j_999_9

In June, I booked 5 nights, starting Sep. 13, at the Hotel Central St. Germain in Paris at 172 euros/night.

Yesterday, I got an e-mail from the hotel informing me that there would be a 33 euros/night surcharge for four of the nights because of what the hotel called an "exhibition period." I'm not thrilled that they told me this one month after I made the reservation and after sending me an e-mail guaranteeing the lower rate. So, anyway ...

1. Anyone know what this "exhibition period" is?
Since they sent me an e-mail guaranteeing the lower rate, do I have any recourse other than canceling?

j_999_9

tt

kerouac

I dug up about 80 trade shows going on in Paris in September 2007, but I suspect that we might be talking about the fashion shows for the spring-summer 2008 collections.

A letter to the DGCCRF with a copy to the hotel (or any other French miscreant) generally brings a very rapid response. DGCCRF = Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes.

59 boulevard Vincent Auriol
75013 Paris

Christina

I've seen a few hotels that do that. It doesn't have to be any one particular exhibition only, as there are usually several important ones in Sept-Oct. The Aviatic hotel in St Germain does it, for example, and I think hotels around some of the exhibition centers do, also. It's just their general term for the time period when there are lots of trade shows and rooms are at a premium. Of course they should have told you when you made the reservation, I don't understand that.

ira

Hi 99,

I suggest that you call the hotel and tell them that they confirmed your booking at a given rate and that you expect them to keep their word.

If they won't, follow Kerouac's advice.

You might also want to check the reviews at www.tripadvisor.com - they are mixed.

j_999_9

Thanks, all, and especially to kerouac for the address. I'll give than a try and probably e-mail the hotel notifying them that I am contacting the DGCCRF.

My fear is that when this sort of hassle starts, even if I get the original rate, I'll end up with an inferior room or some other problem when I arrive. We'll see. Am considering booking elsewhere.

nytraveler

Many hotesl increse prices during periods of major trade shows. If you can find a place you like as much at a better price - go for it. But - do expect all prices to be higher then.

SuzieCII

I'd go elsewhere. I don't suffer foolishness at my expense lightly. Ya'know? There are other hotels.
If you want to try something different try the Monceau Wagram in the 17th...3* nice room, large bath I'll say that! (Stayed there in October 06)
Surely they knew the schedule. This ploy makes you leave so that they can sell the room at the superior rate to someone else (me thinks) and puts the ball in your court.

j_999_9

Yes, Suzie, I suspect the same thing -- that if I say, "I refuse," they'll just say, "Good, we'll give the room to someone else at a higher rate."

Christina

I would think they can charge that with no problem, except they CONFIRMED with you the lower rate. That's the issue, I think, and I think any decent hotel would be obligated to give you the room at that rate.

I just wouldn't have a good feeling about this hotel except I would make one attempt to tell them that this is no dice, they confirmed a different rate, and can't raise the rates now. Actually, I have the DGCCRF standards around, let me check ----

interestingly, the hotel standards say that if you cancel your reservation, you lose your deposit. But if the hotel cancels your reservation, they owe you twice your deposit amount. That's not relevant to this issue, I just found that interesting. They said there is no legal amount that must be the deposit, just that by custom it's usually 2-3 nights if you are staying longer than a week. They aren't required to give you your deposit back even if you have proof you were sick, either.

YOu are also entitled to twice your deposit if the hotel room wasn't as described and you change hotels because of that because they don't have a room as you reserved (this doesn't just mean how nice it is, or if you like it, but some factual difference). If the hotel won't give it to you, you can file a complaint, of course.

Other interesting laws: a hotel must accept children, single people cannot be discriminated against (ie, some places that serve meals, like in resort areas, know a single person won't be spending as much money there and it is illegal for them to refuse them a room if they would give it to a couple just to get more meal revenue). Singles can't demand to pay less in the same type room as a couple, of course.

A hotel cannot require you to pay for breakfast or demi-pension.

