Did you ever think that maybe it's not just pilots that find themselves in
circumstances beyond their control? I just hate to see anybody lumping
whole groups into a category like "scum" or "low-life" unless the facts
warrant it. I'm sure there are some, but I'm equally sure that there are
some no-shows that have legitimate reasons. Hopefully, they do everything
they can to contact you in a timely manner, but even that's not always
possible.

I've yet to meet a no-show that even attempted to contact us. In fact, I
have yet to meet a no-show that even remembered they had a "guaranteed
reservation" until they got the bill, and disputed it.

These are dishonorable (or disorganized -- or both), unscrupulous people
with no intention of honoring their word. We practically bludgeon people
with our cancellation policy, stressing the importance of calling us if they
needed to cancel, going all the way to sending a reminder postcard a week in
advance of their arrival -- so it's hard to portray these folks as "victims
of the system"...

Only once have I sent a no-show a free night's stay certificate after
charging them -- and that was after the guy told me that his wife had gone
into premature labor! That seemed like a pretty good reason to not show
up...

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"