival (but still being able to make a call mid-afternoon if they want to drive farther) and the hotel knowledge that if they will be covered for not being able to sell the room to a walk-in at say 7PM.

    I also wonder if Holiday Inn would have been more accomodating if he’d simply switched to another hotel at a better location (possibly not, as the franchisee may not see the benefit from that).

  • Carver

    @Chris

    I agree that he screwed up. But to me the larger issue is whether the hotel should cut him some slack. Where is the reciprocal “loyalty”? If Holiday Inn is going to treat him like every Tom, Dick, and Harry off the street then why go out of his way to patronize Holiday Inns.

    I don’t see this as a matter of complaining. Its a simple business transaction. A loyalty program is a two way street. I spend a certain amount of money at your business. In return, you provide me with a better experience than others who spend less money. Basic Return on Investment.

    In this case, the OP is not receiving a better travel experience than others who spend less money. Therefore, the OP should reconsider whether his money is well spent at Holiday Inn, or if there is another chain that would match his needs better.

    In my case, my schedule is very chaotic. Therefore, I value the fact that the hotels that I patronize will routinely waive the late cancellation fee. In return for this consideration, I stay at these hotels, even when other hotels are cheaper or more convenient.

  • Justin

    @ Carver and @ Charles.

    I think travelers should be given some leeway, as Carver mentioned. I have done spur of the moment trips before, before I had a GPS Certainly, a GPS makes things easier, but they do not list all lodgings. I do fault this gentlemen for his mistake. He was the one who made it, not the hotel chain. NOW, here is where a judgment call comes in. If you see you have a LOYAL customer who spends lots of money, do you burn him, to never have him return or do you bend the rules? Rules are in place, but are mean to be broken at times. Are you telling me Charles that you would give the same cold shoulder to a client who spent 10,000 dollars as one who walks up and has never used your facilities? Certainly, both deserve a reasonable level of care. Yet, a business NEVER wants to alienate it’s loyal base, as Carver stated. Doing so means more than a simple one time loss. It could mean he tells his friends and significant revenue is taken elsewhere.

  • Justin

    @ Carver again,

    I agree on that statement about patronizing places that treat you well. I’d rather spend a few extra dollars and get a wonderful level of service, than cheap out and have a nightmare scenario. There are some companies I WILL do business with and some I won’t touch again. Technology wise, Microsoft, Logitech, Ultra (Tigerdirect) are fantastic. They go out of their way to work with customers. The same for travel companies. I won’t ever fly Airtran. I used them probably 5-6 times as my exclusive airline in a couple year period. After being stranded in Atlanta and getting the most APATHETIC customer care as a result of SHEER incompetence, Continental receives my business. Are they cheaper? Probably not. Have I been treated VERY well, Definitely.

    My recent flight back home to Ohio, I goofed and didn’t realize they had unloaded the luggage by the plane. So when I couldn’t find it on the baggage return, I met the clerk at the desk. Not only was she helpful, but she radioed down and had them personally bring it to me. Sure, something SIMPLE but I remember that fact. Plus, their staff is friendly, or at least have been my experience. Compare that to Airtran, and it’s night and day. So is Continental perfect, no. If they screwed up, would i give them a chance again. Probably. So why did I write Airtran off so quick? One horrible experience and a few mini ones were enough to call it a day.

  • MrsKruse

    If the hotel had such great availability, why did he bother to even make a reservation? Unless I’m convinced that I must stay at a particular property when making longer road trips, I just make a stop along the way and find something that meets my needs. I’d rather have the flexibility. Unless you are traveling through a city that is having a huge event, you’ll find something.

  • Ed Greenberg

    Courtesy and customer service suggests that the hotel should have backed out the reservation, but when considering Holiday Inn’s position, it should be remembered that these hotels are individually owned. Holiday Inn really can’t cancel the reservation out from under the hotel.

    I’ve made a few bad reservations in my time. I’ve been fortunate never to have had to eat one, but I’ve come close. Careful planning is important. Knowing where the hotel is should come first.

  • MeanMeosh

    Carver and Chris hit the nail on the head – why would Holiday Inn risk alienating a lifelong customer over $106? That’s not very smart if you ask me. You can bet if I owned a hotel and a VIP of my chain calls and asks for an exception, I’ll find a way to make it happen. Chalk up the $106 to advertising expense. Now if he had a habit of doing stuff like this and requesting exceptions, that might be a different story.

    As for the traveler’s actions, let’s not be so quick to judge. I take long (REALLY long) road trips frequently, often covering 600+ miles/12+ hours per day. I’ve made my share of dumb decisions at the butt-end of days like that. I know I appreciate it when someone will cut me a break under the circumstances.

  • Michelle

    This is one reason (of the very few reasons) why I dislike working in the hotel industry – having to take cancellation calls and people getting upset if the cancellation policy is enforced.
    We have a 24 hour cancellation policy at our hotel. Personally, I tend to be a little more lenient with it – like say it someone calls up at 5pm the day before their reservation which is 3 hours after our policy begins – I`d cancel without a fee if it was just a one or two night stay.
    I do try to be generous towards our repeats guests (after taking a look at their history, how many times they’ve stayed vs how many times they’ve cancelled) – if the repeat guest has never or hardly ever cancelled I`ll give them a freebie. But if I notice that one of our repeat guests has cancelled often within the cancellation period with hardly any past penalties, I will charge them.
    In the situation above, if I was working, I wouldn`t have charged the guy as it was barely after the 6pm deadline. I don`t need someone screaming my ear off or harassing me (not to say that the guy above did to the hotel worker but it happens) or re-calling the hotel to get a refund or sending complaint letters to upper management.
    At 6pm I`d like to think most hotels are set for the night with the exception of a walk in or maybe a last minute booking or two – especially in smaller cities. Losing one room compared to many potential rooms due to negative press or word-of-mouth isn`t worth it in the end.

  • Justin

    @Michelle

    Or a repeat customer. I mean we do not know this guys history, but if he’s a frequent traveler who made a dumb mistake while tired, they now have lost a good customer. Not that it is any excuse, but mistakes do happen. I like how you do it case by case, at least. I think that is how it should be. A customer who stays frequently, but needs a hand, should be given one. Loyalty, as pointed out, is a two way street. Why should a customer be loyal, if the chain doesn’t reciprocate. Now, had he been a new customer, this would be a judgment call. On one hand, you do not want to give new customers a bad impression. New customers can turn into frequent stayers. On the other, if he is just a passer by who rarely if ever will return, then who knows. Still, sometimes its better to be generous and get a POSITIVE word of mouth, than it is to be a scrooge, and have people tell their friends about their horrible experience.

  • Mike

    Sorry, but I can and will blame the hotel chain. Calling at 5:57 and then trying to call back within a half hour should be well within acceptable standards to change one’s mind. At 6pm, there is no magical flash that suddenly makes the hotel full, or that creates some type of penalty for the hotel if they have to cancel a transaction.

    Personally though, I would have looked up the place first, then booked, or if they did have a lot of availability I would have just told the agent that I would book when I got there if it would be the same price. Heck, its possible it could have been cheaper if there were a lot of rooms available.In any event, a half hour time frame is no reason to basically steal $100+ from someone.

  • http://www.gretalint.com Greta

    Logic says that the customer should have done a little research. But often it doesn’t work that way. I don’t condemn him for calling without realizing the hotel’s location. He may have been to new GPS. I am in the tourism industry and refuse to get a GPS. Too many problems with them and I like reading a map the old-fashioned way.

    But my question is …. since the charge was on his credit card, could he not dispute that with the bank? You can’t do that with a debit card, but you can with a credit card.

