The Case Against Overbooking

Abstract

The practice of overbooking has grown to become an established and generally accepted standard within many of today's hotels. Given the commonalty of overbooking, hospitality researchers must be called upon to examine the extent of the practice and continually define its scope, nature and existence. There is a case to be made against overbooking. Another look at overbooking should consider customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and profitability as well as a growing number of ethical, marketing and legal considerations to determine whether overbooking remains a justified, viable business practice.