Overbooked at Dolphin

[aaronandterri]

Overbooked at Dolphin


My hubby is on solo trip with our eldest son and was booked into the dolphin for part of his trip , (through dreams), when he arrived last night (late as he had been delayed at gatwick),he waited a while and was then told he had been overbooked (this was booked ages ago) and that he was being moved, they eventually moved him to Colorado springs and said hed be getting some refund as a cheque....?

what should we be doing here , is it dreams or dolphin and swan we sould contact...? how do things like this happen?...surely they can count and know how many rooms they have!
Also i think well have probelms with a cheque being in the uk and it being in dollars can we ask for a refund the way we paid on our card, or cash....?
again whos responsbiliyt is it, dreams as we booked through them or Swan and dolphin??
My son is Autistic and this was a major headache for my husband as you can imagne.......

He was so tired and hungry last night he didnt have time to stand and agure the toss with them but we want this addressed.....any ideas.?

 

[kapoof]

sorry about your experince! did they try to get you in over at the swan? i would try to contact the starwood about this, they own the swan and dolphin...i am glad to hear they moved you onsite however..i read once a couple got bumped from the dolphin and were moved arcoss orlando!!

 

[twinboysmom]

There is not much you can do. They provided another room which is all Florida laws states they have to do. These things happen at all hotels, including those on Disney property. Sometimes rooms must be removed due maintenance issues, sometimes a guest doesn't check out when they're supposed to. These things happen. You will have to wait to see what type of refund you actually get. I would request it be in whatever form of payment you would like but that may be out of your control. It wouldn't hurt to turn it over to the agency you booked with and let them see what they can do to assist. Btw, Coronado springs is a nice hotel and I am sure your family will enjoy their stay. It is disappointing to have to be inconvenienced but hopefully the Disney magic has kicked in and they are enjoying their stay.

 

[aaronandterri]

the problem is more my son is Autistic and this freaked him out, he likes routine, not change and doesnt like being sprung things like this on him, he was very stressed about it all.

 

[vicki_c]

I would definitely contact your Dreams TA and let them work it out for you - tell them how you want the money returned.

That is WHY you have a TA - to deal with these kinds of issues.

I hope they have a good time despite their rough start.

 

[DebbieB]

I would not consider Coronado Springs comparable. Problem is this is the last weekend of Food & Wine, also Veterans Day weekend and everything is probably booked.

 

[Polydweller]

A difficult situation for your family. From my hotelier background I can offer some things that might help you in dealing with this.

Overbooking is rare but can unexpectedly occur at very busy times when people extend stays, or hvac/electrical/water or other maintenance issues take a block of rooms out of inventory. I have never heard of a reputable hotel intentionally overbooking.

When this occurs, the hotel will attempt to find the closest equivalent accommodation within the price range. If you prepaid then the hotel will forward payment to the alternate hotel and refund the rest. If a cheque isn't issued rapidly then get your TA to follow up and get the payment for you. The TA can deal with any exchange issues.

 

[autismgoesdisney]

I have an autistic daughter so I TOTALLY get that part. My daughter would have a hard time as well.

I also don't feel that Coronado and Dolphin are comparable. Is it possible that every deluxe was booked? If so, then I understand, but if not, then I think they should have tried to put your husband into a deluxe. Especially because of the trouble, and upgrade would certainly have changed his outlook!

 

[dvcHammer]

All hotels overbook (so do airlines, rental cars, etc...). It is the industry standard to do so. It make financial sense for them to do so. So there is no issue there.

When you have to "walk" a guest, you are required to find them another room. There is no law that requires you to refund anything.

That said, most will work with you to make it right.

I have been "walked" from some of the nicest hotels in the country. It happens all the time.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I think hubby - who is there - should perhaps clarify what type of refund he is getting. I mean, it's possible they are refunding more than the difference in price. I mean if they offered to refund the entire cost of my hotel...

I haven't stayed at the Swan in a few years, but the one time we had a problem there, they gave us fairly generous compensation for our troubles.

Generally, if I don't think a business has given me a fair trade, I ask to speak to the manager (politely) or supervisor (depending). I find that dealing with such things promptly is often best. Number one, you are there in person, number two - you don't have to search up receipts or other 'proof - which you have to do afte the fact. Three, managers usually have more options than other employees. You might be dealing witha novice employee - for example - who has never dealt with any problems before.

