Got a pre-paid hotel room you can’t use? Do mobile check-in anyway ….

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• Anna says:

  8 Oct8 October 07:24

  I’ve had a few occasions when I’ve been unable to use a pre-booked room at a Hilton (all UK properties) and they have never declined to move the booking to another date. I don’t think I’ve ever even been charged extra if the rate was higher on the new night. Unless you need to stay by the original date, this is a much better option.

  • Andy says:

    8 Oct8 October 09:37

    Same for me. Hilton has always been quite accommodating with this. Non-refundable rates are just that – I wouldn’t expect to get my money back if I no longer need the room on a particular date. But nothing in the T & Cs of a pre-paid rate prevent the hotel from amending the arrival date. It’s always worth asking – the hotel would much rather you arrive on an alternative date and potentially incur additional F &B spending. They can also re-sell the original booked room, probably at a higher rate. I have occasionally had to pay a bit extra to change dates but given that the hotel is doing me a favour, that’s perfectly fine. Life stuff happens, usually with little notice. Changing a hotel arrival date isn’t really a big deal for the hotel. Thank you Hilton! (I have no experinece of doing this with any other hotel chains & have quite a long stay relationship with Hilton should that have any bearing on this).

• The Original Nick says:

  8 Oct8 October 07:46

  @ Rob, so the executive lounge is closed during the weekend nowadays?

  • Rob says:

    8 Oct8 October 08:47

    Yes

• Paul says:

  8 Oct8 October 07:52

  Does the Bournemouth Hilton have a lounge? It did when it opened but I think it’s been closed since covid and the pool too. Admittedly it’s been a year since I stayed there in the suite with the wraparound balcony.
  My over riding memory is how filthy the balcony was rendering it unusable

  • Ian M says:

    8 Oct8 October 08:04

    I’ve got a feeling this article was written a year or 2 or more ago and is a rerun. Not sure Rob really stayed at the Bournemouth Hilton THIS weekend!

    • Andrew J says:

      8 Oct8 October 08:10

      It’s a weekend of repeat articles. Bracing themselves for the Amex Platinum onslaught of articles next week.

      • Rob says:

        8 Oct8 October 08:46

        I am in Bournemouth Hilton as I type! Just come back from breakfast.

        We don’t “repeat” articles directly. We often – as we have this weekend – take something that is a couple of years old and spend an hour going through it, line by line, to ensure that it is still correct and relevant, deleting and adding as we go.

  • Yvo says:

    8 Oct8 October 08:05

    The pool is open again, we were there a couple of months ago.
    Got a Diamond upgrade to one of the huge suites with a living area and wrap around balcony. Kids loved it.

    • Rob says:

      8 Oct8 October 08:46

      As did I.

  • Flyoff says:

    8 Oct8 October 08:45

    There is a lounge at Bournemouth and it wasn’t open on a Sunday evening when I was there at the end of May. It was open on the Monday night. We did get a drinks credit to compensate for the Sunday evening.

  • Rob says:

    8 Oct8 October 08:47

    Has a lounge, moved to first floor. Closed at weekends though.

    • Mike says:

      8 Oct8 October 23:48

      I was there a couple of weeks ago, I think it’s more than just weekends. I thought it was open Monday-Wednesday or Monday-Thursday. I wish I could remember, I just remember thinking that’s a short time period when I asked at check-in.

• Mayfair Mike says:

  8 Oct8 October 08:19

  Commiserations to that reader who was “stuck in Norwich”

• Michael C says:

  8 Oct8 October 08:58

  Have to love the Hilton Bournemouth for a quick break with kids.
  Lobby/bar nice enough, pool fine, great location, direct train (for us!).
  Less than 5 mins.’ walk (up the slope) is Lola’s, one of the best Spanish restaurants I’ve been to outside Spain: small, cute and very reasonable.
  We’re taking MIL the week before Xmas, meaning we’ll see the lights then stop off at Winchester Xmas market on the way home, and that will be all my holiday duties done!

• JohnTh says:

  8 Oct8 October 09:16

  Isn’t there a ruling in the US where you can get a credit for prepaid room if you book another cheap stay? Sure there was an article some time ago.

• Ryan says:

  8 Oct8 October 09:18

  You forget to mention the look of disdain you often get from reception staff when they say ‘You’ve already checked in….’

• Tankmc says:

  8 Oct8 October 09:25

  Depends on the hotel. Did this at Raddison but when the cleaner went into the room the next day and could see clearly no one had been in the room they emailed me and removed my points.

  • Tony says:

    8 Oct8 October 09:31

    Christ. That seems incredibly petty.

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