Comments on: Hey, that’s not the hotel I booked!

By: Alan L. Isaacson

Alan L. Isaacson — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:35:10 +0000

You state that the Savic’s were booked into the Barcelo Maya Palace – the hotel they wanted. Orbitz shuttled them to a much cheaper hotel. Why then is Orbitz “off the hook” by refunding $135 and giving a voucher for $200? Seems to me they should have refunded the entire hotel price.

You state that, “I can’t believe the online agency would ask you to spend an extra $2,000…”. Do you not think this is what happened?

You want the Savic’s to take responsibility for the fact that they were “shuttled”, because they should have phoned the hotel to confirm the reservation. With a reputable travel agency, you don’t need to follow up on their work. He also could have avoided all this by making the reservation directly with the hotel. Seems to me Orbitz, et. al. in effect “take the money and run”.

I, personally, do not book with an on-line agency. I’ll either do it myself or employ a knowledgeable travel agent.

By: Ed

Ed — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:47:15 +0000

This is a common occurance with resorts in Mexico…What happens is that you purchase a stay at a resort based on the advertising for their top of the link accomodations, only to find out that when you get there, it’s the old bait and switch routine!
While this has never happened to me personally, I’ve read about this happening to All Inclusive resorts and timeshares all the time on timeshare boards…A hotel offers some rooms as timeshare trades only to find that when you get there they don’t have any rooms at the “nice” resort listed in the book, but suprisingly enough, they have plenty in the shack out back in the alley.
Man, but to get taken like that must really suck!
Ed

By: Chicky

Chicky — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:20:36 +0000

The worst hotel I ever stayed in was a Days Inn in Morganton, N.C., booked through Orbitz. It was supposed to be a three-star property. Oh, please. It was an old hotel, with doors on the outside, and the saddest excuse for “continental breakfast” I’ve ever seen. We had a choice of coffee or orange juice, and boxed doughnuts. That was it. The only reason we stayed is because it was pouring down rain in buckets (remains of Hurricane Ivan), and it was reasonably sanitary. I’ll check prices on Orbitz to get an overview, but I’ll never book through them again. Ever.

By: Ian

Ian — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 05:30:48 +0000

Bill- My wife and I just had a great experience staying about twenty minutes south of Cancun, and we booked through Orbitz. So it can happen. But who wants to hear about that? No one cares when a plane takes off and lands safely, right?

By: Bill

Bill — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:29:18 +0000

Are there any good travel stories about Mexico? I’ve never been there, but all I hear is crime, being put in bad properties, etc.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:39:49 +0000

Wow. $200 seems unconscionably low for botching a reservation this bad. I also think your advice was missing one key piece of information:

The confirmation says “Maya Palace” not “Maya Beach.” It’s clearly fraud, and she has proof of it — therefore the traveler ought to file a challenge with her credit card company.

This story just ensured I’ll never use Orbitz to book a hotel.

By: Jim_J

Jim_J — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:28:49 +0000

Another reason not to do business with Orbitz or other online travel sites. Many times, I will check out these sites to see what they have available and then go to the property’s website or phone the property to see if I can do as well or better on my own. If I make the reservation directly, it eliminates the booking fees and makes me a customer of the hotel, not of the third party booking service. When something goes wrong, I have been able to successfully make my case to management. They can’t send me back to Expedia, Travelocity, etc. to correct a third party error.

By: Aimee

Aimee — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:09:03 +0000

Wow, Orbitz messed up on this one. It seems to be a pretty convincing case that Orbitz advertised one hotel and gave her another. How many people would actually know that the hotel you paid for isn’t the one you’ll actually sleep in? Andd their compensation is insulting.
On a side note, how many times have people called to confirm a reservation? Most people would call the number listed on their reservation as opposed to getting on the web and looking up the number themselves. When it’s the wrong hotel, it wouldn’t be easy to pick it up. (Especially when Orbitz insists that more then one hotel is covered by that name.) Oh, and I’ve had hotels specifically list on the reservations confirmation that there should be no ‘confirmation calls’. I’ve also been walked after making that confirmation call, so it’s not as foolproof as it sounds.

By: Carrie Charney

Carrie Charney — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:59:07 +0000

Even after rereading the article, I’m uncertain as to whether or not Ms. Savic actually paid the $2000 and moved to the more expensive property.

By: Jeanne

Jeanne — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 14:49:15 +0000

I don’t think she paid the $2000, I think she stayed in the other hotel