Tied up in a chain: hotel denies transfer, pockets guest’s money

daysCharles McGovern clicked on the wrong Days Inn property when he booked a room to attend his grandson’s high school graduation in Richmond, Va. He assumed the hotel chain would transfer his reservation to the right hotel.

He assumed wrong.

Instead, the company kept his money for the first nonrefundable reservation and made him pay for a second stay, only a few miles away. Can Days Inn keep McGovern’s money?

Before I finished reading his email, I knew what Days Inn’s answer would be. Yes, it would keep the money because his room rate was nonrefundable. And no, he couldn’t transfer the reservation because each hotel is “independently owned and operated.”

I hate it when I’m right.

Let me hand the mic to McGovern.

I would appreciate any assistance you would provide in my attempt to recoup a $220 loss due to a mistake I made in booking a motel room on the Internet.

Our grandson was graduating from high school in Richmond on June 6th, and I went on line to make a reservation for three nights: June 4th, 5th and 6th at the Days Inn in Richmond.

I made a mistake by booking the Days Inn at 6910 Midlothian Turnpike when I had intended to reserve rooms at the Richmond Chesterfield Days Inn at the Town Center Mall.

My travels happened to take me to the Richmond area on June 1st and I stopped by the Midlothian Days Inn to explain my mistake and that I had meant to have the rooms at the Town Center Days Inn. The Midlothian motel was almost 8 miles from our daughter’s house and the Town Center motel was only 3 miles distance.

I informed the Days Inn Customer Service staff, at an 800 number, that I wasn’t canceling our reservation but simply transferring to another Days Inn that would better meet our needs.

Another important factor in desiring to transfer was the very negative reviews given the Midlothian Days Inn: infested with bugs, room was shabby, putrid, disgusting, dangerous crime in the parking lot, water damaged furniture, absolutely filthy and the hotel is a dump. I also had friends in the area who advised us against staying at the Midlothian Days Inn for similar reasons. The place wasn’t up to the standards I have experienced in other Days Inn motels.

The first weekday after we returned, from Richmond, I went to the local Bank of America and explained my problem. They suggested I dispute the charge and the $220 was deleted from my account. Five weeks later I discarded all of my notes because I thought the matter had been settled in my favor. On July 28th I received a notice from the bank informing me the charge had been reinstated.

When I log onto the Internet looking for motel accommodations I consider the location, price and amenities but, in this case, I failed to read the fine print.

I feel the Midlothian Days Inn should fully reimburse our $220 because I gave them more than sufficient time to rebook the room that we never used.

As I review McGovern’s case, I notice a few things are missing. The Midlothian Days Inn never officially denied his request for a transfer, although based on my previous experience with Days Inn, it almost certainly told McGovern that his room was nonrefundable and couldn’t be moved to another Days Inn. Like this case with Ramada (both Ramada and Days Inn are owned by the same parent company).

Rather than appeal Days’ decision in writing, McGovern went straight to a credit card dispute. I might have tried appealing this to Days Inn corporate first.

During a card dispute, the amount in question is credited to you pending the outcome of the investigation. That means you’re still not out of the woods.

Discarding the paperwork? Bad idea.

Still, I felt McGovern’s request to transfer his reservation was reasonable. From a hotel guest’s perspective, one of the reasons you do business with a chain is that you know the standards are consistent and that you can count on other benefits, like loyalty points.

I contacted Days Inn on McGovern’s behalf. Late last week, I heard back from him.

I just received a call from Days Inn and they said they were sorry about my experience in Richmond and would be sending me a check in the amount of $220. Thanks for your help.

Hotel chains like Days Inn have been aggressively imposing non-refundability terms on their rooms in an effort to raise revenue during these difficult economic times.

Next time you book a hotel online, pay close attention to the terms.

(Photo: Bravo Six Niner Delta/Flickr Creative Commons)

  • Aaron

    Chris, why is it that lately we are seeing more people contacting you when they are unable to obtain refunds for their non-refundable hotel reservations?

