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“It’s a Christmas miracle”

December 25, 2009

If you live in the Midwest, I don’t need to tell you that you’re having a white Christmas. A very white Christmas.

But for Christopher Clauson, it was almost a blue Christmas (cue Elvis, please). He’d booked a room on Dec. 24 at the Allerton Hotel in Chicago through Hotwire. As many of you know, Hotwire’s rooms are discounted, but they’re also completely nonrefundable — no exceptions.

When Clauson and his partner could not make it to Chicago because of the blizzard, they thought they’d lose their hotel room. He wasn’t expecting what he calls a “Christmas miracle.”

I am fully aware that bookings are non-refundable — but while $236 and some change isn’t a lot to some people, it’s a substantial amount for me as I’m a full-time student with a lot of medical bills I’m paying due to an illness last year.

Long story short, I called Hotwire in the hopes that perhaps they’d allow me to modify the dates for the booking so that we could travel at a later date. I was civil and respectful and stated that I understood the policy, but wanted to see if there was anything they could do.

Marshall from Hotwire put me on hold for a few minutes, and when he came back he told me that he’d checked the weather and traffic reports for our route, confirmed that travel to Chicago would not be advisable, and promised me a full refund. I’ve already received a receipt for said refund from PayPal.

I’m in a state of happy shock right now. I figured that since you hear day in and day out about so many negative experiences people have with the travel industry, I thought I’d share my story since it has a happy ending.

Indeed, Hotwire’s terms seem ironclad. “All bookings are final and cannot be changed, refunded, exchanged, cancelled, or transferred to another party,” it says.

Except on Christmas Eve. During a blizzard.

(Photo: Pink Sherbet Photography/Flickr Creative Commons)

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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2 comments

  • David Z

    If the hotel won’t charge Hotwire despite their cancelling or so, then that’s most likely why Hotwire can refund Mr. Clauson. Many if not all hotels do that for “extenuating circumstances” like this one, and they’d allow their travel agent partners to do the same if brought to their attention right away.

    Merry Christmas.

  • Tara

    We had a similar experience on Christmas Eve with a hotel in Coffeyville, KS with my in-laws. My husband and I had already driven from Saratoga Springs, NY to St. Louis for Christmas, and had intended to continue on with the in-laws to grandma’s house Christmas Eve. Then the snow began. Since my father-in-law is a minister of music at a Souther Baptist Church, we weren’t able to leave St. Louis until about 7pm. By that time, the ice and snow were just too much. We called the hotel directly (they had made the reservation with the hotel) and they agreed to allow us to cancel two rooms for two nights each with no fees! Thank you Best Western Coffeyville!

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