Booking.com false advertising

[Bookingorcrooking]

We’ve just got back from holiday and although most of it was great, the end was stressful.

We booked a hotel through booking.com, and it was advertised on the site as having 2 pools. When we got to the hotel, they revealed that the pool was actually at another hotel and we’d need to take a buggy to travel to it.

One of my DC loves the sea and the other the pool so having both was key criteria in choosing a hotel. We tried to sort it out with the hotel and booking.com but they both refused and said that and “outdoor pool” could legitimately describe a pool that is outside the hotel on a different site.

After three days of trying to sort it and getting nowhere, we booked into another hotel that had a pool and was on the beachfront for the remaining three days.

Now we’re back home, I’m trying to at least get a refund for the three days we didn’t stay at the non-pool hotel, or get the cost of the second hotel reimbursed but both the hotel and booking.com are refusing to do anything about it. It seems unfair that the listing was misleading and we’re out of pocket because of it.

I’ve only ever had great service from
them and have booked plenty of times so I’m thrown by this.

AIBU for thinking booking.com is being unfair?

booking.com is absolute trash. having had bad experiences I avoid them like the plague

now I just book directly with the hotel. works out a lot better usually

As above. Booking.com is the Ryanair of the hotel world. Avoid.

That's ridiculous. If we went with that rule I could sell my house as having an outdoor pool and tennis courts, both are nearby so surely that counts?!

I think make a fuss on social media and draw attention to it, it may or may not work but it's worth a try.

It rather depends on what the advert actually said, and how far away a buggy ride is. If it's nextdoor, I wouldn't have been bothered.

With Booking,com always always check against the hotel website, another review site or both.

I would go to trading standards and see what they say. Also if you paid by credit card then do a section 75. See Martin Lewis for details.

The only good thing about booking.com is the free cancellation they often offer until right up to the date of travel.
I usually scout on there and then book with the hotel directly. It often works out cheaper that way too.

This website is worth a read to help you identify if you can make a complaint.

if booking.com is not regulated by ABTA on the basis that it is a platform, it may still have liability under the ASA for advertising false or misleading information so worth looking into whether you can make a complaint to the ASA too.

Sorry you were disappointed. Booking.com does not verify ANY of the information it displays. It just asks the hotel to provide honest and accurate descriptions of their facilities.
You should have been advised that the pool was not on site. Its up to BC to argue the toss with hotel and refund you.
I would talk to citizens advice. You could tell BC that you are claiming a refund due to the The Misrepresentation Act 1967 because the description of hotel was inaccurate .
Good Luck.
Bc are greedy .Try booking direct next time once you have identified a good place via this channel

We went to a hotel and the beach was a buggy ride away and it was advertised as hotel on the beach. It was, it was just down a massive hill that nobody could walk back up. But it was still great, few mins wait for a buggy and we were there. Was it genuinely that much of an inconvenience that you needed to shell out more money to move?