Hotel refusing refund for an unsuitable room

unhappyL

Hi, my son and I booked a twin bed hotel room through a booking agent. I stated that it had to be twin beds as we are mother and son. I also asked for a quiet room.

Upon arrival at the hotel we were given the card key and told the room number. We walked to the room which was at the very back of the hotel.

The room had a double bed inside. It was not the 172ft as described on the website. The room had a small window opening onto a small car park, we assumed for staff at the hotel and maybe contract workers. The room would not have been quiet first thing in the morning with people turning up for work and exhaust fumes might have been not healthy for us. My son suffers with asthma and I have medical issues too.

We left the room with our luggage and returned to the front desk. I complained HARD about the room and said we could not stay in it, especially as the bedding arrangement was not suitable for mother and son. I asked the manager for a full refund. We did not want to stay.

The manager told me I would have to take the matter up with the booking agent which I intended to do as soon as we returned home.

The manager then said he had a room we could rent for £40 per night for 5 nights (the length of our holiday) and said he would take us to it. As we had nowhere else to stay and not a great deal of money we agreed to view the room.

The room offered was huge with a sea view and contained a double and a single bed. So much better.  We stayed for the 5 nights.

Upon arriving home I immediately contacted the booking agent, told them all about our issue and they started looking into it for us.

The booking agent messaged the hotel manager. He told them that I had requested an upgrade of the room. I did not request that, I complained about the room. He stated to the agent that we did not complain about anything the whole of our stay. He also stated that they had provided us with a single bed in the second room free of charge. Not true, when we viewed the room a double and single bed were in the room.

I wish we had thought to take photos of the first room and my son could have recorded me complaining at the desk to help our case, but we didn't, we were very tired from a long train journey.

The manager is not being honest about the whole thing and I feel that the booking agent is only listening to his lies and not believing me.

This booking cost me quite a lot of money. The two of us don't earn very much and saved a while to be able to have this holiday, the manager and his lies has ruined the holiday for us. I really need this refunded to me.

What can I do next? Small claims?


UnhappyL and son x

MattMattMattUK

unhappyL said:

Hi, my son and I booked a twin bed hotel room through a booking agent. I stated that it had to be twin beds as we are mother and son. I also asked for a quiet room.

Upon arrival at the hotel we were given the card key and told the room number. We walked to the room which was at the very back of the hotel.

The room had a double bed inside. It was not the 172ft as described on the website. The room had a small window opening onto a small car park, we assumed for staff at the hotel and maybe contract workers. The room would not have been quiet first thing in the morning with people turning up for work and exhaust fumes might have been not healthy for us. My son suffers with asthma and I have medical issues too.

We left the room with our luggage and returned to the front desk. I complained HARD about the room and said we could not stay in it, especially as the bedding arrangement was not suitable for mother and son. I asked the manager for a full refund. We did not want to stay.

The manager told me I would have to take the matter up with the booking agent which I intended to do as soon as we returned home.

The manager then said he had a room we could rent for £40 per night for 5 nights (the length of our holiday) and said he would take us to it. As we had nowhere else to stay and not a great deal of money we agreed to view the room.

The room offered was huge with a sea view and contained a double and a single bed. So much better.  We stayed for the 5 nights.

Upon arriving home I immediately contacted the booking agent, told them all about our issue and they started looking into it for us.

The booking agent messaged the hotel manager. He told them that I had requested an upgrade of the room. I did not request that, I complained about the room. He stated to the agent that we did not complain about anything the whole of our stay. He also stated that they had provided us with a single bed in the second room free of charge. Not true, when we viewed the room a double and single bed were in the room.

I wish we had thought to take photos of the first room and my son could have recorded me complaining at the desk to help our case, but we didn't, we were very tired from a long train journey.

The manager is not being honest about the whole thing and I feel that the booking agent is only listening to his lies and not believing me.

This booking cost me quite a lot of money. The two of us don't earn very much and saved a while to be able to have this holiday, the manager and his lies has ruined the holiday for us. I really need this refunded to me.

Just to try and figure out, what is the actual problem at the end of the stay?

You initially were offered a room that was unsuitable, this could either be a mistake by the hotel or the booking agent, unknown at this stage. When you complained about this you were told that the choice was either the room you had already been offered, or a £40 per night upgrade to a different room, you chose to pay the upgrade and got what you wanted.

You have then returned home and now expect the booking agent to fully refund your trip and somehow your holiday is ruined because you are not getting a refund via the booking agent for a hotel room which you stayed in?

sammyjammy

I read it as the manager took them to a room they could rent elsewhere, nothing to do with the hotel?

Penguin_

sammyjammy said:

I read it as the manager took them to a room they could rent elsewhere, nothing to do with the hotel?

I read it as the manager said they (being the hotel) had a room they could use for £40 per night.

Teapot55

I think the Original Poster was asked to pay more, on top of what she had already paid when booking. She booked in good faith, having been told she was getting a twin room. 

la531983

Yes I read it as a room upgrade within the same property, not a room in a new hotel.

Penguin_

Could you share the name of the hotel?

gwynlas

You agreed to pay the £40 per night for the family room that saved your holiday. You should emphasise that you did this under protest as they had allocated you a double rather than a twin room. The fact that there was a small window overlooking a car park is totally irrelevant to your claim as this room might have had twin beds. You can either accept that you paid extra for a superior room with sea view that no doubt could have been sold to somebody else at the higher price or continue to battle with the agent. Many people have had major problems this year with wild fires, flight cancellations and more. You presumably benefitted from your holiday you might feel aggrieved but it is up to you to choose your battles and either continue seeking a partial refund maximum £200 or let it go and not use this booking agency again.

silvercar

When you "stated that it had to be twin rooms" did the booking agent accept that as a condition of booking? Or was it a statement you made and the booking agent didn't comment on it. So something like putting it in the comment box and then finding in the T&C of the booking that requests cannot be guaranteed?

DullGreyGuy

You need to read the terms and conditions you agreed to with the booking agent... its not uncommon that the bed configuration is a preference not a guarantee and so wouldnt technically be a breach.

Dont know if you or your son were hoping to get lucky on holiday hence needing separate beds, and I agree its not ideal, but not sure why a mother/son sharing a large bed is such an issue? Would be different if it was more distant relatives. 

As to the "manager" lying... are you positive you and the agency are talking to the same person? Many hotels have several managers in the company and not all have advanced CRM systems to log customer feedback etc

thegreenone

DullGreyGuy said:

You need to read the terms and conditions you agreed to with the booking agent... its not uncommon that the bed configuration is a preference not a guarantee and so wouldnt technically be a breach.

Dont know if you or your son were hoping to get lucky on holiday hence needing separate beds, and I agree its not ideal, but not sure why a mother/son sharing a large bed is such an issue? Would be different if it was more distant relatives. 

As to the "manager" lying... are you positive you and the agency are talking to the same person? Many hotels have several managers in the company and not all have advanced CRM systems to log customer feedback etc

What an appalling post.  "Hoping to get lucky on holiday".  The OP doesn't state how old her son is and it doesn't matter.  She asked for twin beds and made it clear they were mother and son.  Love my sons as I do, I wouldn't have wanted to share a bed with either, at any age after 5 years old.