I booked a flight with Etihad with a 13 hour layover in AUH on the way home to Melbourne. It was slightly cheaper and they said they were offering a free hotel for passengers with a long layover. There are various rules with one of them being that you cannot book the hotel for the return trip until travel has commenced. As soon as I completed the first flight, I tried to book the hotel and it says unavailable. I contacted Etihad but they said it is subject to availability, so in other words, tough luck. Anything I can do?