Hotel woe

**Superspur** · 04-07-2017, 05:36 PM

Long post coming up.

The big trip is only 7 weeks away now and everything is set up and ready ………………… well almost. We have been waiting on one hotel for over a year now and with us leaving in 7 weeks and our stay in Tuscaloosa just about 10 weeks away the nagging doubts are turning in to major worries. I trust people to do something if they say they will do it but something seems wrong here and maybe seeking a little reassurance as it really is too late to change plans so much at the last minute. I first contacted the Hotel Capstone in Tuscaloosa Alabama May last year about booking a room for the weekend of the 15th-17th September as I wanted to go see Alabama play on the 16th and I got the following reply from Matt Hood, the Director of Guest Services.

15th May 2016
Thank you for reaching out. We are just now in the process of opening up reservations for the 2016 season. It will be some time before we open for the 2017 season. I have no idea what the rates will be for that particular weekend in 2017. However, I am certain that I will be able to get you and your family a room for that weekend, it will just be some time before I am actually able to enter the reservation. I have a calendar reminder to reach out to you at the end of the 2016 season in order to make arrangements for your stay.

As I didn’t want to leave it until January 2017 I e-mailed him again in September more to keep in touch and a reminder not to forget us and I got back the following reply

19th Sept 2016
As soon as our reservations open for that weekend, I will get you set up. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.

However, in December I noticed that the Capstone was taking bookings for after the dates we wanted so I e-mailed Matt Hood again just to find out what was going on as it was now December and all the other hotels we wanted had opened up their booking system. My e-mail to them and his reply is below.

Sent from my iPhone
Hi Matt
Just seen that the Hotel Capstone is now taking bookings for September 2017 past the weekend we wish to stay. Are you taking reservations for the weekend of the 15th-17th September yet?

15th December 2016
No sir, the football weekends are handled separately from other weekends. We will open up bookings for next season once this season is over.

We got to the middle of February and as the 2016 season had finished over a month previous and hadn’t heard from them I sent a Facebook message to the Capstone and got back the following reply.

Good Afternoon! I’m sorry but we haven’t opened up the bookings for football yet. We will announce when we do. Have a great day!

So now it got to the end of May and I still hadn’t heard anything from him and we were then just 12 weeks away from starting our holiday and around 15 weeks from our stay in Tuscaloosa so it was getting a bit hard to believe that they still hadn’t opened up reservations so I sent Matt Hood an e-mail and after 7 days I had had no reply from him. I sent a Facebook message to the Hotel Capstone and Jayme Bullock sent me back the following reply:

Good Morning! I am sorry you have not gotten a reply yet! If you can will you please send me an e-mail at Jayme.Bullock@hotelcapstone.com and include the dates again and I will be glad to check into this for you! Thank you so much for your patience; I will do my best to help you.

Within an hour I had a reply from the Director of Guest services, Matt Hood again.

30th May 2017
I hope that you have been doing well. I haven't forgotten about you. We will open up reservations on July 1st. I'll be able to get your reservation set at that time. I assure you that you will have a room for that weekend. I have a calendar reminder to email you in the morning of July 1st. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.

Although I thought it was strange that they were not opening up reservations until the 1st July I was a little relieved he hadn’t forgotten about us as we were banking everything on this booking. With the only hotels left with any rooms being pretty awful and at least 6 miles from Bryant Denny Stadium or $500 a night, we had pretty much put all our eggs in one basket on someone’s say so. So today is the 4th July, 3 days after he said they were opening up reservations and he would contact us and nothing. I have contacted them so many times and don’t want to be a real pain but should I keep trying or just cut my losses and try to book somewhere outside of Tuscaloosa and just travel in on game day? I would imagine it will be really hard to get parked with around 100,000 people in the city. It is just so close now, I seriously can’t see a hotel like the Capstone leaving taking bookings until 10 weeks before an event but I have a promise from their Director of Guest services so maybe I am worrying about nothing.

What do people think?

**Susan Veness** · 04-07-2017, 05:45 PM

I think you have far more patience than I do. I would have booked somewhere else after seeing other hotels open up their booking window while still being told the one you're waiting for had not.

**Sandrino** · 04-07-2017, 07:39 PM

ye me too. the guys had plenty of time...just not good enough..looks like the ole english inn 2 star 3 mile walk from stadium..cheap tho
$140

**Superspur** · 04-07-2017, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by Sandrino

ye me too. the guys had plenty of time...just not good enough..looks like the ole english inn 2 star 3 mile walk from stadium..cheap tho
$140

For the 15th-17th Sept they have no availability but even so we wouldn't stay there.

I don't mind budget hotels but bad budget is a no no and that one doesn't have good reviews.

**Superspur** · 04-07-2017, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by Susan Veness

I think you have far more patience than I do. I would have booked somewhere else after seeing other hotels open up their booking window while still being told the one you're waiting for had not.

The thing is Susan, once the schedule for Alabama was announced, all hotel prices went through the roof and places became sold out very quickly. I guess we focused so much on being close to the stadium and the promises made that we just didn't think about booking somewhere else until it was too late.

Really feel caught between a rock and a hard place now.

**Tiggers Friend** · 04-07-2017, 09:30 PM

I think I'd be sending him an email to ask what my room number will be!

**Simon Veness** · 05-07-2017, 01:15 PM

Well, it's now definitely past July 1st, so they should be able to take your booking. He certainly can't complain if you contact him again, having said he would contact YOU, so I would definitely be sending him another query. Their website shows "no availability" for those dates, which could mean anything, but they are certainly duty-bound to offer you a room.