  • Travler

    Who made the error? Gee, I have encountered numerous people that make mistakes with booking air travel, hotels, etc and then they expect others to fix the problems they made. Time for people to take responsibility for their actions and mistakes. We live in a world of denying responsibility.

  • Ron G

    There is a hotel in Rochester, MA that walked me when I had a guaranteed reservation over a decade ago. I swore I would not visit that hotel again after the poor treatment I received.

    I have driven past their hotel when in the area on business at least 60 separate evenings on my way to another local hotel. Translation: I will drive out of my way to avoid staying at this hotel.

    We business travelers have a long memory. Loyalty goes both ways, treat me well and you will see me time and time, again. Treat me poorly, the only thing you will see is my tail lights leaving your lot.

  • http://infuserveamerica.com David Kazarian

    I own a business, and when a customer calls and is at fault, I always give him;her the benefit of the doubt and a full refund, BECAUSE I want them to be happy. Apparently the Holiday Inn organization doesn’t care. It’s been said when someone is happy, then tell 3 people about their experience, when they are angry they tell 10 people. Through this service many more than 10 people know about Holiday Inn. I would NEVER stay at a Holiday Inn hearing this story. Marriott on the other hand, has been very flexible with me. They care about my businessd, whichy is why I try to go out of my way to stay at Marrioitts. One time I booked a room at an airport. Somehow the airport was Miami that I booked on line, it was my error. I was supposed to stay at Bradley in Hartford CT. My plans were cancelled and I called the hotel in Hartford to cancel but they said they didn’t have a reservation for me. I thought tht was funny, but didn’t think anything of it until I got a bill in my credit card statement for a no show room. Icalled Marriott and explained the problem and I received a full refund. They care about my business. Apparently Holiday Inn doesn’t. They don’t deserve the business. If people keep staying there after they’ve heard the above story, shame on the people who stay there. If enough people stay away,. Holiday Inn will rethink their policy. The problem is, many times companies treat their customers badly, and the customer still uses that customers products and services. I will NEVER step into an American Airlines plane because of something they did to me in 1985. It is burned into my memory, hence I won’t fly that airline (unless I hve no choice) They have probably lost since that time more than a million dollars in revenue from myself and others in my business (where I play for the flight) Before that incident I flew American almost exclusively! I’m forever platinum on Continental and on the A list on Southwest. Think about the dollars American has lost because of the way they treated me. I used to look at USAir at the Tampa Airport. I would see long lines winding out the door and down the side of the airport and ticket agents inside were working in slow motion and not all stations were manned. I told my wife one day (after waiting 55 minutes to check in) that USAir doesn’t deserve the business. Now when I look at the tampa airport and the USAir ticket counter there is almost never anyone there. They were rewarded with a lack of passengers for the treatment they gave their customers. Southwest, on the other hand, has those lines, but they evaporate quickly thanks to the fact that usually every station at the ticket counter is manned when it’s busy! Now Southwest is the lead airline ((I’ve heard) at the Tampa aiport.

    So goodby Holiday Inn! You won’t ever see me again, and I’m sure the gentleman that wrote the note about the way he was treated won’t be staying there either. How foolish is that company. They made $106 dollars, but are probably going to lose millions!

  • y_p_w

    I sort of wonder about it, but then again it doesn’t surprise me. Most Holiday Inn locations are owned by franchisees, and once they clear the deadline, the franchisee has registered a sale. Perhaps the chain as a whole would like to keep a customer happy, but then again the hotel owner is now guaranteed a sale and maybe the manager doesn’t want to affect the bottom line. For the most part, unless the hotel guest is a repeat customer (sounds unlikely if Gary didn’t know how “out of the way” the location was) the franchisee likely has no incentive to go out of their way. Of course Holiday Inn could have simply eaten the cost of the cancellation to keep a loyal customer happy, but that would cost them the amount owed to the hotel owner.

