What to do if hotel changes price of confirmed reservations?
Sep 29th, 1997, 08:25 PM
#1
Guest
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What to do if hotel changes price of confirmed reservations?
Hello,
I was wondering if anyone has ever had the following situation happen to them. I made reservations 2 weeks ago at a hotel in France, telling them exactly when I would be staying there, what types of rooms I wanted, etc. Now today, I received a fax from them- in fact, it was the exact same fax they sent me to confirm my reservations. However, in the fax I received today, the original price of the rooms I had reserved for was crossed out and replaced by a higher price, a price about $30 higher than the price on my original reservation. I don't understand why this occurred, especially since in my original fax, when I made the reservation, I clearly stated all necessary information. Is it possible that the hotel changed the prices for 2 weeks at Christmas? (That is when I will be there).
I found out about this hotel through word of mouth, so I'm unsure if I should keep my reservation. A $30 a day difference isn't much, but it adds up for 10 days or so. This experience has left me very unhappy with the hotel, but I am wondering if it is worth the hassle to switch to another hotel.
Any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I was wondering if anyone has ever had the following situation happen to them. I made reservations 2 weeks ago at a hotel in France, telling them exactly when I would be staying there, what types of rooms I wanted, etc. Now today, I received a fax from them- in fact, it was the exact same fax they sent me to confirm my reservations. However, in the fax I received today, the original price of the rooms I had reserved for was crossed out and replaced by a higher price, a price about $30 higher than the price on my original reservation. I don't understand why this occurred, especially since in my original fax, when I made the reservation, I clearly stated all necessary information. Is it possible that the hotel changed the prices for 2 weeks at Christmas? (That is when I will be there).
I found out about this hotel through word of mouth, so I'm unsure if I should keep my reservation. A $30 a day difference isn't much, but it adds up for 10 days or so. This experience has left me very unhappy with the hotel, but I am wondering if it is worth the hassle to switch to another hotel.
Any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Sep 29th, 1997, 09:52 PM
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Elaine, Send a fax back asking them why they are charging you a higher price and see what they say. If you don't get a satisfactory answer I would change hotels. Did you use a credit card to secure the reservation? I used a credit card to secure a car rental in Germany and the _____ charged $280 to my card and I got the credit card company to remove it. If you can find the room rate listed somewhere in writing and then show them that they are charging you more they often will lower their price. I had that happen in Germany with a Best Western. We used them and Holiday Inns because of the great guides you get for all of Europe showing rates etc. I had an old book and she rightfully could have charged me more but gave me the last available room lower than the quoted price. If you think they are ripping you off don't give them your hard earned money-theres got to be other nice hotels.
Sep 30th, 1997, 09:36 AM
#3
Guest
Posts: n/a
No, I've never had this happen to me and it's
somewhat weird -- after all, what's the point
of a confirmation if the hotel can change the
rates quoted in it whenever they want? There
may be logical explanations for what happened,
most likely the person who sent you the original
FAX made a mistake in the rates or they found
out the room at the quoted price was not going to
be available. However, I find it exceedingly rude
that they gave you no explanation whatever as to
why they were changing the rates -- that would
bother me. I'm not sure about Christmas, but it
may be rates are higher then because I know many
hotels have a high and low season rate that varies
by date. French hotels are rather highly
regulated, however, so it is extremely unlikely
that they are arbitrarily charging you a higher
price than is allowed. Anyway, the only way to
know is to FAX them and ask them why they did
this. If you don't like the answer, I'd probably
switch because it seems early enough that you
could easily get another reservation. Since you
say $30/day is not that much, I am guessing that
this is a rather high-priced hotel, as that would
be a big difference in rates to me for anything
less than $200 a day. If so, and this is a place
and location you really want to stay, I might
just accept it if they come up with a decent
explanation and some apology for the lack of
earlier explanation.
somewhat weird -- after all, what's the point
of a confirmation if the hotel can change the
rates quoted in it whenever they want? There
may be logical explanations for what happened,
most likely the person who sent you the original
FAX made a mistake in the rates or they found
out the room at the quoted price was not going to
be available. However, I find it exceedingly rude
that they gave you no explanation whatever as to
why they were changing the rates -- that would
bother me. I'm not sure about Christmas, but it
may be rates are higher then because I know many
hotels have a high and low season rate that varies
by date. French hotels are rather highly
regulated, however, so it is extremely unlikely
that they are arbitrarily charging you a higher
price than is allowed. Anyway, the only way to
know is to FAX them and ask them why they did
this. If you don't like the answer, I'd probably
switch because it seems early enough that you
could easily get another reservation. Since you
say $30/day is not that much, I am guessing that
this is a rather high-priced hotel, as that would
be a big difference in rates to me for anything
less than $200 a day. If so, and this is a place
and location you really want to stay, I might
just accept it if they come up with a decent
explanation and some apology for the lack of
earlier explanation.
Oct 2nd, 1997, 07:04 AM
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Tricia, Christina, and Donna,
Thank you all for your advice. I faxed the hotel last night and hope they will reply soon. By the way, the rooms were reserved with a credit card. I am waiting for a satisfactory response from the hotel; otherwise, I will be searching for another one. Thanks again for all your help!
Thank you all for your advice. I faxed the hotel last night and hope they will reply soon. By the way, the rooms were reserved with a credit card. I am waiting for a satisfactory response from the hotel; otherwise, I will be searching for another one. Thanks again for all your help!
Oct 2nd, 1997, 04:24 PM
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
All hotels in France are rated by the Gov. ranging from 1 star to 5 stars except the new Marriott in Paris and the Gov. is going to make it a 6 star!
Changing rates happens to you all over France unless you stay at a 4 star and up. Been there , done that many times.
Changing rates happens to you all over France unless you stay at a 4 star and up. Been there , done that many times.