    With all due respect, when booking online, the rate is CLEARLY marked as advanced purchase/non-refundable. If you agree to those terms, then you get the discount. If you need some flexibility, don’t book that rate. Each time I see a posting addressing this scenario, all it tells me is that it is OK for a person to book the cheap rate, change their mind, and then involve someone such as yourself to get their money back.

    Would it be nice if the hotel would let the person off the hook, yes. However, non-refundable is non-refundable.

  • Carrie Charney

    In the US, I never book the non-refundable rooms, even though they go for the lowest price. I book the rooms that may still be cancelled by 4:00 or 6:00 the same day. One never can tell when a trip or a plane may be cancelled.

  • http://waynedayton.tripod.com Wayne Dayton

    Very rarely is the non-refundable discount worth it. Most times I see it as about 10%…because they then make these non-refundable rooms non-commisisonable to travel agents, so all they are doing is giving you back the TA commission but by imposing stringent and inflexible terms for a measly $10/night off.

  • Carver Farrow

    @Aaron

    So what. There is nothing wrong with asking the hotel to waive the fee. The hotel is free to say no. There’s furthernothing wrong with employing Chris’ assistance. As long as he’s not strong-arming them its perfectly ethical.

  • Thalassa

    It was a FIVE mile inconvenience. Seriously, I can’t believe the Op really had a problem with that. It certainly wasn’t worth losing money over.

    And Days Inn isn’t exactly known for having fabulous rooms. I would imagine most Days Inn reviews would have those descriptions on the Internet.

  • Jasper

    @ Aaron: You are only right if you accept the premise that the non-refundable terms are reasonable to begin with.

  • Bob

    I’m with Thalassa here. It’s not like he accidentally reserved a room in Albuquerque. Curse yourself for making a bone-headed move and drive the extra 5 miles.

    Also, I don’t know why people fail to double-check things before hitting the big “Submit” button. Double-check the dates, times, prices, and locations if you don’t want a nasty surprise.

  • http://cestbeth.com Beth

    In addition to paying attention to the terms, also pay attention to which property you are booking! And I never book non-refundable hotels.

  • Kristina

    @ Aaron: I completely agree with you. There are some shady practices out there in the travel world, but a traveler’s inability to read the reservation before clicking “confirm” or “purchase” is not a serious issue.

    @ Jasper: If this were true, sites like hotwire would be out of business. Obviously people feel that the amount of money they save is worth the terms of the agreement. If non-refundable terms really are outrageous, we would all be buying full-fare airline tickets.

  • Carlo

    First, he didn’t initially ask for a refund, he asked for a transfer to another property. He only asked for a refund after the hotel denied his transfer and kept his money. I’m on the fence as to whether asking for a transfer to another property is reasonable, but I’m thinking it might be if the properties are priced comparably.

    Second, it wasn’t just a five mile inconvenience. It was a five mile inconvenience coupled with a fleabag reputation. I suspect the guy might have been willing to chuck it and just stay at the original Days Inn if it weren’t for the bad reputation it had. In the guy’s situation, I would have done the same. But I would have fought it differently to make sure it came out in my favor without having to involve Chris.

  • frostysnowman

    A word to the wise – my business travels take me to that part of Richmond a few times a year, and that Days Inn is a total pit. That whole area is not great in general. I flinched when I read the address, because I knew what was coming in terms of the “quality” of that particular hotel.

    That being said, we’ve all got to be more careful about which hotel location we select when we make reservations, particularly when we notice that the rates are non-refundable and we know everyone is enforcing those requirements more stringently these days. But wth the travel industry in such disarray, they could also be a little more accomodating, especially when someone appears to be giving them a lot of notice in the request to change hotel locations.