    I guess it’s tough booking on the road using nothing but a phone and a generic description of where one wants to stay. At least a booking on the HI website gives the distance to the city center and online mapping. I remember booking for an HI location on the same day over the phone, and was told that my credit card would be charged immediately and we couldn’t cancel for a same day reservation. I accepted it, although I was thinking that it wasn’t terribly crowded. I was also offered a prepaid $20-value meal voucher for $8, although when I got to the location, the clerk said it was supposed to cost $20 (that made no sense if there was no prepay discount) and simply gave it to me for free when I checked in.

  • Justin

    @ Chris,

    You know, it might be a bit of a conflict of interest, but I think your site should include highlights for companies that go out of their way to help customers. call it the Elliott Awards or something. I know I would love to see companies get business who deserve it. Will all companies be perfect. Certainly not. However, reading stories like this one here points out an important fact. Some companies DO NOT know how to treat companies. Those that do should be rewarded with ample business. I, like many others here, will go out of my way to patronize them. There are some places who have burned me, and I wont go back. When I find one I like, I tend to stick to it. I REALLY would like to see you profile companies whose service record stands out. Not because you MAKE THEM step to the plate, but because they CARE about helping those in a bind. How about it?

  • Thalassa

    @Chris, thanks for the update from Intercontinental! So the OP wasn’t telling the truth? He may well have been a frequent guest, but the person whose information was on the reservation was not. I certainly understand now why IC felt no “goodwill” clause was necessary.

    Sorry, Mr. Benedik. You made a mistake. I’m sure it has been a learning experience.

  • Chris in NC

    Its pretty obvious that the OP made a mistake. If I were in the OP’s position, would I want HI to make an exception? ABSOLUTELY. But, I still think the OP bears the majority of the responsibility here.

    I understand the concept of loyalty and long term business. Indeed, there are chains and companies that I have never done business again because of a customer service meltdown. Yet, these companies are still in business and there was one time I had to make an exception to my own rule. Likewise, as a business owner, there are some customers that I can NEVER make happy and I may choose to forgo them as a customer if it means less headaches.

    The argument that a business has to do extra to please its most loyal customers is flawed. How many times have I see customers regress to childish behavior because they couldn’t get an upgrade? As a frequent traveler, I choose companies that consistantly provide efficient, fair and quality service.

    If I book 50 stays with a hotel, and request a 1 time exception to a rule, I have never been turned down. The computers show that and the staff knows. Likewise, if I book 50 stays and each stay I complain each time and am unsatisfied, does the hotel REALLY want my “repeat” business?

    The reality is that EVERY company will have a service breakdown. My wife and I are very loyal to Marriott and still they have their hiccups. Yet, we stay with them because they have been good to us. Those who travel a lot and threaten to “take their business” elsewhere everytime something goes wrong, will probably not find anyone to use! Either that, or the threat is simply an empty threat.

    With regards to booking a hotel when travelling…. here is what works for us
    1) Look at a map and figure out what is ahead of your route (ie next 25-100 miles)
    2) Call a hotel directly and say “Do you have any non-smoking rooms for the night”
    3) If they say yes then “What is the best rate you can offer?”
    4) Say “We’re driving and may stop at your hotel. Is inventory tight for the night, or can we drive on in?”
    5) If there are lots of rooms, make a counteroffer (Its amazing how many times they accept)

    In booking rooms on the road, I never go through the 800 number, rather, I call the front desk individually. You get better rates and can negotiate with the individual property. Interesting, technology has made this easier. Just last month, I used an iPhone to book a hotel stay via an app, rather than by voice.

    Just my 2 cents.

    I have the fortune (or misfortune) to be on the road a lot. I go out of the way to book at properties (or chains) that have treated us well.

  • y_p_w

    I can guess what happened here by the description. Gary likely had the 800 number for Holiday Inn handy, gave the the operator his current location/destination, and asked for a hotel that would fit the bill. It sounds to me that the 800 number was chosen as a convenience to find a suitable hotel within the chain rather than search for different hotels without something like internet access or a AAA guidebook (which are nice if you’re on the road). I suppose he could have asked the reservations operator for the local phone number, but that gets awkward essentially asking reservations personnel to allow the customer to bypass their raison d’être .

