Q: I booked a hotel room through Hotwire.com. But when I arrived at the property, they had sold out all of their regular rooms. I was offered a “parlor” room, which was basically the living room part of a suite. It had a dining table, sitting chairs a TV and a bathroom, but no bed.
When I went to sleep on the rollaway bed, my feet completely hung off the end of it. It did not meet my definition of acceptable accommodations, nor do I think it met Hotwire’s.
I e-mailed Hotwire after I returned and asked for my money back for that night. I said Hotwire hadn’t upheld its sales contract and guarantee as posted on its site.
Hotwire responded by offering me a $50 coupon for a future stay, which wasn’t sufficient. I disputed my credit-card charge, but Visa sided with Hotwire – it said all sales on Hotwire are final. I want my money back. Can you help me?
– Dave Shefferman
A: If you’re promised a standard, double-occupancy room, it seems to me you ought to get one. End of story.
What you ended up with was half a room – and half a bed. To make matters worse, it seemed as if Hotwire was only willing to take half the responsibility for what happened.
It’s easy to see why. Since Hotwire is a reseller of travel, it can’t determine when a hotel overbooks. So for all intents and purposes, it is being held accountable for something it can’t control.
Why would an intermediary like Hotwire make the guarantee it does? Because hotels only rarely overbook and in almost every case they deliver exactly the room they promised, according to spokeswoman Amy Bohutinsky.
But what happens when the system breaks down?
No matter what the hotel says or does, the final responsibility rests with Hotwire, which sold you the hotel room. If it guarantees you a certain room, it must deliver it.
As it turns out, the hotel offered you a comparable room at a sister property, which you turned down. It found a double-occupancy room for you the next night, but that was too little, too late.
The question is, do you deserve all of your money back even though you received a room – or just partial compensation? Hotwire’s offer of a $50 voucher was a good start, and just before you contacted me, the hotel was also working with you on a credit for one night’s stay.
I think a $50 credit and a room night would have been sufficient. After all, you did have a room to stay in that night, even if things were a little tight.
I’ve reviewed your e-mails with Hotwire, and I believe what kept you from receiving more compensation than you did was the tone you took with its customer service representatives. You were aggressive, threatening – at times also condescending.
Although I understand your frustration with the process, I’m convinced that you would have accomplished far more by being polite but firm.
In one of your last e-mails to Hotwire, you threatened to call the media. That would be me. And yes, getting an ombudsman involved worked. Hotwire promptly coughed up a refund for the night you spend in the parlor room and the hotel came through with a free room night. Hotwire even apologized for the inconvenience.
I think that’s an overly generous resolution, and to be completely honest with you, I feel used.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
My husband and I had the same thing happen with hotwire. We booked a 4 star hotel and paid in full. When we arrived we were told the hotel was sold out and that they would basically cut a suite in half and we would have to sleep on a pull out sofa bed!! My husband is 6ft4 and I have had 2 back surgeries.Needless to say we were none to happy. I called Hotwire from the hotel lobbby and they were absolutely no help. Matter of fact the rep had the nerve to say “well it’s not like you don’t know who you are sleeping with”. I could not believe this. After threatning to call the Florida division of tourism,who I know frowns on these actions very seriously, we were suddenly found a room. They told us that this particular room was having maintence problems, and now they were fixed! How Conveinent! Just to let you know we hung out in the lobby and watched two other business men ck. in after us.It seemed as though they had no trouble finding rooms for them.. I guess they wanted full price instead of the discount price through hotwire.I will never book through this site again. Also every review I have written has mysteriously never shown up on a web site. Hmmm? Makes you wonder just who owns all of these travel sites!!!! Thanks for letting us vent.
I have heard of a guy who started to disrobe in the lobby. As I recall, he got a room tout d’suite.
Why would one not pass up Hotwire and deal directly with the hotel on its 800# in the first place? I wonder aloud.
Sorry you felt used Chris, but your fan club respects you– morning, noon, and night–and we know you keep keeping on.
Laura, good for you. And thank you. I’ll remember to use the Dept of Tourism angle if I ever have a situation such as yours. Luckily, the worst problems i have had with a chain so far is noisy air conditioning. But that seems a given in a rented room…….