What would you do here?

[Flatwhite32]

DH and I booked a hotel in January in a seaside town in England. We were supposed to be staying there yesterday with our 9 month old DD. In the morning, I was asked by booking.com to verify the card details as they were 'invalid' (not actually true, as the card details were fine). However, we used another card, and got another email confirming that the card details update had been successful. On the way there, I checked my email in the car, and it said our room had been cancelled by the accommodation (not by booking.com) due to 'invalid credit card details'. I couldn't believe it! I then tried phoning the hotel, and they refused to answer. I tried phoning them all day, and again this morning, and they are still refusing to answer. I phoned booking.com worried that maybe the credit card update email had been fake, but they could confirm it wasn't, and they also confirmed that the accommodation had indeed cancelled our room! They managed to get through to the hotel on our behalf, but the hotel said they were busy, with only one member of staff on, and to try phoning them later. It is now nearly 24 hours later, and we still can't get through. No money has been taken from our account, but looking at Trip Advisor, it is evident that although the hotel gets mostly good reviews, this room cancelling has also happened to other people. I know I should have checked this before going, but the hotel gets such good reviews on booking.com, I stupidly assumed it would be fine. I now suspect that they cancel rooms at the last minute, then sell them again at a higher rate. We had really been looking forward to the weekend, and couldn't find another hotel that wasn't extortionate. WWYD now? I feel that a hotel, who cancels and lies about the reason, then refuses to pick up the phone, shouldn't be on booking.com

So if you’d already left, did you turn around and go back home?

Honestly though that’s just strange. I have used hotels in the UK so many times, for work and pleasure, and have never heard of this happening before. (Yes is really curious which hotel it was!).

That must be so frustrating for you though I appreciate. To look forward to something and then get let down to badly.

@SnowyAlpsandPeaks I know! I have stayed at loads of hotels in the UK and around the world, and this has never happened to me! It's so odd. We went to DH's parents, but I was so looking forward to a weekend away just the 3 of us.

Wow! Sounds like they do this to others too OP. I would name and shame them on twitter/Facebook/whatever to be honest

I would also name and shame them.

@RestingBitchFaced and @WhenISnappedAndFarted interestingly they don't have a social media page, so I can't tag them, but I can definitely name and shame! They still aren't answering the phone .

I had a similar issue on August bank holiday many years back. I booked a B&B hotel about 18 months in advance. My friend was getting married and it was quite rural, so wanted to get in there and get a place to stay that was very nearby early on. A few of our friends also attending the wedding followed suit and we basically booked all the rooms at the hotel between us. Great.

Fast forward to wedding weekend, the proprietor wanted us to pay on arrival, no problem. But presented us with a bill for way more than the price agreed. We questioned it and he said that was the rate for bank holidays and he'd NEVER sell rooms at the standard price at that time of year.

Luckily. My friend bless her, had already had the common sense to print off the email exchange / confirmation from 18 months prior (this was before smartphones with emails at your fingertips) and she had brought it with her.

He couldn't really argue with that and started acting like a petulant child saying he didn't realise it was a bank holiday when he accepted our booking. Not our problem, you'd think a B&B owner would know the peak weekends!

He and his wife were thoroughly unpleasant for the duration of our two night stay and we were bloody glad to leave.

So I'm guessing that your hotel probably saw that they could get more money, as I imagine prices have shot up, due to the demand because of the weather. Completely underhand and I can feel your anger and frustration.

Leave them a shitty review on Tripadvisor and write into Booking.com to complain, linking to reviews saying the same as you. It probably won't get you anywhere, but might make you feel better.

Hope you manage to get a break still.

@4040vision that's awful! How rude of them. I now wish we had gone to the hotel in person to confront them, but we ended up doing a detour to DH's parents, as DD had spent far too long in the car (although she did very well bless her!). I have written a scathing review on Trip Advisor, and will be phoning Booking.com after Easter is over to chase things up. I would hate to think of that happening to a family who have come from abroad, a family who don't speak good English, a vulnerable person etc. It's really not on.

@Flatwhite32 Glad weekend wasn't completely lost for you.

Update us if you get anywhere with the complaint. Good luck!

Booking.com is quite selective with reviews. My Sister and her family stayed in an absolute death trap that was filthy and breakfast was appalling. She wrote a terrible review for them. Booking.com only published that the hotel was on the sea front and had lovely views. My sister could see the whole review she had written whereas I could only see that good bit. Very misleading.

Sorry your trip has been ruined. Very disappointing for you all.

That's interesting @Bringbackthestripes! I phoned booking.com again today and they said they'd investigate it, but I'm not holding out much hope!