Basement hotel room

akkers

I recently booked a room for a week in a 4* hotel in a major city abroad. It was meant  to be a treat for my partner as a break after the pandemic. I booked the 'standard room' through a hotel booking site.

When I got there, I checked in but arriving in the room I was to discover that it was in the basement. It had a window which showed a fire escape with no view to outside and the walls were paper-thin. I objected to accepting a basement room in a 4* hotel. They promised that they would give me a room on the upper floors next day. But this did not happen as they kept making excuses. When I managed to speak to a senior member of staff and complained about being given a basement room he said that the booking site had taken cheaper rooms at the hotel and hence I got a basement room and not the 'standard room'. I emailed the booking site but they took several days to reply and said that the hotel would change the room but again this did not happen.

I spent a week in, what I would describe as, a dungeon feeling claustrophobic, noise from adjoining rooms and very little privacy. You get better accommodation in youth hostels. The holiday turned out to be a very bad experience.

What rights do I have? Can I expect a certain standard from a 4* hotel?

Sandtree

Assuming this was in the UK then star ratings are a tick box exercise and consider things like average room size, how many hours the kitchen operates etc. In a program a few years ago a small hotel had the advice to close their box room which would increase the average room size by 0.5m2 and move them from 3* to 4* enabling them to charge an extra £25 a night for their other rooms despite the fact the box room was almost never used.

Most hotels have several official grades of rooms but there will inevitably be grades within grades. These generally arent allocated randomly but will depend on which rates were booked, route for booking the room, any membership programme etc. A certain booking site isnt charging 30% less because they are making less profit but because they are agreeing to minimum volumes, giving worst cancellation rights, accepting worst rooms etc.

You paid for the lowest grade room in the hotel and unfortunately it sounds like you got what you paid for. The rooms existence will have been considered when it was awarded 4*. Whilst the step up from the lowest grade may not always be a massive improvement it does generally, though not always, avoid these sorts of issues.

Brie

So a senior manager has confirmed that you didn't get the standard room that you had booked.  Was it actually significantly cheaper than booking directly with the hotel itself?  And why did they not keep their promise to move you?

If the hotel was part of a chain of any sort then I would be complaining to the chain.  If it isn't and it was abroad is there any option of complaining to the local tourist authority??  

akkers

I thought I got a good rate because this booking had no cancellation rights. It was supposed to be a standard room so I did not expect a dungeon. Further, according to the staff member the booking site sold me a standard room but booked a sub-par room with the hotel.

IMO this hotel/booking site are shifting its sub-par basement rooms using their 4* tag to fool people.

Penguin_

Can you post a link to the hotel?

Brie

akkers said:

IMO this hotel/booking site are shifting its sub-par basement rooms using their 4* tag to fool people.

and possibly photos that make it look like a room with a view?  so potentially false advertising.  complain to ABTA?

akkers

This is the view out of the window. The trees are not real; its a pic pasted on the wall. I dont want to name the hotel at this stage as I am talking to my solicitor at the moment.

Penguin_

Can we see pictures of the room? I don't know how people can offer advice if we can't see what your room was like.

Sandtree

akkers said:
Further, according to the staff member the booking site sold me a standard room but booked a sub-par room with the hotel.

So do they have a room type below "standard" for this "sub par" room? I'd bet not and they are just saying you got one of the worst standard rooms.

akkers

Sandtree said:

akkers said:
Further, according to the staff member the booking site sold me a standard room but booked a sub-par room with the hotel.

So do they have a room type below "standard" for this "sub par" room? I'd bet not and they are just saying you got one of the worst standard rooms.

I believe he implied that the rooms on upper floors wered standard rooms.
The pic below is one I have of our basement room, Yes that a big pillar in the room! And the window is behind the curtains.

onashoestring

Did the room you were in have all the facilities included in the description of a standard room for that hotel ?