I'm al ittle unclear if DH was rebooked for one night or is still at CSR - but he might try talking tothe manager of the CSR if he's there. Disney didn't do anything wrong - but the manager might be able to talkto the Dolphin on his behalf - or might eb able to provide him with helpful info.

As another person said, the TA is another person you sould probably contact if DH didn't yet resolve issue to his satisfaction.

Contacting your CC is still one more avenue. That's WHY I often use a CC when traveling. You ALWAYS have the option to refute a charge - whether it's the full charge ora partial charge.

Last, I'm not sure how to say this - you are a third party here. I'm sure the thought of your chld being in distress is upsetting - but you are not there. You are not personally impacted. As such, it's probably better if you are not the one seeking remedy. You will have less impact than DH - who was a witness to your son's duress. I don't say that to be mean spirited. (Then again, I'm even further removed from the situation....)

 

[aaronandterri]

I think hubby - who is there - should perhaps clarify what type of refund he is getting. I mean, it's possible they are refunding more than the difference in price. I mean if they offered to refund the entire cost of my hotel...


I haven't stayed at the Swan in a few years, but the one time we had a problem there, they gave us fairly generous compensation for our troubles.

Generally, if I don't think a business has given me a fair trade, I ask to speak to the manager (politely) or supervisor (depending). I find that dealing with such things promptly is often best. Number one, you are there in person, number two - you don't have to search up receipts or other 'proof - which you have to do afte the fact. Three, managers usually have more options than other employees. You might be dealing witha novice employee - for example - who has never dealt with any problems before.

He was shattered was delayed on long haul flight and shattered, waas trying to damage limiation with ds and was getting run around from staff anyhow just wanted to be settles and sleep, thats why looking into it more today, think at that point he was just happy to be somewhere!, so didnt speak to manager etc

I'm al ittle unclear if DH was rebooked for one night or is still at CSR - but he might try talking tothe manager of the CSR if he's there. Disney didn't do anything wrong - but the manager might be able to talkto the Dolphin on his behalf - or might eb able to provide him with helpful info.

Yep stayed at coloarado springs, hes moving to bonnet creek anyway for the rest of his stay so no point moving again, would just stress ds more.

As another person said, the TA is another person you sould probably contact if DH didn't yet resolve issue to his satisfaction.

I did contact dreams and they said its down to dolphin to sort out any refund , but would contact buisness office monday to chase it all up on our behalf.
Contacting your CC is still one more avenue. That's WHY I often use a CC when traveling. You ALWAYS have the option to refute a charge - whether it's the full charge ora partial charge.

It was paid by Debit card

Last, I'm not sure how to say this - you are a third party here. I'm sure the thought of your chld being in distress is upsetting - but you are not there. You are not personally impacted. As such, it's probably better if you are not the one seeking remedy. You will have less impact than DH - who was a witness to your son's duress. I don't say that to be mean spirited. (Then again, I'm even further removed from the situation....)

I have no intention of doing anything just wanted to cut out his vacation time being ruined and find out who i need to talk to, wasnt sure if it was TA or dolphin as not used TA before......also very hard for him to talk about ds when hes with him and as its only them two there dont have the option to leave him with anyone, but thanks for the advice anyway, looks like its mostly cleared up, still a little bit annoyed at the whole way it happened though.

 

[aaronandterri]

i guess im lucky then...... as its not happened to us before and we travel alot .....

All hotels overbook (so do airlines, rental cars, etc...). It is the industry standard to do so. It make financial sense for them to do so. So there is no issue there.

When you have to "walk" a guest, you are required to find them another room. There is no law that requires you to refund anything.

That said, most will work with you to make it right.

I have been "walked" from some of the nicest hotels in the country. It happens all the time.

 

[Vivianne]

These things happen. I am very sorry about your son, it must have been distressing for him.

Try to get the name of a contact person. Maybe in the future you may get some sort of upgrade. Be nice about it. Our upgrade when we had an issue was excellent. Hope this works out for you.

