TV show reveals Travelodge deliberately overbooks guests

A BBC Watchdog investigation has revealed that budget hotel group Travelodge has a system of deliberately overbooking guests.

Last night’s programme revealed that many guests are turned away from hotels despite having booked months in advance because of the “first come first serve” policy.

A Travelodge whistleblower told the programme: “Overbooking comes before the guests’ welfare or satisfaction. The last person to turn up gets outbooked to another hotel. It doesn’t matter if they’ve booked six months ago.”

Watchdog researchers booked three rooms at a London Travelodge but were told the rooms were full when they turned up because of its so-called “last man standing” policy.

One guest said he had a “horrendous” journey across London when he was overbooked and another told how he was charged £55 to sleep on his friend’s floor.

Travelodge chief operating officer Guy Parsons told the programme: “Like many hotel companies, and indeed the airline industry, we’ve a practice of taking a fraction more bookings than we’ve rooms, based on the fact that a certain percentage of customers will not turn up.

“This policy enables us to maximise the number of customers staying with us every night.”

Parsons added that the company was updating its website to “improve customer awareness of this process”. 

By Tom Bill

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