Early wedding guest dinged with 76 percent-a-night price jump — is that legal?

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JBloggs

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Early wedding guest dinged with 76 percent-a-night price jump — is that legal?
[FONT= 'Times New Roman']Everyone knows that hotel rates can fluctuate from day to day. But when Preston Moore tried to book a room at the JW Marriott Denver at Cherry Creek, he was surprised to find they wanted to raise his rate by $130 from one day to the next — a price he says he couldn’t afford.[/FONT]
[FONT= 'Times New Roman']Can Marriott do that?
Yes it can.Moore was in town for a wedding, and the family’s contract for a wedding rate began on a Thursday. So an early arrival like him would have to pay whatever price Marriott asked.
Moore explains:
I work at a school in Norfolk, Va., and make little money, so saving costs is a must when I travel. My cousin is getting married on July 31 in Denver.
The best deal I can get on a flight is using Frontier Airlines which flies direct from Newport News to Denver. That flight is just over $200, which is about half what I could find for other airlines. That flight leaves on Wednesday, July 28, and returns on Sunday.
They do not have a Thursday flight. My problem is the JW Marriott Cherry Creek in Denver will not honor the wedding rate for the room on that Wednesday night that I arrive in Denver. I am traveling with my girlfriend who is also a teacher. The wedding rate is $169 per night, but they want to charge me $299 for the Wednesday night.
I believe that they should charge the wedding rate as that is the only reason I’m using their hotel. (My cousin has all the shuttles and a few of the meals lined up to be at the Marriott.) What can I do to get them to honor this rate?
Well, I agree that it would be nice of Marriott to honor that price. But does it have to? No.
I checked with my Marriott contact. “I understand the predicament,” he told me. “But typically we have to abide but what’s in the contract.”
But in this situation, Moore wasn’t asking Marriott to lower its contract rate — just to match it. That doesn’t sound like an unreasonable request to me. Still, the hotel might be full and if the price is higher, the price is higher.
Moore could have made a polite request in writing, which probably would have been declined. As an alternative, he and his girlfriend might have considered another hotel for Wednesday night. Denver has lots of terrific properties that cost less than $299 a night, or even $169 a night.
I asked Marriott to take another look at Moore’s request. Even though it didn’t have to honor the wedding rate on Wednesday, it decided to make an exception for their guest.
That’s good customer service. Nice work, Marriott.
✓ Get the latest travel news, tips and commentary from Elliott’s E-Mail, the subversive newsletter from industry gadfly Christopher Elliott. You’ll travel like a pro. Sign up here. It’s free. Article from HERE
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I love the line, 'The only reason I'm staying there...' I would love to hang up on the guest who says that to me. And it's happened enough.
Really, people, how much money YOU make has nothing to do with what the hotel charges.
OTOH, the hotel can charge what they want. They COULD, by all means, charge the guy the contract price. But maybe they don't want him there! My parents have stayed some places where they've made friends with the desk staff who will override the weekend rates and let my parents stay at the weekday rates. (And they've been nicely tipped for doing that.)
 
And in the end Marriot got a 'thataboy' for their good customer service. With the hoops that had to be done to get this exception they really do not deserve the pat on the back. And I am sure, depending on the broadcast of this article, it will only become a pain in the a$$ as others try to use this to their benefit.
So these people think we should have a sliding scale for different salary ranges?
What is wrong with coming in to town and staying somewhere else for the first night? Winers!
 
This is no different really than people upping their rates on a busy weekend for some of the guests but not all. Lodging businesses can do as they wish. Doesn't make it sit any better with the guest that pays the higher rate though.
 
Wow, your cousin getting married is hardly a reason for you to HAVE to travel. If you can't afford the trip, you shouldn't go. Who in the world cares about your salary? This is so distasteful.
 
I still remember the hotel manager I chatted with who explained how her rates fluctuated... the couple who rolled in on the Gold Wings were charged a lot more than the family stranded on the highway. The nicer your clothes or car, the higher the price.
=)
Kk.
 
I still remember the hotel manager I chatted with who explained how her rates fluctuated... the couple who rolled in on the Gold Wings were charged a lot more than the family stranded on the highway. The nicer your clothes or car, the higher the price.
=)
Kk..
Wow. She actually told you that as if it's just an okay normal practice!
 
I still remember the hotel manager I chatted with who explained how her rates fluctuated... the couple who rolled in on the Gold Wings were charged a lot more than the family stranded on the highway. The nicer your clothes or car, the higher the price.
=)
Kk..
YellowSocks said:
I still remember the hotel manager I chatted with who explained how her rates fluctuated... the couple who rolled in on the Gold Wings were charged a lot more than the family stranded on the highway. The nicer your clothes or car, the higher the price.
=)
Kk.
That would be totally illegal of course and unethical, some people are all talk.
 
I still remember the hotel manager I chatted with who explained how her rates fluctuated... the couple who rolled in on the Gold Wings were charged a lot more than the family stranded on the highway. The nicer your clothes or car, the higher the price.
=)
Kk..
YellowSocks said:
I still remember the hotel manager I chatted with who explained how her rates fluctuated... the couple who rolled in on the Gold Wings were charged a lot more than the family stranded on the highway. The nicer your clothes or car, the higher the price.
=)
Kk.
That would be totally illegal of course and unethical, some people are all talk.
.
Joey Bloggs said:
YellowSocks said:
I still remember the hotel manager I chatted with who explained how her rates fluctuated... the couple who rolled in on the Gold Wings were charged a lot more than the family stranded on the highway. The nicer your clothes or car, the higher the price.
That would be totally illegal of course and unethical, some people are all talk.
Oh, I agree it was both... but I believe she really did it. And I think she was really trying to give me helpful advice on how to run my business!
NOT happening!
=)
Kk.
 
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