Missed hostel check-in by one day - charged full stay and not given lodging
A while back I booked a hostel in Madrid and accidentally got my travel dates mixed up - I ended up booking for 8 nights instead of 7 because when I booked the hostel I thought I was arriving one day earlier than I was actually going to arrive. It was only when I arrived in Madrid that I realized my mistake, and that the hostel declared me as a no-show. When I arrived at the hostel, I was not granted my reservation, despite pre-paying ~1300€. I had to go find some place else to stay for my time in Madrid.
The hostel's policy is to charge the entire reservation in case of no-show. Was I not entitled to the rest of my stay, even though I arrived a day late? Is the hostel allowed to both take my payment of the entire reservation and then make the room available when I do not show up on the first day?
Best Answer
Note: This is not what I want to be the situation, it is what I see as the actual situation that the OP has to live with.
The hostel did follow the rules, you did not. So the hostel is due the money though it feels very unfair to you.
They have this rule in hostel and hotel contracts as they often have to reject people who would stay the week for your reservation and may not fill up the room when you do not show up.
If you had contacted the hostel they would likely have adjusted the reservation to the time you would actually be there, or at least kept the bed for you arriving when you did.
We now suffer for many people who made and ignored reservations in the past, hostels have learned to charge, to teach people to cancel properly.
You can of course ask nicely, explaining you are a (poor) traveler who now has to pay more for a new booking.
This shows again that you always have to check your bookings against your travel information, when you make the booking and shortly before traveling, (and it does not hurt to do it a few times in between.)
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What happens if you miss a check in at a hotel?
If you have quoted a credit card to hold the room, the hotel may keep the room available and charge your card for the first night's accommodation if you don't show up. If you are going to be significantly late, phone the hotel to let them know about it.Can you check in to a hotel a day late?
You can probably check in any time you like as they have a desk clerk 24/7, but if you are going to be as late as you indicate you should call ahead and make a reservation with a late check in using a credit card, that way they will hold the room for you until you arrive.Can you check into hostels at any time?
The answer is 2pm is usually a customary time to check in in a hostel or hotel, but as you said it varies, it can be as early as 12pm and as late as 6pm. But there is no rule, this question is likely to be closed.Does a hotel have to give me a refund?
"The hotel has the legal right to keep the money," she says. "But I've found that if you have a reasonable excuse for canceling the room, most places will offer you a refund without you even having to ask."CAPSULE HOTEL IN ICELAND
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