Booking.com rip-off - hotel closed

AndyMTB

Hi. Posting here as a warning to everyone. I booked a night at a hotel, arriving between 20:00 - 21:00. When we arrived at 20:50 the hotel was in complete darkness and all locked up. Banging on doors and windows elicited no response, and the phone was not being answered. Gave up at 21:15, reported to booking.com via their website, and managed to find alternative accommodation by phoning round.

Received email from booking.com as we arrived at the new hotel, around 21:50, saying that the original hotel was now ready to receive us. Obviously this was no longer any use to us, we were 30 mins away and pretty much sorted. Booking.com have refused to return our payment.

The moral of the story is - use booking.com to research but phone the hotel before parting with your money!

Penguin_

Have used booking.com on many occasions & never had such a problem. 

eskbanker

Not sure that it's fair to accuse booking.com of a "rip-off", given that it would appear to have been some sort of temporary issue at the hotel that seems to have been resolved reasonably quickly once booking.com intervened - the fact that you were no longer willing to go back is hardly booking.com's fault.  Perhaps more valid to share the name of the hotel as a warning instead?

screech_78

Have also never had a problem with Booking.com.

Probably better posting this in the praise and vents board as I can’t see a consumer rights question. 

HampshireH

Sounds like the rant should be towards the hotel not booking.com.

They didn't manage their booking properly and also didn't both to contact you 

AndyMTB

eskbanker said:

Not sure that it's fair to accuse booking.com of a "rip-off", given that it would appear to have been some sort of temporary issue at the hotel that seems to have been resolved reasonably quickly once booking.com intervened - the fact that you were no longer willing to go back is hardly booking.com's fault.  Perhaps more valid to share the name of the hotel as a warning instead?

Yes, I appreciate that. I did in fact phone the hotel after reading booking.com's email, as a courtesy to them to say I would not be arriving. The lady had been called out to open up, she  was apologetic and said that the link between themselves and booking.com wasn't always working. I don't know if that's true or not, but I wouldn't like to blacken the hotel if they really had no idea that they had a booking that night.

My gripe is with booking.com who effectively booked me into a closed hotel and then would not refund me. I certainly was not willing to hang around the closed hotel at that time of night on the off-chance that someone would open up - in fact it would have been near enough an hour's wait.

eskbanker

AndyMTB said:

eskbanker said:

Not sure that it's fair to accuse booking.com of a "rip-off", given that it would appear to have been some sort of temporary issue at the hotel that seems to have been resolved reasonably quickly once booking.com intervened - the fact that you were no longer willing to go back is hardly booking.com's fault.  Perhaps more valid to share the name of the hotel as a warning instead?

Yes, I appreciate that. I did in fact phone the hotel after reading booking.com's email, as a courtesy to them to say I would not be arriving. The lady had been called out to open up, she  was apologetic and said that the link between themselves and booking.com wasn't always working. I don't know if that's true or not, but I wouldn't like to blacken the hotel if they really had no idea that they had a booking that night.

My gripe is with booking.com who effectively booked me into a closed hotel and then would not refund me. I certainly was not willing to hang around the closed hotel at that time of night on the off-chance that someone would open up - in fact it would have been near enough an hour's wait.

You don't want to blacken the hotel but choose to believe them over booking.com and so happy to blacken the latter by accusing them of ripping you off?

DullGreyGuy

AndyMTB said:

eskbanker said:

Not sure that it's fair to accuse booking.com of a "rip-off", given that it would appear to have been some sort of temporary issue at the hotel that seems to have been resolved reasonably quickly once booking.com intervened - the fact that you were no longer willing to go back is hardly booking.com's fault.  Perhaps more valid to share the name of the hotel as a warning instead?

Yes, I appreciate that. I did in fact phone the hotel after reading booking.com's email, as a courtesy to them to say I would not be arriving. The lady had been called out to open up, she  was apologetic and said that the link between themselves and booking.com wasn't always working. I don't know if that's true or not, but I wouldn't like to blacken the hotel if they really had no idea that they had a booking that night.

