When a hundred and eighty passengers need a bed at the same time, the rooms near the airport disappear in under an hour. This is one of those situations where acting five minutes earlier than everyone else genuinely changes the outcome.
Start looking while you are still in the queue, not after you reach the front of it.
Who pays for the room
If the disruption is within the airline's control, technical faults, crew issues, most operational cancellations, accommodation and transport are usually the airline's duty when the delay runs overnight. In extraordinary circumstances such as severe weather or airspace closures, compensation may not apply, but many jurisdictions still require care and accommodation.
In practice airlines either hand out hotel vouchers or ask you to book and claim back. Ask which one applies before you book.
Step by step
Step 1: Ask the desk for a hotel voucher first
Get it in the queue if you can. Airline arranged hotels include transport and avoid the reimbursement argument entirely. Ask for the hotel name and how to get there, and note the pickup point.
Step 2: Book your own room in parallel
Open two booking apps and filter for free cancellation. Reserve something acceptable immediately, then cancel it if the airline provides a hotel. A refundable reservation costs nothing and protects you from the sold out message twenty minutes later.
Step 3: Widen the search sensibly
If everything at the airport is full, look one train stop or a short taxi ride away. Include hotels with twenty four hour reception, and check the shuttle timetable, because an airport hotel with no night shuttle is not much use at two in the morning.
Step 4: Keep the paperwork for reimbursement
Hotel invoice, transport receipts, meal receipts, and evidence of the disruption. Reasonable is the operative word, a standard room near the airport is claimable, a suite in the city usually is not.
