No show who shows up the next day?

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Alibi Ike

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How would you handle a no show who shows up the next day and says they booked for the day they showed up on, not the day they actually made the reservation for? (Online rez, so not my mistake.)
In this case I mean monetarily. Charge them twice because you held the room and turned other guests away? Just have them sign the receipt from the day they were supposed to show and call it even? What?
 
Do you have a copy of their reservation in writing someplace (online confirmation that you can print out)? If yes, then I'd charge them for the no-show night (as you held the room for them) AND the night that they are now interested in.
If no documentation, then....
 
Print a copy of their reservation and the confirmation you sent. Charge them for both days.
 
Print a copy of their reservation and the confirmation you sent. Charge them for both days..
Don Draper said:
Print a copy of their reservation and the confirmation you sent. Charge them for both days.
This ^
Or as per the no-show policy if they booked through OTA
 
attitude is everything. had this happen this year already and i was forgiving about it, but I was TIRED waiting all night (yes there is a note, but you never really sleep, you have one eye open) He was very apologetic, so I said no worries. If he wasn't and showed up and room is availa, then charge them two nights! Imagine a hotel saying "Oh yeah well just stay for free then..." No, they will charge you if you have a second person in the room!
 
I can picture the TA review now "They charged me for the room when I didn't even stay there, even though I have reserved it!" Officially they were a NO SHOW on the first night. So next night - pay the man!
 
Honestly, I have done both...(whether it was online or not don't remember) It depends on many factors including:
How I feel that day.. (insert 'today I like chocolate')
Could I have sold the room the previous night?
Did I have the heat or air on for their comfort & them not show?
How THEY responded when I mentioned I had them booked for another time.
Did they reply to your confirmation email?
Some people are so organized with their travels (DH is one) and they have everthing in a folder, arranged by date with confirmation, site-seeing info etc.. The Canadian guests that just left had everything in order. Then there are those that wing by the seat of their pants - that would be me I'm afraid, thanks to DH for keeping us on path!
 
we had this this week booked Saturday through wendesday leaving thursday morning. had been paid in advance and they were comming from south africa and sometimes international guests book the night before so they can get straight in (if you see what i mean) but was really cross for them not turning up and not letting me know. They turned up the next day ie sunday and wanted 5 nights ie leaving friday morning they were ruddy lucky i had the thursday night but I was spitting mad as I could have sold the saturday 5 times over. However they were super nice people and on a tight budget so i didn't charge and to top it all his father died on the thursday morning felt awful for them. think you have to judge it on a case by case basis if it had been one night might have done it differently but if you say you are charging and are stuck with them for 5 days it could be a bit awkward.
 
I can picture the TA review now "They charged me for the room when I didn't even stay there, even though I have reserved it!" Officially they were a NO SHOW on the first night. So next night - pay the man!.
We figure we'll be dropping to 7th place on TA after the weekend. That's about what a 0 star review will do to us. Que sera sera.
 
This basically happened to us tonight - except that we at least got a phone call (rather late!) explaining that they were too far away and weren't able to make it, so shifted rez a day. Okay, we are not going to charge them for tonight if they come tomorrow.
In your situation, I wouldn't double charge dspite the technical no-show. You have to use your innkeeper's sixth sense as to whether this is an honest if foolish mistake in the booking dates. We have had ... I estimate not quite 2% ... guests make mistakes in online booking and we have to fix it over the phone after they (or their partner) read the confirmation.
 
This basically happened to us tonight - except that we at least got a phone call (rather late!) explaining that they were too far away and weren't able to make it, so shifted rez a day. Okay, we are not going to charge them for tonight if they come tomorrow.
In your situation, I wouldn't double charge dspite the technical no-show. You have to use your innkeeper's sixth sense as to whether this is an honest if foolish mistake in the booking dates. We have had ... I estimate not quite 2% ... guests make mistakes in online booking and we have to fix it over the phone after they (or their partner) read the confirmation..
It makes no difference at all if it's an "honest" mistake, or a "foolish" mistake or what have you. On a busy Friday night when I would have had the room sold except for their mistake, I'm sorry but it's their responsibility. If it were midweek and we weren't full, then not such a big deal, that room or a different one might have been open anyway. This is why we have them check the box agreeing to our policies. We are not running a charity. Obviously it's at the innkeeper's discretion but IMO it should NOT be assumed that the innkeeper should just eat the loss because someone else didn't bother to double check their confirmation.
 