 

[DCbride]

We booked the Dolphin last April and then got an email in September that they overbooked (it was last weekend) and they wanted to upgrade us to the Swan and a better view than booked. We cancelled and decided to stay at AKL instead. I find it interesting that they did not contact you before he arrived. And I agree most hotels by Epcot are totally booked this weekend so transfer to Swan most likely would not be possible. And while I love CSR resort, it is definitely not a deluxe and transportation to 2 resorts by boat can not compare to all resorts by bus. I hope the compensation was decent for him.

 

[lizabu]

All hotels overbook (so do airlines, rental cars, etc...). It is the industry standard to do so. It make financial sense for them to do so. So there is no issue there.

When you have to "walk" a guest, you are required to find them another room. There is no law that requires you to refund anything.

That said, most will work with you to make it right.

I have been "walked" from some of the nicest hotels in the country. It happens all the time.

Yes. This is a standard practice. Most hotels will overbook because they know people cancel all the time. The problem occurs when everyone actually shows up. When this happens the hotel is required to "walk" you to a hotel or equal value at their own expense. If the hotel your DH was walked to is not of equal value that may be why they mentioned he would be receiving a check.

 

[disneyfanbecky]

Even if it does happen often, I definitely think they should handle these kinds of thing with giving you a perk or something to make up for it! I'm surprised by the nonchalance here - maybe it's just me but I agonize over what hotel to pick, and would be sorely disappointed to find out I had to switch. It's a HUGE part of your vacation. And I think if they realized that your son has autism they really should have tried to "walk" someone else - that break in routine/what was expected must have been difficult! Sorry to hear about this start to their vacation, I hope they have a better time on the rest of the trip!!!

 

[nkereina]

All hotels overbook (so do airlines, rental cars, etc...). It is the industry standard to do so. It make financial sense for them to do so. So there is no issue there.

When you have to "walk" a guest, you are required to find them another room. There is no law that requires you to refund anything.

That said, most will work with you to make it right.

I have been "walked" from some of the nicest hotels in the country. It happens all the time.

This. I used to work in a hotel and have to do this. Although at our hotel (not Disney), if they were there for more than one night, we'd only walk them for the one night we were over booked and cover the costs, and then bring them back for their remaining nights. Some people hated this, some people were ok with it.

Even if it does happen often, I definitely think they should handle these kinds of thing with giving you a perk or something to make up for it! I'm surprised by the nonchalance here - maybe it's just me but I agonize over what hotel to pick, and would be sorely disappointed to find out I had to switch. It's a HUGE part of your vacation. And I think if they realized that your son has autism they really should have tried to "walk" someone else - that break in routine/what was expected must have been difficult! Sorry to hear about this start to their vacation, I hope they have a better time on the rest of the trip!!!

Since the hotel is over booked, they most likely had to walk more than one group.

It doesn't matter WHEN you book for determing who will be walked, it matters when you actually arrive to the resort. The hotel over books in hopes that they will have some no-shows. So that means the people arriving later on in the night will be walked once all rooms are full. They do not take into account when you book or what the situation is. The hotel does not know if you are going to be a no show or not, so they can't hold rooms for you and walk other people who are coming in first.

OP - contact your travel agent and let them know what happened so they can contact the resort and get the refund. Dolphin should most certainly refund you any money you are losing (or cover the costs if it was more expensive).

 

[DianeV]

The thing is, lets say I had specifically booked the Dolphin for the logistics of the Food and Wine Fest and then they tried to move me to Coronado Springs I would be really mad. Of course that area is going to be booked up because of the F&WF so I think that is pretty rotten

 

[AJA]

I think it's crummy of them to bump to a disney moderate. I can understand overbooking but if they do shouldn't they give you a little extra and bump you up to the next category instead of down? I would NOT want to be bumped from the boardwalk area to an outer property.

I hope you get your refund.

 

[Lewisc]

Industry standard competition was, may still be, "walking the guest" to a comparable (or better) hotel. Paying the taxi fare. Offering a phone call so you can let others know where you'll be staying and giving the guest that night for free.

I wouldn't expect much compensation if I was walked from the Dolphin to the Swan. Maybe I'd ask for a guaranteed late check out. I might not ask for compensation if I was moved to Disney boardwalk resort.

Moved from the Dolphin to CSR. Any nights at the CSR should be free.

I'm not saying there is a Florida law which requires compensation but there might be a starwood rule. Post on the starwood forum in flyertalk.