To be disappointed that I may not have lunch on Christmas Day?

[Mogs43]

I have booked to stay a week at a nice hotel over Christmas (my father died so I will be alone). I booked full board , which I never normally do, and it was very expensive (over £1,500) but its a treat after a lousy few months (spent last Christmas alone and pretty depressed/suicidal, so swore to do things differently this year).

Anyway I emailed the hotel to ask if I could see the menu for Lunch on Christmas Day (thought it would be nice to see). Last night they responded saying it was fully booked but they might be. able to add me to the cancellation list. They also said there would be no breakfast or other food available on Christmas Day but bar snacks would be available after 8pm!

I queried why the Reservations Team hadn't mentioned this when I had booked ( we had had a long conversation about my plans - I have stayed in the hotel before and the staff were all very friendly). She said I should have been told - she also confirmed that. there is no fridge in the room so I couldn't buy myself any supplies.

I have had a look for restaurants that might be serving lunch on Christmas Day but those that are open are fully booked. The one exception is another hotel but it is for guests staying at the hotel. I am wondering about whether to change hotels - I do normally like the one that I have booked with (it may be a difficult time so having friendly faces around would be nice and the other hotel is unknown/hasn't got as good reviews ) but I would like a lunch on Christmas Day. AIBU to be disappointed/WWYD? Thank you.

Oh that’s totally crap. You can’t have that.

I’d email them one more time and say if you really can’t be squeezed in then you will of course be cancelling. Start looking for something else in the meantime.

If you are full board then surely it’s up to them to cater for you?
How can you be full board bit them say no food is available for an entire day of your stay, it’s ridiculous

Will you get all your money back if you cancel? Because if yes that’s what I’ve been doing, for the simple reason of you wanting a lunch on christmas day and them not being able to give you one.

What a shame OP after you’d been looking forward to it I hope you can find an alternative

YANBU to be disappointed. It may be tricky now, but I would look for another hotel and if not, get supplies in for a good picnic and keep it in a coolbox plugged in in the room.

Definitely not being unreasonable! I'd definitely be looking to change hotels tbh.

‘That’s what I would be doing’ my last post should say, not ‘that’s what I’ve been doing’ as if I’ve been in this situation year on year and this is my normal course of action!!!!

Of course you need to eat on Christmas Day! I would cancel ASAP.

YANBU. We have previously gone away over Christmas and the website has always been clear about what's happening. It is pretty standard IME for breakfast not to be served on Xmas day, but it should be stated.

Yeah that's really rubbish, I'd cancel and change hotels on the basis you weren't told the restaurant was fully booked.

You're a free woman, you could choose any location, any hotel. Do it!
I'm envious. I'm stuck cooking in my house again.

I would be very disappointed with the hotel too! It's not great customer service is it? Speak to the Manager and double check the situation - if they really can't provide Christmas Lunch I would probably look elsewhere.

Full board means just that.

Cancel.

No, that's rubbish. How can they justify no breakfast, even if they're all booked up for lunch through error? Cancel and book somewhere else.

Oh that is so shit.

I hope

I hope you can cancel.
I'm sure they would be quick to get you your Xmas dinner when they realise they will lose out on £1,500.

How shit of them.

I would also cancel and challenge how they can call this full board when there is no food available!

That's really poor of them. They booked you in for full board, charged you a good amount for the privilege and completely failed to mention that no food was available on Christmas Day?
Shoddy behaviour, I'd be making a bit of a fuss then cancelling and rebooking with the other hotel who can actually provide you with a lunch.

How are they intending to meet their “full board” obligations, which presumably means three meals a day?

My first reaction would be to ask them how much they are reducing your fees due to no breakfast and Christmas lunch.

I would then be writing much higher up the food chain to ask how they could possibly imagine that someone who is booking full board over Christmas is not expecting breakfast and lunch on The Big Day.

And then I'd be asking them to confirm that if i cancel i would be getting a full refund.

Look around for something else, confirm details, reserve it for no cost, then cancel the first and book the second.

It is unbelievably shoddy of them.

Yep, agreed, be polite but firm- you assumed lunch would be served given that you are full board, no lunch, no stay. And don’t let them start making noises about keeping deposits etc as it is their fault and it’s ages until Christmas:

That is awful op.
You booked full board and they are not honouring it, so by this they have broken the contract .
Send a stiff email pointing this out and demand a full refund.
Hoping you find somewhere nicer and have a great time.

Can they explain how ‘full board’ is relevant to your stay if there’s no food being served as part of your booking? Personally I think they’ve forgotten or decided to concentrate on the non residents, but will want to keep your money regardless. Cancel unless they sort it for you.

That’s shocking! Of course booking full board should mean you get three meals a day, especially Christmas Day!

Speak to them again, tell them if they can’t honour the full board which you’ve booked and paid for you want a full refund & will go elsewhere.

Don’t let them fob you off, this is their mistake entirely, full board should automatically include meal bookings on all days of your stay, regardless of whether it’s Christmas.

How is it full board if they are nit feeing you??

You would. It be unreasonable to kick up a stink over this. You’ve booked full board and you weren’t told you needed to book separately for Christmas Day, they need to sort this out. Utterly ridiculous