Why You Never Want To Get 'Walked' By A Hotel
By Nicole Cord-Cruz
VACATIONS
Like airlines and cruise lines, hotel companies often overbook rooms to squeeze out every bit of profit. If you are bumped from your reservation, they might offer to "walk" you.
"Walking" means the hotel is sending you to a different hotel (usually of similar quality) and footing the bill. Some chains offer additional compensation for walked guests.
Rummy Pandit of Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality, and Tourism says that hotels use algorithms to predict how many guests will bail, but these are only estimates.
You can also be walked because your reservation never made it to the hotel's system. To lower your chances of getting walked, be sure to book directly through the hotel.