"Walking" a guest is a term used in the hospitality industry when a hotel is overbooked and cannot provide the room that a guest has already reserved. Because hotels often experience "no-shows," they frequently book to 105-110% capacity to ensure they are full. If every guest actually shows up, the hotel is "oversold" and must "walk" the last arriving guests to a nearby competitor. In this scenario, the industry standard is that the original hotel must provide a free room at a comparable or better hotel for the first night of the stay, pay for transportation to that new location, and often provide a complimentary phone call or a small gesture of goodwill (like a dining credit). If you have a confirmed, guaranteed reservation, the hotel is legally and ethically obligated to ensure you have a bed to sleep in. To avoid being "walked," it is best to join the hotel's loyalty program, as members are almost never chosen for walking, or to check in as early as possible. Being "walked" is often a major inconvenience, but if handled correctly by the hotel, it can result in a free night's stay and potentially an upgrade at the secondary property.