I received a call at 9pm on the night of my planned stay at a Travelodge telling me the hotel I booked a week in advance was full and it would be transferring me to another miles from where I needed to be.
I was offered no compensation and suspect they are doing this to fill up rooms in less popular areas.
PM, Hurstpierpoint, West Sussex
A single call to the press office secures you a full refund and the offer of a free night in any Travelodge. Other customers will not be so lucky.
It explains: “Similar to the airline industry, the hotel sector operates a policy to make provision for the proportion of customers that do not show up. This enables hotels to ensure maximum availability to its customers.”
However, unlike airlines which have to offer substantial compensation for denied boarding, Travelodge offers nothing bar a taxi fare to the alternative hotel where guests are then left high and dry.
Since rooms are pre-paid, no-shows would not cause it to lose out and the claim that the policy is to ensure maximum availability is exasperating logic for those like you who find that, because of it, their pre-booked rooms are unavailable.
If you need help email Anna Tims at your.problems@observer.co.uk or write to Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Include an address and phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions
