Super 8 not so super anymore

Email I sent to Super 8 Motels:

I elected not to stay in your Sheridan unit. I almost made the reservation but then learned that you no longer allow cancellations. You merely keep the money.

For that reason, we booked our entire trip in other motels. And we will never stay with you again.

This greed stuff is getting out of hand. Ya think?

Actually, it isn’t just Super 8. Even little Alamo Motel in Sheridan has adopted the no-cancellation policy. It’s a bit like the airlines – where there is no real competition, those few remaining players can act in concert to pick our pockets. We ended up booking with another chain that also, coincidentally, now has a ‘no-cancellation’ policy. We had no real choice.

Airlines decided to charge extra for checked baggage. They all fell in line. Soon they will charge for carry-ons. Once one does it, the rest will too. There is just not enough competition. If one of the players were to see an advantage in underselling the others that exceeds the profit of going along, he would do so. But in a non-competitive environment, that advantage is not there.

Anyway, as you make your motel reservations in the future, check the fine print. And if you find yourself in a no-cancellation corner and must change your travel plans, do not tell them you won’t be showing up! That will only allow them to both keep your money and re-sell the room for that night.

Instead, let it sit empty. That’s the only market power we have.

PS: Here is Super 8’s cancellation policy:

Cancellation Policy: There will be no credit or refund for early departures, cancellations, no shows, or changes in your reservation for any reason. Guests will not receive any refund or credit.

The owner of the Alamo Motel in Sheridan claims that his cancellation policy remains unchanged, and I have stayed there many times over the years and he is a nice and sincere man. What happened is this: He signed on to a centralized reservation system for independent motels. They tell people that their clients do not allow cancellation. He did not know this about them.