Bookings.com Question

eDicky

I think it's quite likely that the problems will not be allowed to persist, either by the hotel or the municipal authorities, into October. There could be equal or more chance of encountering bedbugs in any hotel, as a more recent infestation.

Anyway, a few bedbug bites never did anyone much harm, I would be more keen to avoid the effects of any chemical poison spray.

I always avoid leaving my bag on the floor overnight, where any such critter could easily climb in on its way home after supper. On a chair or a stand your luggage is much safer from hitchhikers hoping to go home with you.

I'll be in town tomorrow, I'll check the hotel's location in case there a chance I could drop by for a brief investigation...

Pollycat

Essex_Jim wrote: »

My Wife has booked a Girls weekend away in Amsterdam in October. Booked in February with Bookings.com. She has just revisited the Hotel on TripAdvisor and was found all recent reviews were one out of five. The most recent showing pictures of bed bugs.

Reviewing the booking.com details looks like cancellation would involve lost of all money.

Beyond trying to mitigate against what has been highlighted, is there any other opinions?

What do the rest of the 'girls' think?

Essex_Jim

Pollycat wrote: »

What do the rest of the 'girls' think?

They are concerned.

Have contacted Bookings.com by phone who have emailed the Hotel asking for their comments

Pollycat

Essex_Jim wrote: »

They are concerned.

Have contacted Bookings.com by phone who have emailed the Hotel asking for their comments

Don't let your wife take it all on herself.
Organising for other people is a thankless task.

Hope you get somewhere with booking.com.
But at least your wife has learned a lesson about taking the cheapest, non-refundable option.
It would be good to hear what booking.com say.

eDicky

eDicky wrote: »

I'll be in town tomorrow, I'll check the hotel's location in case there a chance I could drop by for a brief investigation...

it's a rainy day in Amsterdam but I was able to stop by the hotel earlier. It's actually in two sections above the arcade of shops on Raadhuisstraat, nos.31 and 37, with reception upstairs at no.27, a hotel with a different name that I forget. They are run by Moroccans.

I inspected room 304 at no. 37, a large pleasant room with a both a double and a single bed. Everything was clean, including the bathroom, the fire alarm was not masked. I ran a toothpick along inside the crack between floor and wall and in furniture crevices without eliciting any sight or smell of bedbugs, although they could be further inside. There were no visible bloodstains on the bedsheets, the top ones at least. I was too late to check the soiled linen from made up rooms which was already bundled into bags and on the way downstairs, and I was not early enough to interview any departing guests.

Back at reception the very friendly lady said that I could have the room for 120€ including taxes, smaller and cheaper ones all being fully booked. I said that I would go and tell my (fictitious) wife, then mentioned that she was a bit worried about the possibility of any insects in the room, such as bedbugs. The lady became a little defensive and intimated that it couldn't be guaranteed, and perhaps I should try a different hotel. We chatted some more about different countries, then I made my way downstairs, which took some time wait and squeeze past two small Spanish girls with large suitcases who were having great difficulty taking them up the old-style Dutch very steep and narrow staircase.

So in conclusion I would say that my earlier theory of such problems being already rectified is no doubt mistaken. Probably not all rooms are affected equally badly, so you could be lucky or not, depending on which ones have been priced and booked, and in which section. The room I saw did not seem overpriced or have any negative aspects, but in such an old building I'm sure there's a wide variety of rooms.

Don't take heavy suitcases to these hotels, there's nobody to help you drag them up the stairs. Good luck, be brave..!

leylandsunaddict

brianposter wrote: »

That is either nonsense, or a different booking.com to the one I have used.

Why is it nonsense? Booking.com don't process payments, the hotel does. Any refund would come from the hotel. That is who the contract is with and who has the money.

Westin

Well done eDicky for going out of your way to visit the hotel and provide a comprehensive report.

brianposter

leylandsunaddict wrote: »

Why is it nonsense? Booking.com don't process payments, the hotel does. Any refund would come from the hotel. That is who the contract is with and who has the money.

When I have pre-booked I have usually appeared to pay booking.com, not the hotel. And when I got a small refund (because Booking were not dealing with forex correctly) it certainly did not come from the hotel.

brianposter

leylandsunaddict wrote: »

Why is it nonsense? Booking.com don't process payments, the hotel does. Any refund would come from the hotel. That is who the contract is with and who has the money.

And reading more carefully it appears that Leylandsunaddict is correct. Booking.com do a pretty good job of ensuring that they are not liable for anything in their T & Cs.
The fact that this is not at all obvious when making a booking (for example my credit card statement only mentions booking.com) could be a problem for them, but in principle LSA is entirely accurate.
Apologies, LSA.

stephb34

eDicky wrote: »

it's a rainy day in Amsterdam but I was able to stop by the hotel earlier. It's actually in two sections above the arcade of shops on Raadhuisstraat, nos.31 and 37, with reception upstairs at no.27, a hotel with a different name that I forget. They are run by Moroccans.

I inspected room 304 at no. 37, a large pleasant room with a both a double and a single bed. Everything was clean, including the bathroom, the fire alarm was not masked. I ran a toothpick along inside the crack between floor and wall and in furniture crevices without eliciting any sight or smell of bedbugs, although they could be further inside. There were no visible bloodstains on the bedsheets, the top ones at least. I was too late to check the soiled linen from made up rooms which was already bundled into bags and on the way downstairs, and I was not early enough to interview any departing guests.

Back at reception the very friendly lady said that I could have the room for 120€ including taxes, smaller and cheaper ones all being fully booked. I said that I would go and tell my (fictitious) wife, then mentioned that she was a bit worried about the possibility of any insects in the room, such as bedbugs. The lady became a little defensive and intimated that it couldn't be guaranteed, and perhaps I should try a different hotel. We chatted some more about different countries, then I made my way downstairs, which took some time wait and squeeze past two small Spanish girls with large suitcases who were having great difficulty taking them up the old-style Dutch very steep and narrow staircase.

So in conclusion I would say that my earlier theory of such problems being already rectified is no doubt mistaken. Probably not all rooms are affected equally badly, so you could be lucky or not, depending on which ones have been priced and booked, and in which section. The room I saw did not seem overpriced or have any negative aspects, but in such an old building I'm sure there's a wide variety of rooms.

Don't take heavy suitcases to these hotels, there's nobody to help you drag them up the stairs. Good luck, be brave..!

Did you really pop by and have a look, if so thats fabulous, well done, above and beyond a posters duty. Or am i that person thats gullible and your having a laugh (i do apologise if your serious)
I think my advice if you can't get out of the booking without losing money would be to get a thin bed sheet and make it into a sleeping bag and take that with you and sleep in that and hopefully it would help protect from the bugs.