Expedia - don't understand how they operate

EssexExile

I don't understand Expedia either. I've always found better prices going direct to hotels & airlines, a lot less hassle too in my experience.

janeken

bagand96 wrote: »

The hotel website has photos of weddings. I wonder if they've taken a wedding booking or some other function that they know is more lucrative and decided to cancel your booking. Terrible behaviour from the hotel considering how long ago you booked.

Unfortunately not much Expedia can do if the hotel have told them they aren't honouring the booking.

You're doing the right thing now by researching other options. If you find something that is available with Expedia then that will obviously simplify things. But if you find something Expedia can't provide then stress to them you need the refund ASAP to re book.

I made this observation about weddings to my husband yesterday funnily enough. It would have been more acceptable if someone from the hotel had contacted us and explained rather than dump it on Expedia to handle. I did email them yesterday but they haven't replied. We spent a long time yesterday making a shortlist of alternatives then Expedia sent us a choice of alternatives today and one of them was on our shortlist and has good reviews on several sites so they have booked that one for us. It is in Palm Springs itself which will be nice and we know where it is as it is just up the road from one we stayed at in October 2013, when we drove past we said how nice it looked.

I am now very apprehensive about the replacement booking. I think I will phone the hotel direct next week, see if they have the booking and have a chat with them.

To be fair to Expedia we booked six hotels in California and Nevada for a trip in October 2013 and there were no problems at all; this makes me think it must be the hotel who have dumped us.

I wouldn't go as far as to say all's well that ends well but at least we now have a replacement booked.

janeken

EssexExile wrote: »

I don't understand Expedia either. I've always found better prices going direct to hotels & airlines, a lot less hassle too in my experience.

You may well be right but in true Money Saving spirit we tend to book through a cash back site with Expedia or Hotels.com. It's not worth it for flights as the cash back is minimal but it is worth it for hotel bookings.

janeken

jpsartre wrote: »

They're one of the most reputable booking sites out there. Unless the OP finds acommodation that can't be booked from them there would be little upside going to a different provider.

Yes we were concerned about having to go through the refund procedure and how long it might take.

bagand96

To be fair to Expedia we booked six hotels in California and Nevada for a trip in October 2013 and there were no problems at all; this makes me think it must be the hotel who have dumped us.

Its almost certainly the hotel that have dumped your booking and not Expedia.

I don't understand Expedia either. I've always found better prices going direct to hotels & airlines, a lot less hassle too in my experience.

Swings and roundabouts. Sometimes Expedia are the best for hotels, sometimes the hotel directly, sometimes a different website. The last 3 British Airways flights I've taken were booked through Expedia and not BA.com because not only were Expedia a few quid cheaper, they didn't levy credit card charges like BA.

littlereddevil

Glad you are sorted. The other hotel will never deal with you direct as you didn't book with them direct.

whc23

I am also not happy with Expedia. Just booked a hotel with Expedia and then found it much cheaper elsewhere. Tried to claim the difference using the Expedia "Price Guarantee Promise" but no luck as the Terms and Conditions of the two bookings are different. The Expedia booking is non-refundable while the other, cheaper booking is refundable. So I am paying more with Expedia and getting worse Terms and Conditions. I feel Expedia have got out of honouring this guarantee on an unreasonable difference. Will not use them again!