Holiday Inn customer Marissa Rogowski (@boymom3715) was met with a surprising sight after entering her room. In a viral clip that’s accrued over 372,000 views, she shared how her room was double booked.
As a result, she walked in on a family that was getting settled into their stay.
“Holiday Inn checked me into a taken room,” Rogowski writes in a text overlay of her clip. In the video, she records the guests who are staying in the room she thought was supposed to be for her.
The TikToker says off-camera, “Guys, I just got to my room. Guess who’s in my room? They gave them my room. Cause I heard you guys’ voices and I’m like, heh?”
She records the family, who appear to be taking the situation in stride. The children in the room pose and smile for the camera, as a woman laughs throughout the video. A man standing in the room appears to smirk as he looks down at his phone.
Viewers say this isn’t uncommon
One person who saw the video remarked that the ordeal could’ve been much worse. That’s because they seemed to appreciate the reaction of the folks who were settling into the suite.
“Lol at least they’re adorable,” the TikTok user wrote.
Another person said a similar situation happened to them. Consequently, they received some free perks from the hotel they booked with.
“I was the person who was given an occupied room. I walked in on a couple in a private moment. Guess who got a free room upgrade and many other perks during their stay?” they shared.
Someone else said they were woken up by a person attempting to enter their room. “This happened to me before. Me and my man were in bed and all of a sudden wake up to someone trying to come in,” they wrote.
This doesn’t seem to be an uncommon occurrence among hotel guests. “Had that happen before. I was staying by myself and had a guy trying to open the door at 2am,” another echoed.
Double booking
Oftentimes, hotel chains will utilize software systems that allow employees to book rooms. This way, staff can keep track of who is staying in which room and for which duration. Erroneous or incorrect inputs can lead to double booking. I.e., a worker will forget to mark whether or not a room is occupied.
Consequently, if the room says it’s available, guests will receive access to rooms that are otherwise taken. Partner Booking is one such business that specializes in booking arrangements for hospitality establishments. It states that 25% of companies, even while utilizing software solutions to curb double booking, will nonetheless append rooms to guests that are occupied.
As a resolution, Partner Booking urges hospitality workers to act fast. If you ever get a double-booking, it’s key to act quickly so your guest isn’t left without a place to stay. There are multiple ways to resolve this problem, depending on what’s available.”
@boymom3715 Experience Ultimate Relaxation at Holiday Inn #hotel, #holidayinn, #travel, #vacation, #comfortable #creatorsearchinsights @Brandy Rogowski @Kolby Kaczmarek ♬ original sound – Marissa Rogowski
How does this happen?
According to the hotel marketing company Vixel, double booking happens more often than one might think. Additionally, the business states that “manual errors” are often the root cause of double booking incidents. Moreover, “multiple booking channels” can also cause this to occur.
Let’s say a hotel uses various booking services to book rooms for guests. Oftentimes, these reservations can slip through the cracks. A worker may forget to include a third-party request as part of its main reservation system. Consequently, multiple guests can be given the same room.
Also, a “system lag or malfunction” can be the cause of these types of scenarios. Since the booking software isn’t up to date, up-to-date occupancy lists may not be available. Which means an employee will give a room that’s otherwise taken to a guest looking for a suite.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Holiday Inn and Rogowski via email for further comment.
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