This basically happened to us tonight - except that we at least got a phone call (rather late!) explaining that they were too far away and weren't able to make it, so shifted rez a day. Okay, we are not going to charge them for tonight if they come tomorrow.
In your situation, I wouldn't double charge dspite the technical no-show. You have to use your innkeeper's sixth sense as to whether this is an honest if foolish mistake in the booking dates. We have had ... I estimate not quite 2% ... guests make mistakes in online booking and we have to fix it over the phone after they (or their partner) read the confirmation..
Obviously this is each innkeepers decision and as I stated I have done both. It IS their responsibility to check the correct dates when booking AND with the confirmation. Foolish mistakes cost $. It is up to the innkeeper who will eat the loss.
A hotel is not going to care if they made an honest mistake or not, they will be charged, they are in the market to sell rooms and make money.
The argument (not that this has come up by anyone yet) that this is what sets a b&b apart can also be what sets b&bs into being a thing of the past.
 
This basically happened to us tonight - except that we at least got a phone call (rather late!) explaining that they were too far away and weren't able to make it, so shifted rez a day. Okay, we are not going to charge them for tonight if they come tomorrow.
In your situation, I wouldn't double charge dspite the technical no-show. You have to use your innkeeper's sixth sense as to whether this is an honest if foolish mistake in the booking dates. We have had ... I estimate not quite 2% ... guests make mistakes in online booking and we have to fix it over the phone after they (or their partner) read the confirmation..
I have to agree with you.
 
When I am on a job and someone is not showing up I tend to pick up the phone and call - is that not SOP for B&B's? You'd still have the dilemma of whether to charge them or not, but you would have known what the problem was a day ahead.
 
When I am on a job and someone is not showing up I tend to pick up the phone and call - is that not SOP for B&B's? You'd still have the dilemma of whether to charge them or not, but you would have known what the problem was a day ahead..
suellen222 said:
When I am on a job and someone is not showing up I tend to pick up the phone and call - is that not SOP for B&B's? You'd still have the dilemma of whether to charge them or not, but you would have known what the problem was a day ahead.
What time do you call?
 
When I am on a job and someone is not showing up I tend to pick up the phone and call - is that not SOP for B&B's? You'd still have the dilemma of whether to charge them or not, but you would have known what the problem was a day ahead..
suellen222 said:
When I am on a job and someone is not showing up I tend to pick up the phone and call - is that not SOP for B&B's? You'd still have the dilemma of whether to charge them or not, but you would have known what the problem was a day ahead.
What time do you call?
.
In our case we ask folks to call us as the boat is leaving the dock or they are walking to the small plane (we are an island, so we have to know their arrival plans ahead of time for pick up). When there is no call, after about 30min to 1 hour (depending on how busy I am at that time) I call.
 
When I am on a job and someone is not showing up I tend to pick up the phone and call - is that not SOP for B&B's? You'd still have the dilemma of whether to charge them or not, but you would have known what the problem was a day ahead..
suellen222 said:
When I am on a job and someone is not showing up I tend to pick up the phone and call - is that not SOP for B&B's? You'd still have the dilemma of whether to charge them or not, but you would have known what the problem was a day ahead.
What time do you call?
.
In our case we ask folks to call us as the boat is leaving the dock or they are walking to the small plane (we are an island, so we have to know their arrival plans ahead of time for pick up). When there is no call, after about 30min to 1 hour (depending on how busy I am at that time) I call.
.
You have a different situation. The guest MUST contact you and you already know what times the planes or boats stop and start operations.
I want to know from Sue at what time she calls a guest who has not arrived. At what point does she determine they should be there and she needs to know where they are?
 
