Room Guarantees Can Get Lost in a Hurricane

I immediately went to Hotels.com and found a room at the Days Inn Miami Airport. I booked the room in her name and charged it to my credit card. At 10.01 p.m., a confirmation e-mail popped into my computer from Hotels.com.

Nearly an hour later, my weary friend arrived at the hotel only to be told that, even though she had a confirmation number, there were no rooms available.

In a frantic, three-way conference call, Brewington and I talked to an agent at the Hotels.com site, Mark Stretcher, who was apologetic and found a room nearby at a different hotel.

During weather emergencies and other unexpected occurrences, travel Web sites may not be able to update information fast enough to keep up with events. When demand is high, a hotel can ignore booking confirmations and give rooms to travelers who call directly or walk in off the street, says travel expert Parsons.

"It happens all the time. A confirmation number doesn't always assure you a room, especially during chaotic times such as during a hurricane," he said.

Hotels.com spokeswoman Nicole Hockin said the site is working on a new reservation system that would allow it to get more up-to-date information from more of its hotels. She said its system is in sync with the reservation systems of about 5,000 of the 10,000 hotels that appear on its site. In the next two months, Hockin said, the site will have a new system that will give more accurate room information on more of its hotels.

"We have been migrating our hotel booking system that will give real time availability and rates," Hockin said.

During weather-related problems, Hockin suggests calling a hotel directly and confirming that a room is available. "When you're dealing with a hurricane or major event, it's always better to check with a hotel directly," she said.