If you pay for a hotel room for several days, you might think that you have an exclusive right to that room.
As it turns out, that’s not the case. In fact, if you don’t follow a hotel’s rules for check-in, you may find yourself inadvertently sacrificing your hotel room—and still paying for it.
A user on TikTok learned this the hard way after missing the first day of his reservation and then attempting to check in on the second.
Why Wouldn’t This Hotel Let Their Guest Check In?
In a video with over 2,700 views, TikTok user Trey (@treypope7) explains the “very weird, inconvenient situation” that recently happened to him.
According to Trey, he booked a hotel room several days ago. The total cost was around $1,200—a price he acknowledges is expensive but justifies it by saying that one of the nights included was Valentine’s Day.
While he says he was supposed to stay on Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night, he ended up staying over at a friend’s house on Friday night.
“I was just like, ‘F— it. I’m just gonna eat the cost for one of the days’—which, again, I know is stupid. It’s irresponsible money-wise … I’m gonna eat the cost one of the days, though, and I’m just gonna show up for Saturday and Sunday night.”
When he awoke the next morning, he began streaming. Soon, however, viewers informed him that his hotel room may no longer be available. The reason, they said, was that Trey “missed the check-in period.”
“I had this room reserved for three nights. It shouldn’t matter about a check-in period because I’ve already given them business, right?” he starts. “I feel like when you rent out a hotel room, you’re giving them business whether or not you show up … It’s anticipated for you to pay for the nights of the hotel room whether or not you show up.”
The Guest Reaches Out
When Trey got in contact with the hotel, he realized his chat was correct.
“I called the hotel on Saturday, and I was like, ‘Yo, I had a hotel room booked. Am I still able to show up today? I didn’t check in yesterday,’ and they told me ‘No,’” Trey explains. “I was like, ‘OK, is there any way I can get my money back?’ And they were like, ‘No. Your reservation got voided. We gave it to someone else.’ And I was like, ‘OK, is there any way I can get credit, another room, anything like that?’ They said, ‘No.’”
“I’m like, ‘Alright, so essentially I just wasted $1200 for no reason,’” he continues. “The lady said, ‘Yes.’”
Trey criticized the worker’s apparent lack of empathy. He further states that he disputed the charge with his bank.
“I think it’s a really stupid rule—I actually think it’s a very greedy rule at the same time, because regardless on if I check in or not, I’m still anticipating showing up. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have booked the room in the first place,” he says. “Sometimes, s— happens. I get I should have called, but I thought I was doing them a favor, not being a hassle.”
He closes by asking viewers for their thoughts on the situation.
Can Hotels Really Charge You For Not Showing Up?
As noted by CheapAir, many hotels have no-show policies in place that dictate how much one will be charged in the event that they don’t show up for their reservation.
Charges vary based on a hotel’s specific terms. Usually, a hotel will charge one for the first night of their stay, then cancel the rest of their booking. However, a hotel in high demand may charge the entire stay for a no-show.
If you know you’re not going to make the first night of a booking, internet users advise simply reaching out to the hotel. From there, they can help you work out a solution—which typically involves simply altering your reservation, sometimes with a fee.
While one can dispute these fees with their bank, it’s uncertain whether they will actually get their money back. Generally speaking, if a hotel’s no-show charges have been clearly laid out prior to booking, they have the right to charge them. However, if one has a valid reason for not showing up, or if there’s a genuine misunderstanding about the no-show fee, it may be possible to successfully dispute the charge.
Commenters Don’t Like It
In the comments section, many users stated that, while the hotel may legally be in the right, they were not a fan of this policy.
“Yeah sadly that’s true if you miss the check in the room Is no longer available,” said a user. “it’s bs.”
“They shouldn’t be allowed to double dip,” declared another.
“I would like to think if you pay for a service you’re entitled to that service,” shared a third.
BroBible reached out to Trey via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment.