travel nightmare: arrive in city and your hotel doesn't exist
Sep 28th, 2007, 01:39 PM
#61
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Perhaps we feel obliged to show sympathy because this could happen to any inexperienced traveler. This is a forum for all travelers....experienced or not. The poster made a mistake....one that I'm sure will cost her/him. A lesson learned for sure. It's extremely rude of you, and a few others to berate the poster.
Sep 28th, 2007, 01:47 PM
#62
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jewela, can't you read? The issue ISN'T that this happened. I think all of us would be totally sympathetic about this event happening. Sure, as inexperienced (and even sometimes as experienced) travelers such things happen, and no one is taking issue with that idea.
However, the real issue has become that this poster seems NOT to have learned a lesson. In fact, after all the discussion, she seemed to still stand firm with the idea that she did nothing wrong in her planning, it was all the fault of others, and if heading somewhere else we have no reason to think she would do anything differently.
If someone posted they were pickpocketed in Rome, we'd ALL have sympathy. If that same person told us she was carrying all her money displayed in a clear plastic bag held out in front of her, but then complained it was all the fault of the horrible people in Italy that she was robbed -- she'd lose ALL that sympathy. Get it?
However, the real issue has become that this poster seems NOT to have learned a lesson. In fact, after all the discussion, she seemed to still stand firm with the idea that she did nothing wrong in her planning, it was all the fault of others, and if heading somewhere else we have no reason to think she would do anything differently.
If someone posted they were pickpocketed in Rome, we'd ALL have sympathy. If that same person told us she was carrying all her money displayed in a clear plastic bag held out in front of her, but then complained it was all the fault of the horrible people in Italy that she was robbed -- she'd lose ALL that sympathy. Get it?
Sep 28th, 2007, 01:52 PM
#63
Oh, come on. Yes, he made a mistake - but if you read ncounty's posts -- he <b>STILL</b> thinks it was someone else's mistake.
That they should have told him the hotel is in Italy when it probably never crossed their minds. EVERYTHING published about the hotel says it is in Italy - were they supposed to call him before he left home and say "by the way - we are in Italy"
I'm sorry - but this couldn't have happened to just "any inexperienced traveler". It took special effort.
That they should have told him the hotel is in Italy when it probably never crossed their minds. EVERYTHING published about the hotel says it is in Italy - were they supposed to call him before he left home and say "by the way - we are in Italy"
I'm sorry - but this couldn't have happened to just "any inexperienced traveler". It took special effort.
Sep 28th, 2007, 03:56 PM
#65
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I don't want to belabor the discussion and to avoid stooping to the level of assignation of character that has taken place that I find completely unnecessary. I will just try to address a few points. I have already stated that clearly it was a mistake to not have the location precisely pinpointed. My issue is that once I contacted them as a lost traveler, the hotel contributed to the wild goose chase I went on trying to find them. Neopatrick: I did not write down the address myself, perhaps you missed that in an earlier post by me (how could that be?!!). I printed the address right from their confirmation email to me and no one else could figure out where they were. I found a map and the only Varese that showed up was the city in Italy. It was a series of bad occurrences and my issue is that I did turn to the hotel for help and was led astray. I have been in that hotel's situation both as a landlord renting out my vacation home and as a former restaurant owner. With the shoe on the other foot, I have always given the customer the benefit of the doubt and not charged for a meal that was not favorably received and let someone who did not wish to stay at the vacation home change their mind without charge. The financial cost here is really of no consequence to me. I shared this story to warn others of mishaps that can occur with some search engines if you think your search will only yield places in the place you are looking for. I do know that there are different locations and was very specific in my hotel locations in Milan for instance where I only wanted to stay in the historical center. I am an experienced traveler with over 20 years around the world. I have only been doing online bookings for the last 5 years however and this one tripped me up. I have read all the berating comments and appreciate those who have voiced their opinions without maligning of character. That is all I have to say on this and hope this is a cautionary tale to those of you who may possibly someday make a mistake and to those who never do, you can avoid further postings from lesser individuals like me with whatever degree of disdain you wish.
Sep 28th, 2007, 04:35 PM
#67
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Oh, and by the way, I make lots of travel mistakes. Some of them big ones. But when I do, I seem to realize that it was my own fault -- and not someone else's.
Bottom line, ncounty, what was it about the actual listing on the website you used with the name of the town and the country the hotel was in along with the clear bold lettered notice that it was 9.2 KM's away that tripped you up?
Bottom line, ncounty, what was it about the actual listing on the website you used with the name of the town and the country the hotel was in along with the clear bold lettered notice that it was 9.2 KM's away that tripped you up?
Sep 28th, 2007, 05:23 PM
#68
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The first time we visited Cologne, we reserved a room through hotels.com at the Park Plaza (now the Best Western Consul). I printed out the address and map from Hotels web site - I think it was a Mapquest - and when we arrived in town, bought a U-Bahn ride to Neumarkt, the nearest station.
Then we walked south from the U-Bahn, looking for the street. We walked east. We walked north. We walked west.
Finally, I went into an Internet cafe and called the hotel. They told me that they were 20 km northeast of where I was, on the other side of the Rhine(!), and gave me explicit instructions on how to get there.
It was about this time that I began marking my hotels on my own map and carrying it with me.
At least the sweet lady at the U-Bahn re-issued our tickets without charge.
Then we walked south from the U-Bahn, looking for the street. We walked east. We walked north. We walked west.
Finally, I went into an Internet cafe and called the hotel. They told me that they were 20 km northeast of where I was, on the other side of the Rhine(!), and gave me explicit instructions on how to get there.
It was about this time that I began marking my hotels on my own map and carrying it with me.
At least the sweet lady at the U-Bahn re-issued our tickets without charge.
Sep 28th, 2007, 09:13 PM
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To ncounty
We had the wonderful experience last year of arriving in New York (by bus from Bostton) having driven from Rochester to Boston to return our rental. Only to find at 9pm on a Sunday night that our hostel had been closed down for breach of fire regulations 2 weeks earlier. We had been on the road for 3 weeks and checking our emails daily and had recieved nothing. So I can empathise with you. Very scary if you are in a foreign country. One thing I have noticed on this forum is that every one is an expert and not much tolerance for us newbies
We had the wonderful experience last year of arriving in New York (by bus from Bostton) having driven from Rochester to Boston to return our rental. Only to find at 9pm on a Sunday night that our hostel had been closed down for breach of fire regulations 2 weeks earlier. We had been on the road for 3 weeks and checking our emails daily and had recieved nothing. So I can empathise with you. Very scary if you are in a foreign country. One thing I have noticed on this forum is that every one is an expert and not much tolerance for us newbies
Sep 28th, 2007, 10:39 PM
#71
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A Cautionary Verse
Let he or she here who has ne'er
Been lost or astray anywhere
Lay claim to the bounty
On the head of "ncounty,"
Who traveled but found no "there" there.
Lost in Europe without GPS,
(Nor downloadable map, one would guess)
(S)he found folks over there
Neither helpful nor fair -
But back here they were moved even less.
For though Swiss gave out rotten directions,
And Italians said "Che?" to all questions,
You'd think Fodorite mavens
Would relax and thank Heavens
(S)he didn't ask "How should I dress?"
But the standards of travel behavior
From Beijing to Capetown to Belgravia*
Don't permit laying stain
On hotel, boat, or plane,
When one knows one should rightly confess:
"It's my own fault I'm stranded sans Euro
Riding back to Madrid on a burro:
I was en route to Maine
From Bahrain via Spain.
And de-planed, seeking wireless access.
"But Barajas was crowded that morning,
And gates changed with not too much warning.
As I surfed in the night
I missed the last flight
To Bangor - but lest I digress ...
... this is where it gets really good - and also really embarassing. A señorita overheard my weeping after the announcement (in Spanish, French, English and Mandarin) that Madrid's airport would be closing for a 32-day baño re-grouting job. So kindly Doña Connie gave me a lift into town on the back of her motorcycle, dropping me at the train station. She directed me to go to the automated ticket machine, which would have been foolproof, as I really can read Spanish. But the automated system was shut down because they were just changing the machines over to the Euro (did I mention this was in 2002?) So I went to a ticket window, but as my Spanish was learned from a native of Mexico, the clerk misunderstood me, so instead of asking for a ticket to Barcelona I guess I requested a ticket to Barcarrota, and instead of traveling on the express to the northeast I found myself on a local to the southwest. I admit, it was my fault that I hopped off prematurely when I woke from a nap after dark,I was rather disoriented and thought I saw a familiar name on a sign in the station (it turned out to be "Nabisco"
and certainly my fault that I left my boots in the overhead in my haste and that my wallet, passport and credit cards were still in the boots where I had hidden them. But I have to say, the Spanish were really lovely. Thank goodness, since I still haven't found my way out ... por dios! As for the burro, I have never known a more reliable companion = or mode of transportation.
* a favorite borrowed rhyme, with thanks to Noel Coward
Let he or she here who has ne'er
Been lost or astray anywhere
Lay claim to the bounty
On the head of "ncounty,"
Who traveled but found no "there" there.
Lost in Europe without GPS,
(Nor downloadable map, one would guess)
(S)he found folks over there
Neither helpful nor fair -
But back here they were moved even less.
For though Swiss gave out rotten directions,
And Italians said "Che?" to all questions,
You'd think Fodorite mavens
Would relax and thank Heavens
(S)he didn't ask "How should I dress?"
But the standards of travel behavior
From Beijing to Capetown to Belgravia*
Don't permit laying stain
On hotel, boat, or plane,
When one knows one should rightly confess:
"It's my own fault I'm stranded sans Euro
Riding back to Madrid on a burro:
I was en route to Maine
From Bahrain via Spain.
And de-planed, seeking wireless access.
"But Barajas was crowded that morning,
And gates changed with not too much warning.
As I surfed in the night
I missed the last flight
To Bangor - but lest I digress ...
... this is where it gets really good - and also really embarassing. A señorita overheard my weeping after the announcement (in Spanish, French, English and Mandarin) that Madrid's airport would be closing for a 32-day baño re-grouting job. So kindly Doña Connie gave me a lift into town on the back of her motorcycle, dropping me at the train station. She directed me to go to the automated ticket machine, which would have been foolproof, as I really can read Spanish. But the automated system was shut down because they were just changing the machines over to the Euro (did I mention this was in 2002?) So I went to a ticket window, but as my Spanish was learned from a native of Mexico, the clerk misunderstood me, so instead of asking for a ticket to Barcelona I guess I requested a ticket to Barcarrota, and instead of traveling on the express to the northeast I found myself on a local to the southwest. I admit, it was my fault that I hopped off prematurely when I woke from a nap after dark,I was rather disoriented and thought I saw a familiar name on a sign in the station (it turned out to be "Nabisco"
and certainly my fault that I left my boots in the overhead in my haste and that my wallet, passport and credit cards were still in the boots where I had hidden them. But I have to say, the Spanish were really lovely. Thank goodness, since I still haven't found my way out ... por dios! As for the burro, I have never known a more reliable companion = or mode of transportation.* a favorite borrowed rhyme, with thanks to Noel Coward
Sep 29th, 2007, 05:23 AM
#72
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lee59, thanks for telling us the story of your arriving in New York and not knowing what state your hostel was in. I guess that was your point? I have total sympathy for someone who arrives to a closed hotel and hadn't been notified. That's horrible. But what does that have to do with someone finding a hotel on the internet with the address, city, country, and distance from the arrival city in bold face type right next to the name and picture and not even writing down any of that information, then arriving and not having a clue of any of those important facts?
Sep 29th, 2007, 09:45 AM
#76
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Wow, I've been sick in bed for two days and can't believe you guys are still talking about this!!!But then I saw Tomas' wonderful ditty and am SO happy the thread lived long enough to stir that muse...thank you, Tomas!
Sep 29th, 2007, 10:49 PM
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Bravo, Tommasso! Well done! I hope if los perros want to go out for a walk again, you'll let 'em loose. We'll keep an ear cocked, in hopes of hearing more soon. Doggeral is a welcome change from all the catterwauling on this post.
Sep 29th, 2007, 11:22 PM
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That happened to us! To this day, we love to tell each other the story and laugh.
Here is what happened. We were young and it was my first time planning an international trip. I booked a hotel in Belgium from a guidebook with a phone call. I had nothing in writing. I hadn't yet learned it is best to re-confirm again before the trip.
We arrived at our "hotel" in the dark in Belgium, only to find it was all dark, out in a wooded area, and it looked deserted! The door was locked. I was scared, as it was spooky out there. I hadn't even brought a guidebook with us!
We drove to the nearest town and literally begged for a room at the first hotel we could find (in the dark.) It turned out to be such a terrible flop-house that I had to laugh! It must have been someplace that people book by the hour for questionable activities...The bed was crazy, with a huge "dip" in the middle so that we couldn't sleep in the bed without both of us rolling into the middle. Very lumpy bed.
The bathroom in the hallway had a dirty towel hanging up in it, with a hole in the middle of the towel! There was only one phone, outside on the building, and we couldn't get it to work!
It was such a terrible hotel that we enjoyed the "joke" that we had played on ourselves.
To this day, believe me, I confirm, re-confirm, make multiple copies, triple-check on the hotel web-site plus in guidebooks or internet resources....etc. etc. And I always travel with a guidebook and a really good map now!
But there is one happy ending to this story. We had a late dinner in this town...without a guidebook, we decided the best way to choose a place for dinner was to walk down the street and choose the most crowded restaurant, the one that was full of locals. This worked great as the food was amazing!
Only one problem. We didn't speak a word of French and the waitress didn't speak one word of English. The menu was in French. Some places in Belgium spoke only French (this was back in the 80's.) We peered at the menu and tried to guess, from our knowledge of Spanish and German, what we were ordering. We literally pointed blindly to something, hoping it was edible.
I felt quite satisfied and was anticipating a great meal...until I glanced in horror at the table next to me, where it looked like the diners were enjoying eyeballs, guts, and snails or something. Ahhhh! But luckily when our food came, it was wonderful, very gourmet, and there weren't any eyeballs!
Ah, to be young and clueless again...I think we were much more flexible and adaptable then!
Here is what happened. We were young and it was my first time planning an international trip. I booked a hotel in Belgium from a guidebook with a phone call. I had nothing in writing. I hadn't yet learned it is best to re-confirm again before the trip.
We arrived at our "hotel" in the dark in Belgium, only to find it was all dark, out in a wooded area, and it looked deserted! The door was locked. I was scared, as it was spooky out there. I hadn't even brought a guidebook with us!
We drove to the nearest town and literally begged for a room at the first hotel we could find (in the dark.) It turned out to be such a terrible flop-house that I had to laugh! It must have been someplace that people book by the hour for questionable activities...The bed was crazy, with a huge "dip" in the middle so that we couldn't sleep in the bed without both of us rolling into the middle. Very lumpy bed.
The bathroom in the hallway had a dirty towel hanging up in it, with a hole in the middle of the towel! There was only one phone, outside on the building, and we couldn't get it to work!
It was such a terrible hotel that we enjoyed the "joke" that we had played on ourselves.
To this day, believe me, I confirm, re-confirm, make multiple copies, triple-check on the hotel web-site plus in guidebooks or internet resources....etc. etc. And I always travel with a guidebook and a really good map now!
But there is one happy ending to this story. We had a late dinner in this town...without a guidebook, we decided the best way to choose a place for dinner was to walk down the street and choose the most crowded restaurant, the one that was full of locals. This worked great as the food was amazing!
Only one problem. We didn't speak a word of French and the waitress didn't speak one word of English. The menu was in French. Some places in Belgium spoke only French (this was back in the 80's.) We peered at the menu and tried to guess, from our knowledge of Spanish and German, what we were ordering. We literally pointed blindly to something, hoping it was edible.
I felt quite satisfied and was anticipating a great meal...until I glanced in horror at the table next to me, where it looked like the diners were enjoying eyeballs, guts, and snails or something. Ahhhh! But luckily when our food came, it was wonderful, very gourmet, and there weren't any eyeballs!
Ah, to be young and clueless again...I think we were much more flexible and adaptable then!
