Booking.com - Hotel in Rome won’t refund

rebeccarebo

Hello All
hope you’re keeping well in these strange times!
I’ve booked a hotel in Rome using booking.com and paid upfront when I booked in Feb. The booking is for over Easter. EasyJet have now cancelled (and are refunding) our flights and from what I can see on the news Italy is in total lockdown and I don’t think I could travel to the country even if I wanted to. The Hotel are refusing to refund the booking. Is there anything I can do at all? I booked on a credit card but Barclaycard have closed all their phone operators.
thanks all!

bradders1983

Travel insurance.

soolin

rebeccarebo said:

Hello All
hope you’re keeping well in these strange times!
I’ve booked a hotel in Rome using booking.com and paid upfront when I booked in Feb. The booking is for over Easter. EasyJet have now cancelled (and are refunding) our flights and from what I can see on the news Italy is in total lockdown and I don’t think I could travel to the country even if I wanted to. The Hotel are refusing to refund the booking. Is there anything I can do at all? I booked on a credit card but Barclaycard have closed all their phone operators.
thanks all!

I am in the same boat and I fear we have to wait and gamble on the insurance company coming through. I am due to go to Northern Spain on Wednesday, my flights have been cancelled and apparently my refund is on the way. However, despite the hotel being on lockdown the hotel will not refund, instead they say I can change my dates up until the end of the year, but this is of no use to me. I put in a claim to my insurance company about 8 days ago and have heard nothing back yet , not even an acknowledgement to the claim - I’m now worried that perhaps I mistyped my policy number or something silly, but my OH who is more programmatic than me just thinks they are overwhelmed and perhaps don’t have a way to automatically acknowledge claims. 

I have incidentally not found anyway at all of contacting booking.com , all my correspondence has gone direct to the hotel. I doubt though if booking.com can do anything Even if I could contact them. 

All we can do I suppose is wait .

nico69uk

I also prepaid a hotel in Malta over Easter with www.lastminute.com and being advised that the booking is non refundable.  Any advice is greatly appreciated?!

soolin

This is the biggest co incidence ever, as I typed the above I got a message from Booking.com that says:
Due to the travel restrictions related to Coronavirus, this booking can be cancelled for free.
I can't believe the co incidence, I'm just logging in now to see what it says against my booking.
It's there on my account, it says :

Are you sure you want to cancel your booking?

Travel to Spain is still allowed but movement inside the country is only allowed for certain limited purposes listed in article 7 of the decree. You may cancel your booking after having checked that the government decree does not allow you to move inside the country.

I have read and understood the decree

Yes, cancel this booking

I have clicked 'yes refund' and now have

Update: Your booking has been cancelled.

Please check your inbox for an email confirming your cancellation.

In case of any prepayment or charge by the property, you will be refunded by the property. For any issues with the refund, we request you to reach out to the property using the contact options on the 'My reservations' page.

I have just had an email that says :

Your booking was cancelled for FREE

well done Booking.com and thank you. 

It looks like you have to hold your nerve and wait to get within 72 hours to trigger the cancellation.