Interesting story to tell that fortunately worked out well, but I was wondering if I am the only parent who has a problem getting my cadet a hotel room while in transit back and forth to school?
So last week, I book my daughter a hotel reservation on a well-known travel site (the one that uses the famous sci-fi series actor as its spokesperson). I put in my daughter's name in the reservation area and filled out the credit card stuff etc. not noticing the little issue of being 21 or over as one of the rules. Got the reservation at a national chain hotel.
Well, she set out this morning at 8 and 600 miles and 9.5 hours later, I get a call.... Dad... They won't rent the room to me. I'm not 21...
So, goaliedad gets on the cellphone with the hotel...
Hotel Manager: Corporate policy, no reservations to anyone under 21...
Goaliedad: But she's got military ID and is on her way back to school for ROTC. You mean that someone who is signed up to defend her country can't get a room????
Hotel Manger: Nope, we have problems with kids from (large city 100 miles away) coming here getting drunk and trashing the place.... You'll need to call (reservation website) to get a refund.
Goaliedad: Trust me, if she got drunk and trashed your room, she'd have a lot more problems from the Army than you could ever give her. So you mean that you don't rent to Active Duty soldiers on their way to (military base within a couple hours) who are on their way to deploy?
Hotel Manager: No. Doesn't matter. 21 and older.
Goaliedad: So where can my daughter get a hotel room at her age in the area?
Hotel Manager: The only place anywhere near is (local no-name hotel) over in (town 20 miles away).
Goaliedad: Funny... She was able to rent at (very well known national chain) in (next town 3 miles away) this time last year. Well, can you call your corporate office and ask for an exception for this girl who would like to serve her country. Meanwhile, I'll call (hotel mentioned by manager) and (reservation website) and see what their refund policy is.
Hotel Manager: OK. I'll call you back after I talk to them.
End of phone call
Goaliedad goes on search engine and researches hotel mentioned by hotel manager in previous call. Looks at reviews... Dirty, disgusting. Other review mentions roaches.... OK, goaliedad thinking... Let's hope we can fix this with (reservation website)...
Goaliedad then calls well-known reservation website phone system on land line, goes through operator menus, tells the agent everything possible about the reservation (to verify identity) and asks about the 21-year-old policy.
Website customer assistance: I guess you didn't see it on the page?
Goaliedad: No. I guess I didn't. Put it this way... My 20-year old AROTC daughter who has never had a problem renting a hotel room, even in this town now suddenly cannot rent a room and is 600 miles from home and 300 miles from her destination. What can we do about this.
Website customer assistance: I can get you a refund and see where else we can book her...
Website customer assistance starts clicking away... Got you a refund.. $x.xx will be credited to your card. I need to forward you to our reservation agent to book you a new room. Please hold...
Goaliedad's cell phone starts ringing - Hotel calling back...
Goaliedad (to hotel manager calling back):Hello?
Hotel manager: Mr. Goaliedad. We're going to rent your daughter the room.
Goaliedad: Uh, I'm on hold with (reservation website). They just cancelled my reservation. Let me talk to them to see if I can get it put back... I'll get back to you in a couple of minutes. They just came back online.
End of call to Hotel Manager
Goaliedad (talking to reservation website booking agent): Hello? I was just on the phone with the hotel and they decided to rent to my daughter.
Reservation booking agent (with customer assistant agent online as well): Mr Goaliedad. Unfortunately, we cannot put your reservation back.
Goaliedad: OK, can you make me a new reservation?
Reservation booking agent: Let me see. (clicking away on computer...) Uh, we don't show any more rooms available at that hotel tonight.
Goaliedad: Uh oh! Well let me call the hotel and let them know...
End of call to reservation booking agent.
Goaliedad thinking to himself... Now you've gone and done it. First you couldn't get her a room because you didn't read the website carefully. Now you've gone and cancelled her out of the only room you would want her to stay in. Now you are going to have to tell her to suck it up and drive another 4 hours to her apartment at school...
Goaliedad (calling the hotel manager again): Hello? Uh, I'm sorry, I couldn't get (reservation website) to reinstate my reservation. How much would it be for me to book her a room tonight?
Hotel manager: How much were you paying for the room?
Goaliedad: $x.xx
Hotel manager: How about $y.yy ($12 dollars less than original reservation)? And I'd like to apologize for all the trouble.
Goaliedad: You don't have to aplogize. And really, you only need to charge me $x.xx (original price).
Hotel manager: No, it will be $y.yy. But I would like you to email me a fax or email me a note authorizing her as a minor to stay at our facility. (Gives me email address and fax number)
Goaliedad: I'll send you an email. Starts tying email...
Hotel Manager: I called (other well known national chain in next town where my daughter stayed last year). It is one of the properties this company manages. There wasn't a problem with her. I'm sure she is a good kid. Someone at that hotel didn't check her ID and is probably going to be in a little trouble.
Goaliedad: You should have the email now.
Hotel Manager: Yes, thank you.
Goaliedad: Is everything set?
Hotel Manager: Yes.
Goaliedad: Thank you! I'll call her now. She is sitting in her car in the parking lot.
End of call.