When I am on a job and someone is not showing up I tend to pick up the phone and call - is that not SOP for B&B's? You'd still have the dilemma of whether to charge them or not, but you would have known what the problem was a day ahead..
suellen222 said:
When I am on a job and someone is not showing up I tend to pick up the phone and call - is that not SOP for B&B's? You'd still have the dilemma of whether to charge them or not, but you would have known what the problem was a day ahead.
What time do you call?
.
In our case we ask folks to call us as the boat is leaving the dock or they are walking to the small plane (we are an island, so we have to know their arrival plans ahead of time for pick up). When there is no call, after about 30min to 1 hour (depending on how busy I am at that time) I call.
.
You have a different situation. The guest MUST contact you and you already know what times the planes or boats stop and start operations.
I want to know from Sue at what time she calls a guest who has not arrived. At what point does she determine they should be there and she needs to know where they are?
.
Alibi Ike said:
I want to know from Sue at what time she calls a guest who has not arrived. At what point does she determine they should be there and she needs to know where they are?
I can't speak for Sue, but if I'm going to call - I don't always, but often I do - it's after they've gone past their selected check-in time. So if someone says 3 to 6 arrival, I call around 6:15 or so to get a new ETA, or if they say 6 to 9, I call at 9:15 to explain the late check-in process. If they've told me after 9 - that's pretty rare and I've usually spoken to these people at least once for the res already - I wouldn't call.
Lots of times I call because I want to know for me - if I want to go to dinner or run an errand, or because I want to make sure they understand how they will self-check-in. I've made that call maybe twice to find out they weren't coming at all - two people who claimed they'd cancelled. No I didn't charge them - both incidents were early on in our innkeeping lives and I frankly wasn't sure that they hadn't called to cancel and it was actually our mistake.
Once someone showed up a day early - Friday instead of Saturday. We had one room left for them on Friday (not the room they booked) and resold the room on Saturday. So it's just worked out, I guess.
 
When I am on a job and someone is not showing up I tend to pick up the phone and call - is that not SOP for B&B's? You'd still have the dilemma of whether to charge them or not, but you would have known what the problem was a day ahead..
suellen222 said:
When I am on a job and someone is not showing up I tend to pick up the phone and call - is that not SOP for B&B's? You'd still have the dilemma of whether to charge them or not, but you would have known what the problem was a day ahead.
What time do you call?
.
In our case we ask folks to call us as the boat is leaving the dock or they are walking to the small plane (we are an island, so we have to know their arrival plans ahead of time for pick up). When there is no call, after about 30min to 1 hour (depending on how busy I am at that time) I call.
.
You have a different situation. The guest MUST contact you and you already know what times the planes or boats stop and start operations.
I want to know from Sue at what time she calls a guest who has not arrived. At what point does she determine they should be there and she needs to know where they are?
.
Alibi Ike said:
I want to know from Sue at what time she calls a guest who has not arrived. At what point does she determine they should be there and she needs to know where they are?
I can't speak for Sue, but if I'm going to call - I don't always, but often I do - it's after they've gone past their selected check-in time. So if someone says 3 to 6 arrival, I call around 6:15 or so to get a new ETA, or if they say 6 to 9, I call at 9:15 to explain the late check-in process. If they've told me after 9 - that's pretty rare and I've usually spoken to these people at least once for the res already - I wouldn't call.
Lots of times I call because I want to know for me - if I want to go to dinner or run an errand, or because I want to make sure they understand how they will self-check-in. I've made that call maybe twice to find out they weren't coming at all - two people who claimed they'd cancelled. No I didn't charge them - both incidents were early on in our innkeeping lives and I frankly wasn't sure that they hadn't called to cancel and it was actually our mistake.
Once someone showed up a day early - Friday instead of Saturday. We had one room left for them on Friday (not the room they booked) and resold the room on Saturday. So it's just worked out, I guess.
 
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