Booking.com room not as described (County Aparthotel, Newcastle)

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

itm2 said:

born_again said:

itm2 said:

The hotel told me when I complained in the morning that the booking they had received from the agent was for a "small double room", so told me that it was an issue with the agent. I told them that they should have told me this the night before, when I specifically told them that I had reserved a standard room, not a small one. Instead, they heard what I said but simply ignored it.
I emailed the hotel yesterday to complain again, but have received no reply. It seems that both parties are pointing the finger at each other, when in truth both are probably at fault.

So what does your booking show on your booking.com account of email confirmation?

Here is my booking at booking.com - "Standard Room 1 Double Bed"

You can ask the hotel to prove they had a booking for a small. Given the circumstances I'd just take some satisfaction in leaving a bad review.

"Booked a standard double rom and got this rather small bed" with the photo included isn't going to do the hotel any favours.  

itm2

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

itm2 said:

born_again said:

itm2 said:

The hotel told me when I complained in the morning that the booking they had received from the agent was for a "small double room", so told me that it was an issue with the agent. I told them that they should have told me this the night before, when I specifically told them that I had reserved a standard room, not a small one. Instead, they heard what I said but simply ignored it.
I emailed the hotel yesterday to complain again, but have received no reply. It seems that both parties are pointing the finger at each other, when in truth both are probably at fault.

So what does your booking show on your booking.com account of email confirmation?

Here is my booking at booking.com - "Standard Room 1 Double Bed"

You can ask the hotel to prove they had a booking for a small. Given the circumstances I'd just take some satisfaction in leaving a bad review.

"Booked a standard double rom and got this rather small bed" with the photo included isn't going to do the hotel any favours.  

Yes TBH I'm not expecting much in the way of compensation. I just wish we'd booked the Travelodge at less than half the price. We were both wiped out all day the following day, which was annoying as we'd decided to stay the extra day to look around the city.
I've left a 1-star review with a photo as something to remember me by.

HillStreetBlues

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

HillStreetBlues said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

itm2 said:

I was told that the problem was due to me booking via a third party, and that if I had read the "fine print" I would have seen that there was no guarantee regarding the type of room that we would actually be allocated.

Nonsense! trader's right to vary terms is very limited but no one is going to book and pay for e.g a suite and the get stuck in a single for the same price because the terms said so.

OP Booking.com are correct in that they are an agent and the issue is for the hotel to sort.

They appear to be a UK company, what is the difference in room rates and what was the purpose of the stay? 

Booking.com need to supply what was booked. If it was a horrible double room then I would agree take it up with hotel,  as Booking.com supplied the room
Clearly this is a single room with a single bed, no tape measure needed as have a small double in a spare room, it's even set out as a single, so Booking.Com have failed to provide what was booked.

I think Booking.com will say they processed the booking correctly and the hotel supplied the wrong room.

If you book a suite and Booking.com book you a single with the hotel that is Booking.com's responsibility as the booking forms part of their responsibility. 

If the booking is made correctly but the hotel does something wrong then that is the hotel's responsibility.

I wish it wasn't the answer but as with a lot of booking sites they are just there to facilitate two parties forming a contract, some of them do take certain bookings where the contract is with Booking.com or whoever but it sesems OP has ben advised already that Booking is not a party to the contract for the actual supply of the accommodation  

That can not be right, that would mean Booking.com  could charge everyone for a double room  book a smaller room (which is what happened) as then claim it's nothing to do with them.
Just imagine booking a flight to Spain with a travel agent and turn up at airport and the flight was to France. It might be the airlines fault but your contract to supply the flight to Spain is with the TA.

HillStreetBlues

born_again said:

HillStreetBlues said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

itm2 said:

I was told that the problem was due to me booking via a third party, and that if I had read the "fine print" I would have seen that there was no guarantee regarding the type of room that we would actually be allocated.

Nonsense! trader's right to vary terms is very limited but no one is going to book and pay for e.g a suite and the get stuck in a single for the same price because the terms said so.

OP Booking.com are correct in that they are an agent and the issue is for the hotel to sort.

They appear to be a UK company, what is the difference in room rates and what was the purpose of the stay? 

Booking.com need to supply what was booked. If it was a horrible double room then I would agree take it up with hotel,  as Booking.com supplied the room
Clearly this is a single room with a single bed, no tape measure needed as have a small double in a spare room, it's even set out as a single, so Booking.Com have failed to provide what was booked.

They did.
They provided a booking for the customer @ the hotel. They do not provide rooms. That is down to the hotel. If the room provided is not what customer ordered, then it is the hotel to sort.

So you paid for a 1st class flight with a travel agent, travel agent books a normal ticket, you get on plane and are seated at the back as you are told by airline that that was what was booked.
If using that logic you would have no comeback with the TA as they supplied a seat on the plane.

user1977

HillStreetBlues said:

born_again said:

HillStreetBlues said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

itm2 said:

I was told that the problem was due to me booking via a third party, and that if I had read the "fine print" I would have seen that there was no guarantee regarding the type of room that we would actually be allocated.

Nonsense! trader's right to vary terms is very limited but no one is going to book and pay for e.g a suite and the get stuck in a single for the same price because the terms said so.

OP Booking.com are correct in that they are an agent and the issue is for the hotel to sort.

They appear to be a UK company, what is the difference in room rates and what was the purpose of the stay? 

Booking.com need to supply what was booked. If it was a horrible double room then I would agree take it up with hotel,  as Booking.com supplied the room
Clearly this is a single room with a single bed, no tape measure needed as have a small double in a spare room, it's even set out as a single, so Booking.Com have failed to provide what was booked.

They did.
They provided a booking for the customer @ the hotel. They do not provide rooms. That is down to the hotel. If the room provided is not what customer ordered, then it is the hotel to sort.

So you paid for a 1st class flight with a travel agent, travel agent books a normal ticket, you get on plane and are seated at the back as you are told by airline that that was what was booked.
If using that logic you would have no comeback with the TA as they supplied a seat on the plane.

Probably scope for confusion here as a "travel agent" in ye olde High Street sense is acting as agent for the consumer, rather than the airline etc, whereas booking.com and similar sites are agents for the accommodation provider - so your contract is actually with the hotel etc, and if their agent has mucked things up, then as far as you are concerned it's the hotel which is liable.

HillStreetBlues

user1977 said:

HillStreetBlues said:

born_again said:

HillStreetBlues said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

itm2 said:

I was told that the problem was due to me booking via a third party, and that if I had read the "fine print" I would have seen that there was no guarantee regarding the type of room that we would actually be allocated.

Nonsense! trader's right to vary terms is very limited but no one is going to book and pay for e.g a suite and the get stuck in a single for the same price because the terms said so.

OP Booking.com are correct in that they are an agent and the issue is for the hotel to sort.

They appear to be a UK company, what is the difference in room rates and what was the purpose of the stay? 

Booking.com need to supply what was booked. If it was a horrible double room then I would agree take it up with hotel,  as Booking.com supplied the room
Clearly this is a single room with a single bed, no tape measure needed as have a small double in a spare room, it's even set out as a single, so Booking.Com have failed to provide what was booked.

They did.
They provided a booking for the customer @ the hotel. They do not provide rooms. That is down to the hotel. If the room provided is not what customer ordered, then it is the hotel to sort.

So you paid for a 1st class flight with a travel agent, travel agent books a normal ticket, you get on plane and are seated at the back as you are told by airline that that was what was booked.
If using that logic you would have no comeback with the TA as they supplied a seat on the plane.

Probably scope for confusion here as a "travel agent" in ye olde High Street sense is acting as agent for the consumer, rather than the airline etc, whereas booking.com and similar sites are agents for the accommodation provider - so your contract is actually with the hotel etc, and if their agent has mucked things up, then as far as you are concerned it's the hotel which is liable.

There are two ways, a booking agent but you still pay the supplier directly and if so then it any trouble it's the supplier you deal with. In this case the payment was to booking.com

born_again

HillStreetBlues said:

So you paid for a 1st class flight with a travel agent, travel agent books a normal ticket, you get on plane and are seated at the back as you are told by airline that that was what was booked.
If using that logic you would have no comeback with the TA as they supplied a seat on the plane.

No. So long as you have proof of what you booked & where the error is.
In you case it would be the travel agent.

This is why I asked for proof of what OP booked.
That has shown that it is the hotel at fault.

user1977

HillStreetBlues said:

user1977 said:

HillStreetBlues said:

born_again said:

HillStreetBlues said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

itm2 said:

I was told that the problem was due to me booking via a third party, and that if I had read the "fine print" I would have seen that there was no guarantee regarding the type of room that we would actually be allocated.

Nonsense! trader's right to vary terms is very limited but no one is going to book and pay for e.g a suite and the get stuck in a single for the same price because the terms said so.

OP Booking.com are correct in that they are an agent and the issue is for the hotel to sort.

They appear to be a UK company, what is the difference in room rates and what was the purpose of the stay? 

Booking.com need to supply what was booked. If it was a horrible double room then I would agree take it up with hotel,  as Booking.com supplied the room
Clearly this is a single room with a single bed, no tape measure needed as have a small double in a spare room, it's even set out as a single, so Booking.Com have failed to provide what was booked.

They did.
They provided a booking for the customer @ the hotel. They do not provide rooms. That is down to the hotel. If the room provided is not what customer ordered, then it is the hotel to sort.

So you paid for a 1st class flight with a travel agent, travel agent books a normal ticket, you get on plane and are seated at the back as you are told by airline that that was what was booked.
If using that logic you would have no comeback with the TA as they supplied a seat on the plane.

Probably scope for confusion here as a "travel agent" in ye olde High Street sense is acting as agent for the consumer, rather than the airline etc, whereas booking.com and similar sites are agents for the accommodation provider - so your contract is actually with the hotel etc, and if their agent has mucked things up, then as far as you are concerned it's the hotel which is liable.

There are two ways, a booking agent but you still pay the supplier directly and if so then it any trouble it's the supplier you deal with. In this case the payment was to booking.com

Who you're contracting with is not determined by who you pay. If you pay the principal's agent then you're still contracting with the principal i.e. the hotel.

Okell

The OP says that the hotel website advertises "standard double rooms" and "small double rooms" separately

The OP's booking confirmation says "Standard room 1 double bed"

The hotel says a "small double room was booked".

On the face of it the hotel have made the mistake

HillStreetBlues

 airline etc, whereas booking.com and similar sites are agents for the accommodation provider - so your contract is actually with the hotel etc, and if their agent has mucked things up, then as far as you are concerned it's the hotel which is liable.

There are two ways, a booking agent but you still pay the supplier directly and if so then it any trouble it's the supplier you deal with. In this case the payment was to booking.com

Who you're contracting with is not determined by who you pay. If you pay the principal's agent then you're still contracting with the principal i.e. the hotel.

The OP paid Booking.com to a provide service, that service was to book/ reserve a standard double hotel room take payment and pass it on.
If you believe the hotel, Booking.com failed to book/reserve a standard double room, therefore breaching the contract with the OP.
If OP had booked via Booking.com but hotel took payment directly then it would be the hotel's fault