Three people can stay in a room if the hotelier allows it, but it's up to the hotel, and they can always refuse.

well, there is nothing in there about rates being raised after a confirmation. I think legally, just having a confirmation doesn't mean anything if you didn't actually pay anything yet. Of course, it's bad business. I don't think it necessarily means they did it on purpose, just that they might have had an employee who made a mistake, and as is common in France, they don't consider it good customer service to blame the employee rather than the customer.

It is true hotels are required to state prices at the reception desk and in the room itself. But if you get there, and the prices listed mention something about a surcharge in certain time periods or whatever, I think legally they are okay. YOu don't mention paying any deposit and I think legally, that monetary consideration is what you are lacking.

Alec

Well, it's the basic law of contract (tort) that once two parties enter a binding agreement, no one party can pull out or alter the terms of the agreement without the consent of the other. By confirming by email the lower rate, the hotel is deemed to have entered into a binding contract with you and cannot unilaterally raise the room rate. You are legally entitled to have the room at the original price. The only exception is where there is force majeure - such as hike in the government tax which was unforeseen when agreement was made. In this case, the hotelier should have known about increased demand from exhibitions and should have agreed a higher rate originally. So I think you are on very good legal ground to refuse their demand for extra money.

WillTravel

Maybe I am too nervous, but I would surely expect retribution if the hotel either backs down and accepts the 172 Euro rate, or even if you decide to accept the 205 Euro rate under protest. Who knows what the retribution would be, but I wouldn't want that cloud over my stay.

So I would start looking for another hotel now, even if this means the hotel gets extra money from a different customer.

j_999_9

Appreciate all your replies.

There was no deposit involved, so that's moot.

I did use the DGCCRF Web site, but it's very unclear as to whether my message went through.

Anyway, my apprehension about the Central St. Germain grows, and maybe there's a happy ending (maybe): I searched Orbitz and found the Agora St. Germain -- same approxmate location, which we wanted -- for 804 euros for 5 nights at that time.

The funny thing is, I looked at the Agora earlier and like it, but there was no availability at the time I looked. Now there is.

The Agora got lots of great reviews on several sites, so I'm hopeful things will work out. I'm going to go ahead and cancel the Central St. Germain and (sigh) put out one of those "do not stay at the Central St. Germain" posts.

Really, I'm not bitter, and have a c'est la vie attitude about these things, but I think others should be warned about the booking practices.

Thanks again.

Travelnut

Why are you booking through Orbitz for hotels that have their own web site and booking pages? Booking directly will greatly reduce any miscommunication about the reservation. I haven't seen Orbitz give out any great rate discounts..

j_999_9

Travelnut: Orbitz showed availability. The last time I went to the hotel site, they showed no availability. You have something against Orbitz?

Travelnut

I have a problem using a 'middleman' for something very very easy to do directly with the service provider.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/orbitz_hotel.html

http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/...Off0225913.htm

http://www.complaintsboard.com/compl...tz-c16264.html

tomboy

Alec: If I were a US lawyer, I'd be cautious about quoting English common law and UCC code for a country whose legal system is based on the Napoleonic code.

j_999_9

Travelnut: Perhaps I wasn't clear. When I went to the hotel site, it showed no availability.

WillTravel

Orbitz buys blocks of rooms from hotels, so it often has availability when the hotel itself does not.

j_999_9

Just an update to this story, since some of you responded and may be interested.

I sent the hotel an e-mail expressing my dissatisfaction with the increase, and mentioned that I was considering contacting the DGCCRF to file a complaint. Here's what I got back:

>>Please accept our apologies regarding the e-mail you previously received Indeed, our receptionsit has made a mistake by sending you this e-mail.
It is correct that our rates for a double room during the period requested is 205 euros.
But as you booked a long time ago the price which you have been granted is
172 euros/night;
Please note that no extra charge would be applied to your reservation.
We hope to welcoming you in our hotel on September , Best tregards Claude<<

Was it all really a "mistake"? Did they backtrack after the seeing the DGCCRF threat? I dunno.