  • Russell

    I can understand why people are tempted to take a “no waivers, no favors” approach with the customer here. But here’s my question: isn’t one of the general unwritten rules of “non-refundable” bookings that, “not-refundable” notwithstanding, people who genuinely hit the wrong button and reserve the wrong hotel, the wrong date, or the wrong number of tickets can get this fixed if they call the seller promptly (say, within 24 hours, ideally right away)? I’d like to know if there are any written policies or laws about these types of corrections. If you don’t allow these sorts of corrections, industry practices can tend towards the strategy of making money off of customers’ mistakes, which, as we know from the cell phone industry, leads to the strategy of actively trying to encourage customers to make mistakes. In this case it seems like the customer waited a bit long before trying to fix things, which may have been one reason why Days Inn was reluctant to bend.

  • Carver

    Let me turn it around. If the Days Inn made an honest mistake with the rate, they would reserve the right not to honor the rate. It seems to me that if hotels can expect not to honor their reasonable mistakes (e.g. fat fingered fares) then ethically, the hotels should apply the same rules to travelers who make honest mistakes and informs the hotel in time so that the hotel can reasonable resell the room

    To those that say you have to double check, yes, that’s true, but I promise you, you will make a mistake sometime. No one is perfect.

  • Anne

    I think an important point that has been missed here is this: the guest wanted to switch to another Days Inn which is a separate business with a different owner. He is not going from one business location to another location of the same business. He offered his $100 to business “A” and then asks if it would be okay if he gives it to business “B” instead. Of course they refused. For the specific Days Inn property it doesn’t matter if he is rebooking at another Days Inn or at a Hilton. It is a different hotel and the revenue will go to a different business.
    Whether or not non-refundable rooms are fair or appropriate is up for debate but this idea of “transfers” within a franchised brand is ridiculous.

  • Joe Farrell

    A. instead of non-refundable rates – use AAA rates – 95% of the time its the same rate and is cancel and refundable.

    B. Look, you screwed up – and you know its only 5 miles further away – whats that? 10min? Don’t be such a pita, suck it up and drive the extra couple miles.

    C. Non-refundable means just that. If not ‘non-refundable unless you know a travel reporter,’ I’ve never seen that.

  • http://www.roamingtales.com Caitlin (Roaming Tales)

    @Anne I don’t agree. The hotel gets a brand benefit by being part of a franchise chain so they should also have to cope with any disadvantages of being part of a chain. If the hotel owner is not prepared to do this, they can always operate as an independent business rather than a franchise. From the hotelier’s point of view it may be a transfer of business from Business A to Business B. From the customer’s point of view it is not. And that, frankly, is what matters.

  • Bela Fleck

    @ Joe Farrell Do you want to stay in a flea bag just because it’s a couple of extra miles and you don’t want to be a PIA?

  • Carver Farrow

    @Ann

    That’s completely false. The easiest way to get out of a non-refundable reservation is to show that you have a reservation for another hotel in the same chain.

    @Joe.

    Welcome back. Haven’t heard from you in a while. That being said, you know that five miles may be a huge distance depending on the circumstances. If you have to go through LA traffic, that might be a half an hour. If everyone else in your party is at Hotel A and you are at Hotel B, that can cause a huge inconvenience and change the nature of the trip. If Hotel B is the destination hotel, that may cause you to pay double in parking fees.

  • Joel Wechsler

    @Caitlin It is not quite as simple as you make it sound. Some chains are all-franchise, which makes them chains in name only, some are wholly owned and operated by the same company, which makes them true chains, and some are a mixture of franchises and company-owned properties. The same policies can not be uniformly applied to each of these categories.
    @Aaaron I’m imclined to agree with you. Too many people make careless mistakes like this and then expect someone like Chris to bail them out.
    @Carver Farrow I think any time a nationally known travel writer, who may post the story on his blog, website etc. gets involved there is an element of strong-arming involved, ethical or not.

  • Geoff

    I agree with Aaron. Why all of a sudden do you go after companies with a non-refundable policy? If thes people are inteligent enought to use the internet, than they had better not play stupid when they screw up. I love reading the articles that you publish, but don’t defend stupidity. Yes, go after the scoundrels, but “non refundable” wow, what’s not to understand?

  • Kevin M

    Separately from the problem of the non-refundable room: it makes me wonder what Days Inn is doing about a property under its flag that has such a squalid reputation?

    If Days Inn cares about its reputation (and frankly, it may not; it has to know that it doesn’t enjoy the brand status of, say, Holiday Inn), then if reviews like those cited by the customer are happening (bugs, water-damaged furniture, etc.), the corporate office needs to step in: get this place cleaned up and up to standards within 60 days, and with substantial progress shown in 30, or we’re pulling your franchise agreement.

    And if Days Inn doesn’t care so much until a major incident occurs (ie an infant bitten by a bug infestation that sends the child to the hospital, and the local TV news gets the story), then people should book away from the chain until it imposes higher standards and makes sure they’re met.

    There are many, many decent discount motels out there as parts of large chains – many, no doubt, like Days Inn are independently owned and operated. But due to the problems “some” hotels in those chains have, I’m no longer willing to risk staying with them.

  • Suzanne

    I work front desk at the Courtyard Marriott. I hadd a guest request this recently, what guests need to understand is that we have no way of “transferring” your reservation> on our end all we can do is cancel it. And unless you speak with a manager, the regular cancellation policy will apply. The only thing I was wable to suggest to the guest (they were a rewards memeber) was to contact Member Rewards to see if they could handle it.

  • wendy

    About 7 years ago, I stayed at a DAYS INN in Clinton, MD, close to Ansrews Air Force Base. The place was supposed to be refurbished, and was designated as a Business, Exec. suite. Well, electric extension cords were all over the room~- not Internet portal, but the coup de e’tat was in finding a bloody SHEET under the MATTRESS. Either someone had a bad night, or there was a murder. I informed the front desk (Indian staff) who could NOT change the room. In the morning, I told the ‘front desk’; that i wasn’t going to stay there the 2nd night, nor was I going to pay for the FIRST. I contacted Days INN Corporate, and they were not interested in the deplorable conditions. I would THINK that with a CHAIN, there should be SOME LEVEL of accountabilty … Not only will I not stay in DAYS INN again, probably also NOT RAMADA since they wear the same underwear!.

  • Carver

    @joel

    I understand your point but I have to disagree. I think it’s only strong arming if the property isn’t going to get a fair shake. Chris is nationally known to be fair. If the property is in the right, he will say so.

    It’s the same in my profession. It’s only strong arming if the defendant is in the right but they acquiesce because they fear an unfounded lawsuit

    @Wendy

    Damn that’s nasty. Did they really make you pay for the bloody room.

  • Carver

    @geoff

    Non-refundable means different things to different travel providers. For example, with AA it means that you can apply the value of the ticket less a change fee to a future flight in your name. To another provider it might mean no changes tough luck.

    Based on that I generally but non-refundable airliene tickets, but almost never non-refundable hotel tickets

  • Joe Farrell

    @Bela- there was no facts that the original hotel was a fleabag . . .

    guys = whats the deal here – the op screwed up = gut it up. Heck, I bought 2 non-refundable airline tickets for my family one day that we did not use the next because we needed to travel someplace else- is that the airlines fault? Same difference. I decided not to use it because of MY reasons, not theirs.

  • Paulette

    I don’t understand the hissy for a few additional minutes of driving. It would be different if the hotels were in different cities, but a few miles apart? Unfortunately, those of us who do pay attention to the rules end up paying for people like this who don’t.

  • Bill

    I remember when I made a reservation at a Marriott in Kentucky some years ago. It wasn’t a “non refundable” reservation, but that evening, I couldn’t find the hotel, there was road construction etc. It was past the time when I could cancel. I phoned their reservations line and explained to them that I was perfectly happy to stay in a Marriott property, but was having trouble finding this particular one and had in fact, been so frustrated that I got my “second wind” and could drive further. They did accommodate me…I didn’t expect that they had to, nor would I expect that they would have to do it again if I asked…but the point is, I did have a problem of my own, and I got it solved by calling them.

    I have made sure it was worth their while, however. I’ve spent thousands at their chains this year alone.

  • Dowhatyoufear

    Remember when a deal was a deal?  Now it is only a deal unless the customer changes his or her mind.