Why would a hotel chain do this?

[Rock'n Robin]

We are going to visit some friends Friday who have a new baby--we are staying in a hotel for obvious reasons even though they wanted us to stay at the house--it's their first child and they don't know any better!
They recommended a Best Western where we had stayed for their wedding 2 years ago--I checked the website and "Sorry, no availability for the time you requested." So I called direct without mentioning that and she said "it looks like we have plenty of rooms available!"
I just wonder how much business Best Western is losing because of this glitch!
Robin M.

 

[nativetxn]

Oh my gosh, here is how silly I am, when I get that message online I just find another hotel. I never thought to call direct. How strange. I think they are losing lots of business.

 

[DocRafiki]

I have the same problem quite often with rental cars.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

Native Texan, normally I would have found another hotel--but I called new mom, who sounded exhausted, and she said this was the best one location wise and didn't recommend any others, and I didn't want to call her back in case she or baby was sleeping. That's the only reason I called. I'm glad I did--I want to be close to the hotel in case she needs to nap and we need to go away.
Robin M.

 

[Blondie]

For our annual holiday visit to the family in Philly, I couldn't find one airport area hotel with a room! All were filled! I didn't bother to call, I just went out to the suburbs where we are better off anyway.

I wonder why they have their websites list nothing available? I do most if not all of my reservations online.

 

[Deb in IA]

R n R, did you inform the hotel operator and their website lists them as full, and they may want to correct that, so that they don't lose business?

 

[Kermit]

I imagine that they probably keep different inventories of rooms, either because the Web rate isn't available to everyone or because the 2 systems aren't in synch.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Most likely it's a franchise. I've had this happen to me before. I've tried to book online and wasn't able to, but then I called the chain's toll free number and got a reservation.

I'm guessing that the franchise agreement allows the chain (in this case Best Western) a certain number of rooms they can book over the internet and the rest either through the toll free number or with the hotel directly.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Most likely it's a franchise. I've had this happen to me before. I've tried to book online and wasn't able to, but then I called the chain's toll free number and got a reservation.

I'm guessing that the franchise agreement allows the chain (in this case Best Western) a certain number of rooms they can book over the internet and the rest either through the toll free number or with the hotel directly.

 

[WDWHound]

Beleive it or not, this is normal behavior for hotel chains. Before I assume a hotel is booked, I always try the web, call any 800 number they might have and I call the hotel directly. They all seem to work from different inventories of rooms. In many cases, calling the hotel directly will not only get you a room when the web site says there are none, but you can get a better rate as well.

 

[Disney Doll]

I wonder if the website you were on purchased a block of rooms, and once those rooms were gone, the website posts that message?

I usually check the web first, but, like you, if I get that message and it's a hotel that I really want to stay at, I call.