Hotel booking...hotel won't communicate!

[SpongeBobJudgeyPants]

Have about 10 rooms booked (all rooms) in a small hotel for our wedding in September, across various family members. All paid for in full, some via Booking.com, some via bankcard. Family member has discovered while attempting to change one of the bookings that previous owner has 'done a runner' and hotel is now under new ownership. Implication that new owner will not honour previous bookings. It is possible that some of the money can be refunded via Booking.com, and possibly via bank, but would still leave the problem of trying to re-book rooms at a peak-time in a seaside resort, so I'd much rather they were honoured. Do the new owners have any legal obligation (no receivership to my knowledge) to honour the bookings, or can they just wash their hands of it? Currently not responding to phone/email. Any advice welcome, TIA.

If they bought the company that owned the hotel you don't have a problem. If the hotel was owned by an individual it all depends on the terms of the purchase. I'd be very surprised if an agreement to buy a hotel didn't include a clause agreeing to honour existing bookings.

But you can only get the answer to this by contacting the hotel, which you should now do.

Why would someone who bought a hotel cancel existing bookings - that doesn't make sense!

That's pretty much what the legal insurance said Collaborate, thanks (remembered this morning that I might be covered). The hotel weren't answering the phone, or replying to emails. Since Booking dot com got in touch with them (again) old owner has confirmed that bookings are valid (verbally, to them). So hopefully all is well. Thanks for your help.

It would only make sense titchy if they were to be able to resell the already paid for rooms, so a room had effectively been sold twice. It is a very busy time of year for the town, so possible demand on rooms.

have you tried talking to Booking.com about the rooms that were booked through them to see what they have to say about it? They might be a good place to start and the new hotel owners might be more inclined to talk to them about it than you...

Also have you tried to rebook the rooms on booking.com or similar - not going through with the purchase but seeing if they are offering rooms that you think are the ones that you had reserved... works in some places where you can see the rooms you get, but not in all places!

Thanks confuugled. Booking did manage to get hold of owner, and the business is continuing, and our bookings are still there on the system. We actually called to see them when we were at the hotel sorting wedding stuff (its a couple of hours from home, or we would have done it earlier) and all seems ok. I mean we won't know completely until everyone checks in, but I am fairly certain it will be ok.