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We booked a Travelodge but were forced to move hotel after 1am
A Guardian reader booked and paid for a Travelodge in London's King's Cross six weeks in advance for herself and her husband, who has heart disease and dementia, having confirmed an 11pm arrival time with the hotel. On arrival, staff said the hotel had overbooked because of a football match and their room was no longer available, leaving them and two other affected parties waiting in a lobby full of noisy fans before being relocated to a Travelodge in Shoreditch after 1am, by which point the husband was distraught and the reader exhausted.
Travelodge initially told the Guardian's consumer champion the issue was an "unexpected maintenance problem" rather than overbooking, and admitted an internal error meant the reader's two complaint letters never reached the right team. The couple had chosen the King's Cross hotel specifically to catch an early Eurostar the next morning, and only after the case was raised with the press did Travelodge refund the £179 booking cost and pay £200 in compensation, despite having previously ignored both complaints.
In short
- Travelodge moved a couple to another hotel after 1am, citing overbooking.
- Husband has heart disease and dementia; ordeal left them distressed.
- Travelodge paid £179 refund plus £200 compensation, but only after press involvement.
Explained simply
A customer booked a room at the budget hotel chain Travelodge in London's King's Cross six weeks in advance, with a confirmed 11pm arrival time. When she and her husband arrived, staff said the hotel had overbooked because of a football match and their room was no longer available, leaving them waiting in a crowded lobby before being moved to another Travelodge in Shoreditch after 1am.
The customer had specifically chosen the King's Cross location to catch an early Eurostar train to Europe the following morning, making the late move particularly disruptive. Her husband has heart disease and dementia, conditions that make unexpected disruption and late-night travel especially difficult and stressful for him.
After the incident, the customer submitted two complaint letters to Travelodge but received different explanations from the hotel about what had happened. The hotel later acknowledged that an internal error had prevented her complaint letters from reaching the appropriate department for proper handling.
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