[Tom Otley]

Interesting piece in the New York Times (subscription required)

Stuck With a Pricey Hotel Reservation? Maybe You Can Sell It

“Roomer Travel and Cancelon create a secondary market for hotel rooms. Sellers can ask any price for a room, although resale is not guaranteed…When a room sells, Roomer Travel charges sellers a 15 percent fee, Cancelon 10 percent. Both say they coordinate with a hotel to make sure a booking name and credit card guarantee are changed. (Services are free to buyers.)

When a room is listed on either site, it also becomes available at online travel sites like Kayak and Trivago. Rooms through Roomer Travel also appear on Skyscanner; those on Cancelon are on TripAdvisor.

[MartynSinclair]

I guess it all boils down to “who own the reservation”, establishment or client. Can a reservation actually be owned?

The natural question to follow is if hotel reservations can be traded, can unused airline tickets be similarly traded?

[Ahmad]

Thank you for posting the news Tom. I wasn’t aware of this secondary market. I wonder how useful it will be when looking for rooms on sold-out dates and whether such rooms will be available at a premium instead of a discount.

I know that hotels overbook through their own websites. I have often found a room available when they claim to be full on certain dates if you call their own reservations office or for that matter check from the reception on the day of arrival. Next time I need a room and the hotel appears sold out on the web, I will try these people and see.

[Author]

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