  • Merryl

    I just read this article, along with the 1/20 update from Holiday Inn. Y’know, that makes me even LESS likely to book with Holiday Inn. They don’t want to have the goodwill of their customers, and they care even LESS if you’re not a frequent guest. I guess I’ll be a pretty infrequent guest of Holiday Inn for all my life, especially after I retire and do a lot of traveling.

  • http://www.angrymarks.com/ Kevin Fields

    As a former HI employee, I am shocked. While I agree that the rules are in place for a reason, and that this should be an exception and not an expectation, it was not a hardship to honor the cancellation. Even if this guest only had a few stays, as Elliott correctly points out, there is no reason to create ill feelings over $106.

    If I was the MOD or night auditor, I wouldn’t have thought twice about processing the cancellation.

  • Mike

    Just read the update. Frequent visitor or not, the hotel dropped the ball. if the person was indeed a frequent visitor then you lost a bunch of money. if this was a first booking as has been suggested, well then I guess the hotel chain blew it on its chance of a good first impression.

  • LeeAnne

    I’m with Merryl, Kevin and Mike – this update just made me lose even more respect for Holiday Inn.

    In trying to justify the unreasonable and intransigent position they took with this customer, they’ve basically resorted to publicly smearing him by bringing forth the fact that he apparently exaggerated the number of times he and/or his wife stayed at a Holiday Inn. And I’m not even sure I completely believe that. I’ve stayed at lots of hotel chains, and I don’t always belong to their loyalty programs so it’s entirely possible they wouldn’t be able to pull up much information about my past stays, even if there had been many. Especially in a chain like HI, where each property is independently managed — I’d be willing to bet that Mr. Benedik has more HI stays than they want us to know about.

    I’d also be willing to bet there won’t be any more!

    Holiday Inn, you may have been trying to redeem your image with your customer smear campaign…but instead, you’ve made your company look petty, mean-spirited, and greedy for every penny you can squeeze out of someone, whether you deserve it or not. You’ve now alienated a large group of people who, trust me, will be just as disgusted at this behavior as I am. Think I’m going to pull into a Holiday Inn parking lot next time I’m looking for a place to stay? Think again. I prefer to do business with companies that treat their customers like human beings, not piggy banks.

    Was it worth it for 106 bucks?

  • Carl

    That’s funny because that’s exactly what I was just thinking. Read through the story comments and do your research and then decide you were justified on a technicality? Because he isn’t as frequent a customer as he presented himself, that makes it okay to refuse him a refund over 30-40 minutes? The company’s attitude sure isn’t winning over any new fans. Suddenly, it’s not just about one guy’s non-refund, but everyone else who reads this story. Good job!

    And another though: what if he didn’t have a map or a GPS? (I’m so glad someone finds it so laughable that someone else here still uses something so arcane as a map! I guess there are two of us still living in the stone age.) Now who is at fault? (ok what kind of idiot would travel without a map? Me. That’s who – and not on purpose, I might add. And if you don’t have a map, where do find this information? By calling someone…)

    Anyway, the way I read the story, it wasn’t that he couldn’t find the hotel, it’s that he was too far away from it. From that angle, it sounds like either the reservation agent’s fault for not getting a better handle on the location or perhaps nobody’s fault at all – details get left out when people are in a hurry – but shouldn’t the reservations area be willing to work with our traveler to find something more appropriate as well as to not charge him for the previous erroneous reservation?

  • kanehi

    GPS’s usually have hotel listings in it’s POI. He should’ve checked the location of the hotel prior to calling the hotel for the reservation. I agree that IF he was a frequently guests then he should’ve known the cut off time to cancel a reservation. Also GPS’s have a feature that locates hotels near his current position.