My gripe is with booking.com who effectively booked me into a closed hotel and then would not refund me. I certainly was not willing to hang around the closed hotel at that time of night on the off-chance that someone would open up - in fact it would have been near enough an hour's wait.

Presumably the "hotel" had no other bookings and hence had closed. How would you expect Booking.com to know how many guests the hotel has via other channels? How would they know what the owners would do if they had no bookings for a night?

How many times have you gone to any hotels website and they've said they've got 10 other guests the night you arrive, 12 the next night and 15 the night your leave? The most you'll get is some fake marketing "only 2 rooms left at this rate" type thing which makes you think its booking up quick but could mean theres not a single booking

tightauldgit

AndyMTB said:

eskbanker said:

Not sure that it's fair to accuse booking.com of a "rip-off", given that it would appear to have been some sort of temporary issue at the hotel that seems to have been resolved reasonably quickly once booking.com intervened - the fact that you were no longer willing to go back is hardly booking.com's fault.  Perhaps more valid to share the name of the hotel as a warning instead?

Yes, I appreciate that. I did in fact phone the hotel after reading booking.com's email, as a courtesy to them to say I would not be arriving. The lady had been called out to open up, she  was apologetic and said that the link between themselves and booking.com wasn't always working. I don't know if that's true or not, but I wouldn't like to blacken the hotel if they really had no idea that they had a booking that night.

My gripe is with booking.com who effectively booked me into a closed hotel and then would not refund me. I certainly was not willing to hang around the closed hotel at that time of night on the off-chance that someone would open up - in fact it would have been near enough an hour's wait.

How were booking.com supposed to know the hotel would be closed at the specific time that you arrived? The fault here is with the hotel who closed their doors and locked up when they had a booking for that night still to arrive. 

born_again

AndyMTB said:

eskbanker said:

Not sure that it's fair to accuse booking.com of a "rip-off", given that it would appear to have been some sort of temporary issue at the hotel that seems to have been resolved reasonably quickly once booking.com intervened - the fact that you were no longer willing to go back is hardly booking.com's fault.  Perhaps more valid to share the name of the hotel as a warning instead?

Yes, I appreciate that. I did in fact phone the hotel after reading booking.com's email, as a courtesy to them to say I would not be arriving. The lady had been called out to open up, she  was apologetic and said that the link between themselves and booking.com wasn't always working. I don't know if that's true or not, but I wouldn't like to blacken the hotel if they really had no idea that they had a booking that night.

My gripe is with booking.com who effectively booked me into a closed hotel and then would not refund me. I certainly was not willing to hang around the closed hotel at that time of night on the off-chance that someone would open up - in fact it would have been near enough an hour's wait.

A bit odd that a hotel had no staff there. 

Have to agree with the others. The Hotel is the issue here. Got a booking, yet no staff ready to great guests... Not much of a hotel.
They can blame Booking.com all they like, but funny how someone turned up after they were contacted by booking.com.

AndyMTB

eskbanker said:

AndyMTB said:

eskbanker said:

Not sure that it's fair to accuse booking.com of a "rip-off", given that it would appear to have been some sort of temporary issue at the hotel that seems to have been resolved reasonably quickly once booking.com intervened - the fact that you were no longer willing to go back is hardly booking.com's fault.  Perhaps more valid to share the name of the hotel as a warning instead?

Yes, I appreciate that. I did in fact phone the hotel after reading booking.com's email, as a courtesy to them to say I would not be arriving. The lady had been called out to open up, she  was apologetic and said that the link between themselves and booking.com wasn't always working. I don't know if that's true or not, but I wouldn't like to blacken the hotel if they really had no idea that they had a booking that night.

My gripe is with booking.com who effectively booked me into a closed hotel and then would not refund me. I certainly was not willing to hang around the closed hotel at that time of night on the off-chance that someone would open up - in fact it would have been near enough an hour's wait.

You don't want to blacken the hotel but choose to believe them over booking.com and so happy to blacken the latter by accusing them of ripping you off?

Do you not think that booking.com should return my money? I haven't sent any money to the hotel. I don't even know how much they received.