Strange Hotel Business Plan

Playing golf next weekend with a friend and we decided to meet the wife’s on our way back in Waterford and stay the night. We planned to book into the new Fitzwilton Hotel, book dinner in their new restaurant and book pampering treatments for the girls in the hotels Beauty Salon.

All in all considering Hotel B&B, dinner in the Hotel Restaurant, the Beauty Salon and more drink, we’d have parted with the approximately €500 between us. Nice business for the hotel you would think, but NO!!!!! The hotels policy is that you cannot book a Saturday only. You have to visit for 2 days if you want to stay on a Saturday.

I explained our plan and the fact that none of us could get babysitters for 2 nights and was told that ‘if I check 2/3 days before the actual Saturday we want to stay; there may be 1 night only stays made available’. I do some business in this area and most likely will never stay here and most definitely won’t be recommending it. Rang 2 other hotels in the City to check availability and they were more than happy to take our booking.

Very strange policy in this day and age……

That's strange alright.

I actually stayed there last saturday and last Saturday only which was a BH weekend. Phoned them on Sat' morning and drove down - no problems. Nice hotel & staff I have to say.

I know from looking around that other hotels were only taking bookings for 2 nights.

I got a voucher for a guest house in Kilkenny, 1 nights b&b + dinner for 2 people. Phoned to book it a few weeks back and was told the minimum stay is 2 nights. After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing she did take the booking, but I was surprised myself.

I wouldn't find it that strange, many hotels have this policy.
They reckon they can get people staying two nights, it's a new hotel and business may be doing well so it's possible they will fill the hotel. Maybe there is a conference and or maybe they've limitied capacity, lots of weddings going on

Definitly if you call closer to next weekend they'll take your booking if they have availability.

notagardener said:

Very strange policy in this day and age……

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Not every business is struggling, some are doing very well

micmclo said:

I wouldn't find it that strange, many hotels have this policy.
They reckon they can get people staying two nights, it's a new hotel and business may be doing well so it's possible they will fill the hotel. Maybe there is a conference and or maybe they've limitied capacity, lots of weddings going on

Definitly if you call closer to next weekend they'll take your booking if they have availability.



Not every business is struggling, some are doing very well

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I agree with most of what you are saying, but !!!! personally I think it's poor business judgement. They are turning down quite an amount of money for 1 days business and risking having empty rooms. Lost business opportunity they may pay some consultant in years to come to analyse.

Maybe it's one of those zombie/NAMA hotels.

Did you tell the hotel you were planning to dine there and use the beauty salon? If so, then it does sound quite profligate to turn down the booking.

Homer

Was attending a wedding in Kilkenny some time ago (perhaps 2 years ago, of course that was a different century), rang 28 hotels and B&B's. They all only take bookings for 2 night minimum stay. I wonder if times have changed

If hotels are turning down 1 night bookings, you can be pretty sure they have the numbers worked out and their occupancy rates have increased as a result of the policy.

I have 3 nights booked with the Premier Inn in the UK and due to bereavement wanted to change to a different 3 nights. Told that as it was 'part of a package' I couldn't cancel or amend my stay. If I don't go, I'll be charged for the entire stay anyway.

I explained that the funeral is actually taking place one of the days that I'm supposed to be there and that the funeral is in East Anglia - some 3 1/2 hours away from the hotel...to no avail. The only way that the booking can be changed/cancelled without charge is with 'supporting documentation'. When I said a death cert, I was told yeah!!

I was just going to amend my booking which would have cost more for 3 nights (£200 as opposed to £150) but am now going to get the 'supporting documentation' they require and cancel...take my money elsewhere.

Unreal in this day and age....as an aside, I was able to change two other bookings with minimal effort and no other charges to far more prestigious places

This is a new hotel (most likely staffed with cheapest labour) and as a new hotel probably are testing the market as to how much they can charge. I reckon a few months down the road they will take any customer they can get.

Leper said:

This is a new hotel (most likely staffed with cheapest labour) and as a new hotel probably are testing the market as to how much they can charge. I reckon a few months down the road they will take any customer they can get.

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It's one of Waterford's newer hotels but at this stage must be operational for five years.

Waterford's only 4 star hotel but not really a patch on the Granville.