Happy ending to this story. I was wondering if any of you have similar troubles getting your young folks back and forth to school or other similar stories?
So last week, I book my daughter a hotel reservation on a well-known travel site (the one that uses the famous sci-fi series actor as its spokesperson). I put in my daughter's name in the reservation area and filled out the credit card stuff etc. not noticing the little issue of being 21 or over as one of the rules. Got the reservation at a national chain hotel.
Well, she set out this morning at 8 and 600 miles and 9.5 hours later, I get a call.... Dad... They won't rent the room to me. I'm not 21...
So, goaliedad gets on the cellphone with the hotel...
Hotel Manager: Corporate policy, no reservations to anyone under 21...
Goaliedad: But she's got military ID and is on her way back to school for ROTC. You mean that someone who is signed up to defend her country can't get a room????
Hotel Manger: Nope, we have problems with kids from (large city 100 miles away) coming here getting drunk and trashing the place.... You'll need to call (reservation website) to get a refund.
Goaliedad: Trust me, if she got drunk and trashed your room, she'd have a lot more problems from the Army than you could ever give her. So you mean that you don't rent to Active Duty soldiers on their way to (military base within a couple hours) who are on their way to deploy?
Hotel Manager: No. Doesn't matter. 21 and older.
Goaliedad: So where can my daughter get a hotel room at her age in the area?
Hotel Manager: The only place anywhere near is (local no-name hotel) over in (town 20 miles away).
Goaliedad: Funny... She was able to rent at (very well known national chain) in (next town 3 miles away) this time last year. Well, can you call your corporate office and ask for an exception for this girl who would like to serve her country. Meanwhile, I'll call (hotel mentioned by manager) and (reservation website) and see what their refund policy is.
Hotel Manager: OK. I'll call you back after I talk to them.
End of phone call
Goaliedad goes on search engine and researches hotel mentioned by hotel manager in previous call. Looks at reviews... Dirty, disgusting. Other review mentions roaches.... OK, goaliedad thinking... Let's hope we can fix this with (reservation website)...
Goaliedad then calls well-known reservation website phone system on land line, goes through operator menus, tells the agent everything possible about the reservation (to verify identity) and asks about the 21-year-old policy.
Website customer assistance: I guess you didn't see it on the page?
Goaliedad: No. I guess I didn't. Put it this way... My 20-year old AROTC daughter who has never had a problem renting a hotel room, even in this town now suddenly cannot rent a room and is 600 miles from home and 300 miles from her destination. What can we do about this.
Website customer assistance: I can get you a refund and see where else we can book her...
Website customer assistance starts clicking away... Got you a refund.. $x.xx will be credited to your card. I need to forward you to our reservation agent to book you a new room. Please hold...
Goaliedad's cell phone starts ringing - Hotel calling back...
Goaliedad (to hotel manager calling back):Hello?
Hotel manager: Mr. Goaliedad. We're going to rent your daughter the room.
Goaliedad: Uh, I'm on hold with (reservation website). They just cancelled my reservation. Let me talk to them to see if I can get it put back... I'll get back to you in a couple of minutes. They just came back online.
End of call to Hotel Manager
Goaliedad (talking to reservation website booking agent): Hello? I was just on the phone with the hotel and they decided to rent to my daughter.
Reservation booking agent (with customer assistant agent online as well): Mr Goaliedad. Unfortunately, we cannot put your reservation back.
Goaliedad: OK, can you make me a new reservation?
Reservation booking agent: Let me see. (clicking away on computer...) Uh, we don't show any more rooms available at that hotel tonight.
Goaliedad: Uh oh! Well let me call the hotel and let them know...
End of call to reservation booking agent.
Goaliedad thinking to himself... Now you've gone and done it. First you couldn't get her a room because you didn't read the website carefully. Now you've gone and cancelled her out of the only room you would want her to stay in. Now you are going to have to tell her to suck it up and drive another 4 hours to her apartment at school...
Goaliedad (calling the hotel manager again): Hello? Uh, I'm sorry, I couldn't get (reservation website) to reinstate my reservation. How much would it be for me to book her a room tonight?
Hotel manager: How much were you paying for the room?
Goaliedad: $x.xx
Hotel manager: How about $y.yy ($12 dollars less than original reservation)? And I'd like to apologize for all the trouble.
Goaliedad: You don't have to aplogize. And really, you only need to charge me $x.xx (original price).
Hotel manager: No, it will be $y.yy. But I would like you to email me a fax or email me a note authorizing her as a minor to stay at our facility. (Gives me email address and fax number)
Goaliedad: I'll send you an email. Starts tying email...
Hotel Manager: I called (other well known national chain in next town where my daughter stayed last year). It is one of the properties this company manages. There wasn't a problem with her. I'm sure she is a good kid. Someone at that hotel didn't check her ID and is probably going to be in a little trouble.
Goaliedad: You should have the email now.
Hotel Manager: Yes, thank you.
Goaliedad: Is everything set?
Hotel Manager: Yes.
Goaliedad: Thank you! I'll call her now. She is sitting in her car in the parking lot.
End of call.
Happy ending to this story. I was wondering if any of you have similar troubles getting your young folks back and forth to school or other similar stories?
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