Should you refuse that hotel room?

As a travel seller, I’d hear it from time to time: “That hotel was totally unacceptable.”

But you slept there, right?

It’s difficult to make significant emotional investment selecting and booking a hotel, long anticipating a safe, quiet sanctuary in an unfamiliar city at the end of a long journey, only to run into an obstacle. You just want to get into your room, right?

That’s not always the best idea. Sometimes it’s necessary to refuse a hotel room, no matter how travel-worn you might be. Based on my experience, here are a number of situations where travelers should refuse a hotel room they’ve been given.

The room is damaged or in poor condition. I once checked into a beach hotel in South Florida late the night before a cruise. When I stepped into the room, I found the carpet completely soaked through with water of unknown provenance. I called the front desk and they said they were sold out of rooms in that category, but they could send up dryer fans.

Nope. Hotels should maintain and clean rooms on their own time. After some discussion, I was eventually given a room of the same type with a slightly better view. Had I stayed in the room, any claim that it was unacceptable would have had less merit — it was acceptable enough for me to occupy, after all.

The room category does not match what was booked. Hotel room categories can often be difficult to figure out. What’s the difference between an Oceanview Room and an Oceanfront Room? What’s Deluxe about the Deluxe Room, or is that really a Standard Room?

A guest shouldn’t reach a guest room to find out it’s markedly different from what was expected — the room category and configuration should be confirmed verbally during the check-in process. If the room doesn’t sound like the category reserved, ask. Sometimes the difference between categories could be as simple as what floor it's on. 

The safety or security of the room is compromised. It’s my habit to deadbolt and chain the door behind me upon entering. However, in one room I checked into, I turned to find there was no chain. The hardware was there, but the chain was missing. It seems trivial, but a room’s security features should be operational. 

Another issue is when hotel employees mention a guest’s room number out loud, particularly if used in conjunction with a guest name. Key cards have greatly improved hotel security over the past several decades, but not to the point where a guest should be comfortable with their room number being pronounced within earshot of a stranger — not only does it announce the location of a guest and their belongings, it also gives a would-be impostor the ability to sign charges to a guest room.

The hotel's facilities or services do not match expectations. Guests staying at affected Marriott hotels during the recent strikes checked in to find housekeeping services significantly curtailed, and many restaurants and facilities closed. Marriott handled complaints on a case-by-case basis, but there have been reports that local management pointed to the fact that the hotels remained open and able to honor confirmed reservations.

Yes and no. The reservations were honored, but not for the same product that guests understood they’d be receiving when they made the reservation (many guests were informed of service changes only upon arrival at the property). Some hotel brands are better about informing guests with confirmed reservations about service changes up front — if it’s a surprise, guests should be allowed the opportunity to cancel without penalty.

Again, it’s of particular importance not to check in and stay the night. A guest's continued patronage can be considered tacit acceptance of the situation.