Advice needed: Hotel trying to double price 3 weeks after booking & payment

AshwellMatt

Hello, I'm hoping some of you might be able to help me with some advice.

I'm attending a convention in Poland in November and 3 weeks ago I booked and paid for my flights, entry card and hotel - all separately and direct.
Today I received an email from the Hotel saying that as my stay is during the convention, the price is actually higher than I previously paid so they're cancelling my reservation.

Key points:
- I booked directly with the hotel through their official website, with payment going through dotpay (an online service similar to PayPal) from my credit card.
- When I booked it was clear that I was making a reservation *request*, with the hotel needing to confirm the booking before I could make payment.
- The hotel then confirmed the reservation only a few hours later and I promptly paid.
- They haven't issued a refund yet because they don't have my bank or card details at it was serviced through dotpay, and I'm reluctant to give them as I feel that may legitimise their actions in trying to cancel the room.

What I'd like to know is do I have any rights in this situation or are they really able to cancel a reservation that was booked, confirmed by them, and paid for 3 weeks ago? I'm pushing back on this for obvious reasons and trying to keep my room booking at the price I paid, but I don't trust them to uphold it.

I'd really like to avoid getting a refund and having to look for alternative hotels because it's now much closer to the convention and my options will be much more limited and expensive than they would have been 3 weeks ago.

Any help or advice you can give would be much appreciated!

Thanks

richardw

If you turn up, I don't think they'll give you a room key.

Westin

You might need to have a read through of any terms & conditions from both the hotel and convention organisers.

I have known of cases in the USA where the convention organisers take room blocks in certain hotels and you are encouraged to block via them or their appointed hotel/ground organiser. I have seen comments that if you are attending the convention then you need to book the hotel through them. Perhaps similar in your case that the convention organisers and hotel have picked up on you booking outside of similar rules.

Of course another case might be that the hotel is oversold over the convention period and is now trying to move or cancel bookings that it does not think are linked or at a cheaper rate.

As for "rights" - look at the hotel booking conditions but as you have booked direct with an overseas hotel it would be for you to take that up with them directly or see if there is any type of complaint scheme operating in Poland that covers hotels that you could report the matter to. Perhaps also the local Polish town's tourist office?

AshwellMatt

Thanks Westin,

At this particular convention there are no ties between the organisers and the hotels in the city, so there's no option but to book directly and separately.

The terms and conditions of the hotel don't specify anything about having the right to cancel a booking or ask for more money either. I think they just messed up and didn't realise until now that people were booking during the convention so defaulted to 'off season' rates, when they should have been asking for more.

But the issue is if they'd advertised higher prices at the time I wouldn't have booked with them, and now it's 3 weeks later and the alternatives are full so it should be on them to take responsibility. Especially as they confirmed the booking and I then paid for it.

I will definitely get in touch with the tourist board, that's a good idea, and Trip Advisor and any other hotel review sites will definitely be hearing from me afterwards!

Marcus-H_2

does the hotel have a UK presence?
You could take them to court for loss of Bargain?

Voyager2002

I suggest that you write back to the hotel including a copy of the confirmation email and politely stating that you have a contract with them for your stay.

If they were to fail to honour that contract they would be in wrong (contract law has been harmonised across the EU) and were you to take them to court you would win. Of course, I have no idea how easy it would be to use the court system in Poland.

SandC

I've had circumstances in the past where my firm has a negotiated room rate contract with a local hotel for when we have visitors etc. but at times when they have something 'big' booked like some kind of convention they will completely renege on agreement and put the prices up or even cancel rooms we have booked!

They do this because they know they can - the hotel will be full regardless. They are the only 4* hotel in our town and know that yeah, you'll be back. Kicking off about it is a waste of time and energy and trying to go down a legal/contract route would be more costly than what they are trying to sell you. Basically it is no skin off their nose.

Shoddy practice, but very common I'm afraid.

blindman

AshwellMatt wrote: »

Thanks Westin,


The terms and conditions of the hotel don't specify anything about having the right to cancel a booking or ask for more money either. I think they just messed up and didn't realise until now that people were booking during the convention so defaulted to 'off season' rates, when they should have been asking for more.

B

I agree.

Is it a big brand hotel or a small independent ?

I would go with Voyager2002 advice

I suggest that you write back to the hotel including a copy of the confirmation email and politely stating that you have a contract with them for your stay.

I've had one occasion where I booked a refundable IHG hotel and a week later they changed it to non refundable due to the F1 GP

I wrote to the manager showing evidence of my original booking and he "kindly" let it stay as refundable.

Cheeky sod :cool: