Just found out this on a different bulletin-board:

Holiday Inn Resort Phuket
52 THAWEEWONG RD, PATONG BCH
PHUKET, 83150

e.g. May 24th to May 31st:

0.01 THB for a Standard room

Good luck if you need to go there...

Greetings - Dirk

Any mention of which website to book this from?

Apparently not available on the two biggies (Travelocity and Expedia).

You can get in on the ICH website.

Priorityclub.com

Rate appears available May 1 - Oct 31

Rate appears available May 1 - Oct 31

Perfect...I'm unemployed from May - July and need a place to stay :D ;)

Thanks! Not too hopeful that they will honor it, but you never know...
Reserved two rooms as they limit the standard rooms to 2 people.

The only 0.01 THB rooms I see are smoking rooms. Since I'm a non-smoker, I guess I won't take advantage of this rate. :D

I booked myself some nights.

I think we will see in the next time a member of this board looking for a job in Phuket after he failed in Tokyo :D

I booked myself some nights.

I think we will see in the next time a member of this board looking for a job in Phuket after he failed in Tokyo :D

LAUGHING MY A$$ OFF.

I WONDER IF THE HUMAN BEING YOU ARE REFERRING TO STILL READS THIS SITE? I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM HIM LATELY. HAS ANYONE ELSE?

Just booked 3,5,5 nites for May,July,Sept.,Also have actual tickets on AirAsia for 933 BHT nett per RT including Taxes that match up days of arrival and Depature of hotel stays.. No I did NOT book 3 months, just days (Total 13) I most certainly have airplanes already paid for and need a room. I actually intend to use.Now let see if they honor the rate..let's see if some of you try and book 6 months and ruin it for everyone,good luck.. And thanks to the OP.

I booked myself some nights.

I think we will see in the next time a member of this board looking for a job in Phuket after he failed in Tokyo :D

At that rate, does one really need a job. :D

Gone...says page expired :(

Let's see if they honor it!

Just booked two nights in June (during marathon weekend!) for 0.02 baht.

What are the odds it'll be a valid reservation?

Just booked 3,5,5 nites for May,July,Sept.,Also have actual tickets on AirAsia for 933 BHT nett per RT including Taxes that match up days of arrival and Depature of hotel stays.. No I did NOT book 3 months, just days (Total 13) I most certainly have airplanes already paid for and need. I actually intend to use.Now let see if they honor the rate..let see if some you try and 6 months and ruin it for everyone,good luck.. And thanks to the OP.
We all know this is a mistake. You having flights already and only booking rooms you 'need' makes you no more honorable than anyone else. You don't have to try to justify your actions to us. I booked 4 nights because I had been looking to go there from NRT this may. I don't see this being honored anyway, but I did go back and have them go ahead and charge me, rather than leaving my room status as 'hold'.

Still there.. I just tried random dates in Aug, and it worked

The only 0.01 THB rooms I see are smoking rooms. Since I'm a non-smoker, I guess I won't take advantage of this rate. :D

Click on STANDARD ROOM and you see "SMOKING PREFERENCE WILL BE CONFIRMED ON ARRIVAL"

Gone...says page expired :(

You must be doing something wrong, then...just booked two more nights for May 23 & 24.

Booked for May7th-10th... too bad it's only for Standard rooms.. I would have had no problem in paying the triple rate for one of their nice new studios in the new wing....

definitely still there

I just booked a week for myself to match up with the TG flights for 388 Euros ex-FRA and MUC to BKK. Thanks OP! Wasn't really planning to go to Phuket, but I might as well now...

Thanks OP! ^

still going.....
booked 3 days in May and a week in June ^ :-: :-: ^

What rate did you book? The prepaid rate or the flexible rates? Did you guarantee your reservation with cc or only standard reservation?

On second thought, I'll save such jokes for later... ;)

What rate did you book? The prepaid rate or the flexible rates? Did you guarantee your reservation with cc or only standard reservation?standard room is only reasonably-priced choice ;)
prepaid with credit card
received confirm by email almost instantly

standard room is only reasonably-priced choice ;)
prepaid with credit card
received confirm by email almost instantly

Ditto.

How big is a standard room bed? Queen? Full??? :D

I took the "Best Flexible Rate"

Best Flexible Rate

DESCRIPTION:
Restrictions may apply.

PLEASE NOTE:
Thank you for making your reservation on our web site.

(no prepay.. I hope it makes no difference in terms of beeing honored or not)

How big is a standard room bed? Queen? Full??? :D
The rate description says:
33 SQUARE METERS WITH BALCONY AIRCON INTERNET ACCESS SATELLITE TV IDD TELEPHONE VOICEMAIL SAFE DEPOSIT BOX REFRIGERATOR COFFEE AND TEA FACILITIES HAIRDRYER BEDDING TYPE AND SMOKING PREFERENCE WILL BE CONFIRMED ON ARRIVAL NO ROLLAWAY BED ALLOWED

Most rooms listed have 1 king, 2 queens, or 2 singles. My guess would be the 2 single beds since it is limited to 2 people

Thanks for the tip, Dirk. ^

2.5 (American) cents per night is a pretty decent bargain in my book. ;)

Excellent reviews for this hotel from TripAdvisor (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293920-d315556-Reviews-Holiday_Inn_Resort_Phuket-Phuket.html).

Got 3 nights for the end of October. Great find Dirk!! ^

Booked 4 different stays. Will see if they honor any. If i get one out of four i would quite happy. Lets see how this plays put. Cheers to the OP and Savage25 for the alert

op, thanks for posting? can u tell us which bulletin board u originally found this on?

thnx!
r

Because this isn't prepaid, the hotel has no obligation to honor it. And since this is ASIA, they absolutely have no obligation to honor it irrespective if you threaten that you'll never stay at this hotel ever again. The hotel will simply inform you that there is a mistake in the rate and that this is the new rate or xxxx baht. If you disagree with the rate, you have the option to cancel.

If you don't hear from them till the time at check-in, expect the above scenario at check-in. You can scream and rant, but you have the choice of walking out.

Unless you have a prepaid, then there is nothing to contest.

I've done one prepaid (though they state they will charge it between booking and arrival, so I don't know if it's already now charged just after the booking) and one not prepaid. Will see what will come out.

Because this isn't prepaid, the hotel has no obligation to honor it.

There is an option to book it as an advanced purchase prepaid rate.

Thanks. Booked 3 rooms in September.

Do you think, we will get night credits for this, since this rate is from IC website, and I have full flex rate.

Limits on Points for Stays. Points are not issued for stays at the following reduced room rates (“Non-Qualifying Room Rates”; “Non-Qualifying Stay”): net wholesale individual and group rate, package rate, employee discount rate, crew rate, seasonal worker/crew rate, 50% travel club discount rate, industry discount rate, distressed passenger rate, Priority Club® Reward Nights/Airline Hotel Reward rate, most rates booked through most third party web sites, complimentary hotel stays or any other rates not defined as a Qualifying Room Rate. Except as expressly set out otherwise in these Terms and Conditions, Priority Club® points are not awarded for fractions of a U.S. dollar spent, or for dollars spent on tax, VAT, GST, service charges, gratuities or hotel incidentals. Charges not billed to your room, gift shop purchases, and meeting charges will not be eligible for points. You must have stayed in the room and paid for it in full to receive Priority Club® points. Only one room will be credited per member per night. Only the member whose name is on the reservation record will be awarded points and will be awarded Qualifying Night credit toward achieving Elite-level status or other promotional goals. Only one Qualifying Night credit, per member, per night will be awarded regardless of the number of reservations booked and paid for by the member. Points and/or Qualifying Night credit are not awarded for "no shows" even if the room is paid for in full. Priority Club® points or miles will not be issued if your room is paid for by a trade group, association or company as part of a convention or group business meeting (10 rooms or more). If you stay at an IHG hotel under the terms of a contract or group commitment, you will not be eligible to receive points.

Thanks OP, I just booked 5 nights in August. I went with the prepaid option hoping it has a better chance of being honored.

Because this isn't prepaid, the hotel has no obligation to honor it. And since this is ASIA, they absolutely have no obligation to honor it irrespective if you threaten that you'll never stay at this hotel ever again. The hotel will simply inform you that there is a mistake in the rate and that this is the new rate or xxxx baht. If you disagree with the rate, you have the option to cancel.

If you don't hear from them till the time at check-in, expect the above scenario at check-in. You can scream and rant, but you have the choice of walking out.

Unless you have a prepaid, then there is nothing to contest.

Online Reservation Guarantee

By securing your online reservation with a credit card, you are eligible for our Reservations Guarantee. If your reservation cannot be honored, the host hotel will provide a room at, and transportation to, another convenient and comparable hotel, and pay for telephone calls to notify family of the lodging change. The host hotel will also pay the full cost of the first night's lodging rate, plus tax. Any advance deposit will be refunded.

That's the language from the pre-paid terms.

What is the definition of "cannot" (i.e., can "cannot" mean "will not"?)? ;)

Thanks, booked a room both at ICH and on Opodo UK (http://tinyurl.com/dpcdo)

Thanks for the tip, Dirk. ^

2.5 (American) cents per night is a pretty decent bargain in my book. ;)


I agree with the first part of your post--Thanks, Dirk.

However, 0.01 THB does not equal 2.5 cents. For 2.5 cents, you could book a stay of Hans-Dampfian dimensions.

However, 0.01 THB does not equal 2.5 cents.

I was referring to the prepaid rate which is 1 Thai Baht or 2.5 cents.

The flexible rate of 0.01 Thai Baht is almost zero. But it may be more susceptible to cancellation. So I would pay the 2.5 cents per night premium and go with the prepaid advance purchase rate.

I agree with the first part of your post--Thanks, Dirk.

However, 0.01 THB does not equal 2.5 cents. For 2.5 cents, you could book a stay of Hans-Dampfian dimensions.

Aww see I was hoping the room would only cost .01THB. I really cannot afford the 1THB rate. Oh well maybe next deal.


Rex :

My rooms is going to cost 25 cents for 8 nights. Not as good a deal as for Americans. Damn exchange rates :mad:

:D

Online Reservation Guarantee

By securing your online reservation with a credit card, you are eligible for our Reservations Guarantee. If your reservation cannot be honored, the host hotel will provide a room at, and transportation to, another convenient and comparable hotel, and pay for telephone calls to notify family of the lodging change. The host hotel will also pay the full cost of the first night's lodging rate, plus tax. Any advance deposit will be refunded.

I just notice they only really guarantees the first night, not the entire stay. Maybe I am reading it too closely, but it looks like I won't be going afterall.

Online Reservation Guarantee

By securing your online reservation with a credit card, you are eligible for our Reservations Guarantee. If your reservation cannot be honored, the host hotel will provide a room at, and transportation to, another convenient and comparable hotel, and pay for telephone calls to notify family of the lodging change. The host hotel will also pay the full cost of the first night's lodging rate, plus tax. Any advance deposit will be refunded.

I just notice they only really guarantees the first night, not the entire stay. Maybe I am reading it too closely, but it looks like I won't be going afterall.

Is it worth making several consecutive bookings of one night each?

Online Reservation Guarantee

By securing your online reservation with a credit card, you are eligible for our Reservations Guarantee. If your reservation cannot be honored, the host hotel will provide a room at, and transportation to, another convenient and comparable hotel, and pay for telephone calls to notify family of the lodging change. The host hotel will also pay the full cost of the first night's lodging rate, plus tax. Any advance deposit will be refunded.

I just notice they only really guarantees the first night, not the entire stay. Maybe I am reading it too closely, but it looks like I won't be going afterall.

Don't forget, accomodation on Phuket can be ridiculously cheap. I've stayed there for 6 USD per night (granted, it didn't even come close to the Holiday Inn), but there are plenty of perfectly good accomodations available for about $20 per night. I would go anyway and hope for the best.

For 2.5 cents, you could book a stay of Hans-Dampfian dimensions.

Is he really that famous? Well, for the record, you will still find him posting on the Swiss and Lufthansa boards every now and then.

Is it worth making several consecutive bookings of one night each?
I just thought about that, then saw your post. I see it is available on travelocity also, dose anyone know what sort of guarantee they offer on prepaid rooms booked through their site??

I just thought about that, then saw your post. I see it is available on travelocity also, dose anyone know what sort of guarantee they offer on prepaid rooms booked through their site??

Ooooh! Now that is interesting as they put great store on their 'trust us' guarantee.

(However, if you look at the fine print the guarantee is technically for only $100 if they do c*ck up - get them to reconfirm before you book any flights!

Although, thinking this through, you'll stand a good chance of having your reservation honoured if you combine it with a flight as a holiday package)

Ooooh! Now that is interesting as they put great store on their 'trust us' guarantee.

(However, if you look at the fine print the guarantee is technically for only $100 if they do c*ck up - get them to reconfirm before you book any flights!

Although, thinking this through, you'll stand a good chance of having your reservation honoured if you combine it with a flight as a holiday package)
Fortunately, being a FA I don't have to worry much with the flight bookings ;)

Ok I have reserved at a prepaid rate via ICH, would you change that to Travelocity? It is a bit more, but not much :D

I am in Asia at the time but don't have flights to Phuket, but hey has that ever stopped an FT'r :p

are you sure it is available on travelocity??

are you sure it is available on travelocity??

I saw it there....

At the 1 Baht/3 cent rate.

are you sure it is available on travelocity??Yep.
Just booked 2 weeks in September for 14 baht.
Its not 2 cents, but almost.

are you sure it is available on travelocity??
Yep it's there, just booked 4 nights for Oct in case I can't go in Aug.

....and got the email confirm from travelocity 2 minutes later.
This is going to be very interesting.

Travelocity is charging $2.50, almost 100x more. Am I doing something wrong here?

Thanks for the tip, Dirk. ^

Excellent reviews for this hotel from TripAdvisor (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g293920-d315556-Reviews-Holiday_Inn_Resort_Phuket-Phuket.html).

Yepp, but the reviews only refer to the Busakorn wing - which makes a huge difference to the old main building.. but well, for that price, I won't complain.

Travelocity is charging $2.50, almost 100x more. Am I doing something wrong here?

Seems to me they are including their fees.

Travelocity is charging $2.50, almost 100x more. Am I doing something wrong here?
You must be becasue I got a rate of 1 THB/night

I am not seeing any availability on travelocity. Is there only limited availability?

I am not seeing any availability on travelocity. Is there only limited availability?
What days ae you looking for?

(at least from Opodo) - they won't accept the booking and invite you to call a 10p a minute number so you can find out why.

I am not seeing any availability on travelocity. Is there only limited availability?

Its limited. I'm in for late October.

(at least from Opodo) - they won't accept the booking and invite you to call a 10p a minute number so you can find out why.

Travelocity Canada won't accept the booking either. I booked a full prepaid rate via ICH, if they honour it, great... if not, nothing lost.

Booked it prepaid, in part because I 'm still feeling pissy with ICH over the Orbitz deal. Orbitz insisted that was ICH that made them cancel my reservations. Obviously, if you have no penalty to pay for your mistakes, but can force your customers to pay for your mistakes, you have no particular incentive to get your act together. Life continues to be interesting.

I'm in for the last full week in July - 15 cents.

...and I thought I got a great deal at the Tokyo Hilton! :D

But my spider sense tells me to hold off booking air tix.

What days ae you looking for?


anything in december or late november??

Travelocity is charging $2.50, almost 100x more. Am I doing something wrong here?I would prefer to pay $2.50/night,
but can't seem to get that rate,
only the THB 1.00 per night.... :rolleyes:
What could you be doing different? :eek:

Thanks, OP.

Booked on IH 2 blocks of 14 nights each in May.

Will be in Phuket from mid April onwards for many months.

Even though I have a house there, I usually prefer to stay in hotels like the J.W. when the rate is right.

Unfortunately, breakfast is not included. But I believe it's overpriced at this property, something like 500 baht per person. They can always save face by insisting we buy breakfast ... there are nice hotels in Phuket who basically charge that much for b'fast and give the room free in the off season (and May is off season).

Anyone know if this property has a "joiner" fee? Most of the Patong properties make a killing by charging Bt 500 - Bt 1000 extra per night if you bring something nice back to the room.

I would prefer to pay $2.50/night,
but can't seem to get that rate,
only the THB 1.00 per night.... :rolleyes:
What could you be doing different? :eek:

Are you getting a THB rate on Travelocity?

The question is - do you want to pay 1 THB on the IC site and risk getting nothing, or pay $2.50 on Travelocity and hope that by paynig their fees, their Guarantee will also kick in and cover the hotel for you.

It's almost academic anyway as Travelocity have made booking this fare very restrictive.

anything in december or late november??
No, I don't think those days were ever available. Just did a quick search on travelocity and these dates were still showing the prepaid rate 7/31-8/4, 8/5-9,8/10-14. I am sure there are more, I just got tired of looking

No, I don't think those days were ever available. Just did a quick search on travelocity and these dates were still showing the prepaid rate 7/31-8/4, 8/5-9,8/10-14. I am sure there are more, I just got tired of looking

thanks :)

Are you getting a THB rate on Travelocity?

No only USD or CAD, depending on the site used.

The question is - do you want to pay 1 THB on the IC site and risk getting nothing, or pay $2.50 on Travelocity and hope that by paynig their fees, their Guarantee will also kick in and cover the hotel for you.

Honestly it does not matter if it is honoured or not. After one debacle where my credit card was charged for full rate, twice, I am not tempted to book it a second time even if there rate is a bit better. It really does not matter all that much. If ICH honours it great, if not, then nothing ventured, nothing gained.

It's almost academic anyway as Travelocity have made booking this fare very restrictive.

No restrictions as far as I can see - the rate is easily bookable for me.

Are you getting a THB rate on Travelocity?

The question is - do you want to pay 1 THB on the IC site and risk getting nothing, or pay $2.50 on Travelocity and hope that by paynig their fees, their Guarantee will also kick in and cover the hotel for you.

It's almost academic anyway as Travelocity have made booking this fare very restrictive.

Thats what I did. Went with Travelocity paid 1THB per night at the prepaid rate.
I like Travelocity. ICH already made deals with their recent screwed up Japan/China reservations.

Are you getting a THB rate on Travelocity?
Absolutely.
The confirming e-mail looks like this:

Room : Standard Room 2 Adults
Nightly rates are based upon 2 people in the room.
Sun, Aug 13 THB 1.00
Mon, Aug 14 THB 1.00
Tue, Aug 15 THB 1.00
Wed, Aug 16 THB 1.00
Thu, Aug 17 THB 1.00
Fri, Aug 18 THB 1.00
Sat, Aug 19 THB 1.00
Sun, Aug 20 THB 1.00
Mon, Aug 21 THB 1.00
Tue, Aug 22 THB 1.00
Wed, Aug 23 THB 1.00
Thu, Aug 24 THB 1.00
Fri, Aug 25 THB 1.00
Sat, Aug 26 THB 1.00
-------------------------------------------------------------
Sum of nightly rates: THB 14.00
-------------------------------------------------------------
Total Before Taxes: THB 14.00
Taxes and cancellation penalty information is available in the hotel policies.
You will not be charged by Travelocity.

Thanks MrHalliday!

Wow, that is confusing! :confused:

I've never been to Thailand but May-October doesn't look that great weather-wise.

http://www.phuket-info.com/weather.htm

Ah.. damn.. sod it.. I think I'll go and get wet like the rest of you. :D

Opodo- they won't accept the booking and invite you to call... Very interesting,
maybe German programmers bother to put in
a simple check line of code like:

IF (rate<$1) THEN Call_10p_Line :D

Still available...

Not booking this one myself. I'll be in Thailand in April. And while this is a great rate, a savings of ~ $100/night at the Holiday Inn isn't enough reason for me to make the trip. (If it was a deluxe villa at the Banyan Tree on the other hand...)

I've never been to Thailand but May-October doesn't look that great weather-wise.

http://www.phuket-info.com/weather.htm

Ah.. damn.. sod it.. I think I'll go and get wet like the rest of you. :D
I think Sept/Oct are touchy. I was there in August last year and it was beautiful. I think May-July are good, August can go either way.

I've never been to Thailand but May-October doesn't look that great weather-wise.

http://www.phuket-info.com/weather.htm

Ah.. damn.. sod it.. I think I'll go and get wet like the rest of you. :D

I was there in May of last year, and it was absolutely gorgeous as well. I'll be willing to chance my luck on this one.

I would have spotted this deal much earlier if it had been in the Mileage Run forum.

I would have spotted this deal much earlier if it had been in the Mileage Run forum.

Well, this deal is exactly what this sub-branch of the MR forum was created for. Just one more forum to check regularly...

I think Travelocity is on to this: I booked a week in August, and went back thinking I should get another week, but now when I do a search I can't even get the hotel to come up.

I booked the following week on PriorityClub.com, as the .01 bhat rate still shows there (for now).

So now I have two weeks in August. I doubt they will honor it, so I'm not buying any airfare LOL...and don't know if I would anyway. But I couldn't *not* book a room for what amounts to $.18 for two weeks. You Flyertalkers have SOOOOOO corrupted me. :D

I certainly won't mind 2 weeks in Thailand if all works out, though!

I think Travelocity is on to this: I booked a week in August, and went back thinking I should get another week, but now when I do a search I can't even get the hotel to come up.

I booked the following week on PriorityClub.com, as the .01 bhat rate still shows there (for now).

So now I have two weeks in August. I doubt they will honor it, so I'm not buying any airfare LOL...and don't know if I would anyway. But I couldn't *not* book a room for what amounts to $.18 for two weeks. You Flyertalkers have SOOOOOO corrupted me. :D

I certainly won't mind 2 weeks in Thailand if all works out, though!

Just worked something out.
If you click Hotel Name and click H, then it comes up, but it doesnt come up on the first screen even if you 'order by price'! ;)

Back from ACA yesterday, Booking Phuket Today..Viva la Flyertalk.

Oh Also available on Zuji.com.au for my fellow aussies ;)

Just booked some dates in October - my old roommate is 4 hours by minibus from Phuket - I'm going to have him come up & visit in October (note - the weather in Phuket sucks from Mid-August to Mid-October - a LOT of rain!).

Thanks, OP!

Anybody care to speculate more on advantages
of the three 1-Baht rates being offered,
i.e. flexible, 14-day, or 30-day?

I also booked flexible rates,
remembering MapleLeaf's nightmare,
but I don't think they charge the credit card now.

I assume 14/30-day advance rate bookings
cause an instant charge to the card.

Until I observed many hotel deals
play out over the last 3 months,
I thought getting the card charged
would be the most important element of a contract.

But in reality, that didn't seem to make
much difference to the final outcomes....

Well I booked a prepaid via ICH, total about 15 cents - nothing on my credit card. I booked prepaid via travelocity, a temp authorisation is there for ~$20... that is for 7 nights.

As long as they don't reauthorise for anymore, I am happy. Of course it means having to reroute my Asia trip again :mad: but hey, this might be worth it. 1 week on the beach eating bon bon's :cool:

IMHO opinion, based on events which have occurred outside of FT - ICH will honour those bookings made on their website.

Just worked something out.
If you click Hotel Name and click H, then it comes up, but it doesnt come up on the first screen even if you 'order by price'! ;)

Back from ACA yesterday, Booking Phuket Today..Viva la Flyertalk.

Oh Also available on Zuji.com.au for my fellow aussies ;)

Sure enough...I was doing a search for "Holiday" and only the Holiday Inn Phi Phi resort would come up. I did it your way, and 'found' it again.

IMHO opinion, based on events which have occurred outside of FT - ICH will honour those bookings made on their website.

Let's hope so. I really do intend to use the booking I made!

A Holiday Inn precendent;

http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2005_2nd/May05_HIDisneyRate.html

Please note this quote folks, for those who wish to go with the new Expedia way of doing things;

"The hotel corrected the erroneous pricing information, which ranged from 93 cents to $1.13 per night, as soon as it found out about the error yesterday morning after a guest called to confirm the room rate."

Although I'll qualify this by saying that it would appear that it was a hotel mgmt. decision to honour, rather than IC's itself.

I just booked May 24th - September 6th in 1 week increments at the prepaid (1THB) rate via the ICH website. I'll be able to get over there for 1 or 2 of them (assuming they are honored) and at about $2.70USD total, it's a steal!

you were robbed then - I paid .01 thai baht a night. You should have paid only 2 U.S. cents for your summer. :D

Just booked:
2 rooms for 2 weeks in August.
1 Baht for each day/room with 14 Day Advance Purchase Rate :D

you were robbed then - I paid .01 thai baht a night. You should have paid only 2 U.S. cents for your summer. :D

Not quite - the 0.01 THB rate is the flexible, cancel-anytime rate. The 1 THB rate is pre-paid (30 days prior) and is probably somewhat less subject to cancellation, should it come to that.

missed that rate...I'm going for broke then I guess!

missed that rate...I'm going for broke then I guess!

You could still change it. The 1 THB rate can be found by scrolling further down the screen when booking on www.ichhotels.com or www.priorityclub.com.

Absolutely.
The confirming e-mail looks like this:

Room : Standard Room 2 Adults
Nightly rates are based upon 2 people in the room.
Sun, Aug 13 THB 1.00
Mon, Aug 14 THB 1.00
Tue, Aug 15 THB 1.00
Wed, Aug 16 THB 1.00
Thu, Aug 17 THB 1.00
Fri, Aug 18 THB 1.00
Sat, Aug 19 THB 1.00
Sun, Aug 20 THB 1.00
Mon, Aug 21 THB 1.00
Tue, Aug 22 THB 1.00
Wed, Aug 23 THB 1.00
Thu, Aug 24 THB 1.00
Fri, Aug 25 THB 1.00
Sat, Aug 26 THB 1.00
-------------------------------------------------------------
Sum of nightly rates: THB 14.00
-------------------------------------------------------------
Total Before Taxes: THB 14.00
Taxes and cancellation penalty information is available in the hotel policies.
You will not be charged by Travelocity.

So that's about 30 cents? Not bad, not bad at all.

Will we decorate the resort with FT logos from May to October?

I went ahead and booked 2 rooms for 6 nights, June 1 - June 7. Cost me 12 Baht, so no Christmas this year.

You could still change it. The 1 THB rate can be found by scrolling further down the screen when booking on www.ichhotels.com or www.priorityclub.com.

Thanks anyways - but I've got almost no intention of going, bar being left divorced, homeless and unemployed, but with tons of airmiles, by the time of my res's...so I may as well just go for my 1/100th of a cent rate! :D

Thanks anyways - but I've got almost no intention of going, bar being left divorced, homeless and unemployed, but with tons of airmiles, by the time of my res's...so I may as well just go for my 1/100th of a cent rate! :D

It'll be interesting to see how these charges show up on a credit card. Do you think they'll round up to the nearest cent?

If the hotel honors these, they'll spend more processing the charges than we're paying.

Despite being 'prepaid', the hotel itself will receive the res. & process payment themselves, often not til a few days b4 the checking-in...basically could be charged anytime between now & them. Or not at all - as they may well balk at such a charge.

So since it's not an automatic process, I think looking for an instant $1 hit to help confirm everyone here's res's is a mite hopeful...anyone else familiar with IC agree on that analysis?

I had an instant charge from Travelocity :cool:

I had an instant charge from Travelocity :cool:

Yeah, they'll do it, but IC won't...a prepaid is as good as a flexible from their site, I reckon.

I think the surest reservations are the Travelocity Good Buy prepaid variety - pre-paid to Travelocity in US currency.

Travelocity says: "Please don't call the hotel directly to make changes or cancel this reservation, as their agents will not be able to change or issue refunds for these specially negotiated rates."

I just paid for 4 rooms for 12 nights in July on these terms.

Yeah, they'll do it, but IC won't...a prepaid is as good as a flexible from their site, I reckon.

Indeed - I had a prepaid non-refundable reservation via IC in Tokyo when all of a sudden I logged into flyertalk to find a certain deal at the Tokyo Hilton. As my card hadn't been charged for the stay (even though I had booked my 14 day advance purchase rate room about a month before) I just cancelled my booking, fully expecting the charge to appear on my card but it never did ^

thankyou just booked rooms in oct! ^
usually im not that lucky!

Thanks, OP.

Anyone know if this property has a "joiner" fee? Most of the Patong properties make a killing by charging Bt 500 - Bt 1000 extra per night if you bring something nice back to the room.

OT: If that's what you are looking for then you won't be happy with this place. They do not allow outside guests at all IIRC not even against a fee, at least that's what I read in their guest policy the last time I was there. You can register a second person to the room but then that is the only person (normally your SO) also allowed on the premises. Security is thight there.

I think the deal is done on travelocity. I just went searching for about three months and couldn't find anything.

Rex

It is still alive on Intercontinental's web site. Just got 10/2 thru 10/7 at one THB per nite.

I think the deal is done on travelocity. I just went searching for about three months and couldn't find anything.

Rex

Interestingly enough, Travelocity now lists several rooms like this:

Refund 2 Queen Beds Superior Smoking

Refund 2 Sgl Beds Studio Pool View Smoking

Etc.

Is this some hotel term I don't understand? Seems like an odd way of wording it, and I wonder if it has anything to do with the earlier .01 bhat rate. The deal was gone as far as I could tell, too...and I can no longer find it on the ICH website, but I only checked a few dates.

I booked mine earlier on ichotels.com this afternoon for a couple of weeks in August. Now so when does the drama begin...the hotel trying to 'wiggle out' of this 'deeply discounted' rate. :D I won't be booking plane tickets for a bit yet ... :)

Rates are corrected at IC web site. Now showing the proper rates - at least for Aug and Oct which is what I checked. Lets see how this plays out.

wow, that ran for 13+ hours

Good morning everyone, just a quick check of ft before I head for the office...

So hope you all had a blast with that...as I have been asked many times where I got this from, I would personally prefer not to post this. It would not help most people anyhow as it is a German-language messageboard...

Haowever I promise to post any deal that has not made it here when they appear over there again...;-)))!

Greetings - Dirk (one week in July for me)

Well, as a consolation prize, I saw Orbitz has many 3* hotels for $20 to $39 (at least in August).

Not enough to relocate there, but a nice way to make a two week holiday with FF miles and not break the bank...

Now if the missus will let me make the trip solo ... but I don't think thats gonna happen :mad:

I wonder how they can do this and stay in business,

If half the hotel is booked for basically free

If it was me , I would say computer error and "refund" your one baht,

its not like 99.9% of you would ever go there if it was normal prices, so they are not losing any "repeat" customers

Rally

Rate is gone now but i hope they will accept our reservations just like in HI Disney.

Computer Input Error Resulted in the Holiday Inn
in the Walt Disney World(R) Resort Selling
1,208 Rooms for 93 cents Each


Hotel Offers 93 Cent Rate, Again; Extends Computer Input
Error Rate with Special Grand Re-Opening Promotion
ORLANDO, Fla. - May 5, 2005 -- A computer input error this week resulted in the Holiday Inn in the Walt Disney World(R) Resort selling 1,208 rooms for 93 cents each instead of $93. The rate was posted on the Holiday Inn Web site for approximately 17 hours. During that time, approximately 400 guests reserved rooms at the erroneous rate, saving more than $110,000. The hotel has decided to extend its offer of the bargain rate in a special package to guests, who will receive the fifth night for 93 cents after staying four nights at the regular rate.

After getting over the initial shock, General Manager Glenn Aycock decided to turn lemons into lemonade and created the special five-night package. The offer is being made as a special grand reopening promotion and is valid from September 10, 2005 through December 24, 2005 for guests who book rooms at the hotel by September 30, 2005.

Guests may book rooms, subject to availability, under the "Buy Four, Get One at 93 Cents" package by calling the hotel directly at (407) 828-8888.

"Naturally we're going to honor this rock-bottom rate for the individuals who booked rooms during the 17-hour period, as our guests are always our first priority," Aycock said. "Our hotel was severely damaged during the hurricanes that slammed into Florida last year, and we are closed until August 1 when we will reopen after totally making over the hotel. This special rate has now become our grand reopening gift to our future guests.

"We are working under some pretty difficult conditions during the renovation and incorrectly loaded the rates onto Holiday Inn's Web site," he said. "The hotel corrected the erroneous pricing information, which ranged from 93 cents to $1.13 per night, as soon as it found out about the error yesterday morning after a guest called to confirm the room rate."

The 323-room hotel is located on Hotel Plaza Boulevard in Downtown Disney inside the Walt Disney World(R) Resort. The property is essentially being rebuilt and will be the resort's "newest" property when it reopens August 1, 2005 following its multi-million dollar renovation. "Rooms and all public space will be completely refurbished. About the only thing that is not being replaced is the concrete," Aycock noted.

The 14-story atrium property overlooks a serene garden setting and features two outdoor heated pools, a heated children's pool and a whirlpool. The hotel also features a game room, fitness center, high-speed Internet access, in-room movies and Nintendo, and complimentary in-room coffee. The resort hotel features a full-service restaurant, a quick-service deli, and a lounge. Children under 12 dining with paying adults eat free.

The hotel is operated by Interstate Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: IHR), the nation's largest independent hotel management company.

With more than 1,400 hotels worldwide, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts is the most widely recognized lodging brand in the world.




.

I wonder how they can do this and stay in business,

If half the hotel is booked for basically free

If it was me , I would say computer error and "refund" your one baht,

its not like 99.9% of you would ever go there if it was normal prices, so they are not losing any "repeat" customers

Rally

Do you work for Ryanair, by any chance?

Ryan Air, nope

but this is not Disneyland and customers who they will never see again are not a priority ,

Lets hear from the first one that gets a room for 1 baht and stays there , my guess it "ain't gona happen"

Rally

www.travelocity.com/guarantee

Just heard of the hotel is starting to eMail those who have booked:

"Dear XXXX

Thank you for your booking at our resort. I am sorry to inform you that the rate you booked is not our correct rate. It was error while we updated our room rates as the power cut off so it was not successful.

In fact, we updated the rates in order to close our Standard rooms for renovation means from 01 May till mid of September 2006 there are no Standard rooms available.

The room type which are available during that time and the rates we can offer you are :-

Superior room Main wing @ 3,315 Baht
Studio room pool view Busakorn wing @ 3,740 Baht

The above rates are per room/night inclusive of tax, service charge and daily buffet breakfast.

Please confirm which room type you prefer.

We are very sorry for inconvenience caused.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.


Best regards,
Reservation Manager
HOLIDAY INN RESORT PHUKET
Tel : 66 76 370263 Fax 66 76 370245
website phuket.holiday-inn.com"

Greetings - Dirk [Edited to remove the name of the person involved at the hotel]

Hi Dirk,

Thank you for posting this.
But I recommend you to edit/erace the name of the Reservation Manager.

The important thing is you/we have received the mail, not disclose personal info on a BBS.

Just heard of the hotel is starting to eMail those who have booked:

"Dear XXXX

Thank you for your booking at our resort. I am sorry to inform you that the rate you booked is not our correct rate. It was error while we updated our room rates as the power cut off so it was not successful.

In fact, we updated the rates in order to close our Standard rooms for renovation means from 01 May till mid of September 2006 there are no Standard rooms available.

The room type which are available during that time and the rates we can offer you are :-

Superior room Main wing @ 3,315 Baht
Studio room pool view Busakorn wing @ 3,740 Baht

The above rates are per room/night inclusive of tax, service charge and daily buffet breakfast.

Please confirm which room type you prefer.

We are very sorry for inconvenience caused.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.


Best regards,
Reservation Manager
HOLIDAY INN RESORT PHUKET
Tel : 66 76 370263 Fax 66 76 370245
website phuket.holiday-inn.com"

Greetings - XXXX

Ooooh!!! I have a reservation in October!

Think I’ll keep a hold of this mail in case I ever make a mistake when booking an advance rate with IC. It would be very useful.

Okay now while power outages (short ones - minutes not hours) are something that does happen in Phuket every other day, the hotel has sufficient backup power in the form of generators. This is a fact as I have stayed there before on several occasions.

Additionally, if you are in the process of making adjustments to your room inventory and rates and are affected by such a power outage then what is the first thing you do after restoration of power? Correct - you check whether your upload or adjustments were successful. ;) 13+ hours to figure this one out is just unbelievable. :confused: The power outage (while it can be true) just sounds like a cheap scapegot for the real failures. Bit of a lame excuse IMHO. Fishy, fishy.

I would recommend to management to think about some form of offer that creates a win-win for both parties. Maybe offer something like 2 nights regular rate and one night free or any other form of a concilatory offering to show good spirit and stand to made mistakes. Just getting out of it like this is not very classy and something a regular customer having made an erroneous booking at a prepaid rate can only be dreaming of as ICHG will hold them to the T&C's and take their money.

Think I’ll keep a hold of this mail in case I ever make a mistake when booking an advance rate with IC. It would be very useful.

Exactly my thought. Sorry IC reservations but my browser got stuck so I made accidentally two bookings at the advanced purchase rate for the same time frame. Ups.

Hi : have you guys ever "pre-paid" a hotel room at the airport, but when you arrived and you received a phone call from the agent at the airport saying that they forgot to charge you hotel surcharge. The reception lady at the hotel refused our booking if we dont pay that 300 baht.... i think a pre-paid reservation is a contract right?? what about all the gurantees from priorityclub?
I think the management's excuse is BS... it seems that the management is not going to responsible for things that they neglected... we all know how important that price input process is... Unacceptable. :mad:

Welcome to Asia ;)

Welcome to Asia ;)

:D Could happen other places too though. ;)

I’m certainly not out for blood – I think the Thais have been through enough this past year.

My beef in this case would be with the double standards within IC and its reservation system. The HI in Phuket didn’t write the software that IC has adopted (and forced the hotel to use). Why there isn’t the sort of formula MrHalliday alluded to earlier in this thread (where IF ‘room price’ < $Y THEN ALERT! ALERT!) I don’t know. But this is something IC as an organisation should be taking on.

And although someone else posted that they were refunded for a pre-paid reservation they couldn’t use – the poster was completely at the mercy of IC who could easily have declined.

I don’t think it is fair to offer such a one sided contract to customers (customer screws up = customer loses out, IC screws up = no comeback + customer potentially loses out).

IC prey on their poorest customers (in fact nearly all of us when on our own dime) by only offering rooms at a sensible price if we agree to hand all our money to them in advance. I hate being forced to play along because I can’t afford otherwise, and I hate being ‘fined’ for making an error.

I’m going to ride with this to see where it goes – but I would regard it as immoral for IC to pass the buck squarely with the hotel in this case.

"I’m going to ride with this to see where it goes – but I would regard it as immoral for IC to pass the buck squarely with the hotel in this case."

IMMORAL because a mistake was made , can I come to your work and take advantage of any mistakes there ,

hard to believe that people that try and get things for nothing,
then try and take a moral stand on it :(

RALLY

Ok I have reserved at a prepaid rate via ICH, would you change that to Travelocity? It is a bit more, but not much :D

I am in Asia at the time but don't have flights to Phuket, but hey has that ever stopped an FT'r :p

Just this month, I got a J ticket on Thai Airways from Bangkok to Phuket for $98 each way. That is their normal price for Business Class.

Since the deal has been pulled, I emailed Travelocity to see what they had to say about the bookings...

Dear The_nomad,

Thank you for writing to Travelocity.

We would like to inform you that per the Trip Id Number XXXXXXXXXXXX
your Hotel Reservation with Holiday Inn Resort stands confirmed and the
confirmation code is XXXXXXXX

Please feel free to write us back for any further assistance required.

We appreciate your co-operation.

Regards,
XXXXX X
Travelocity Customer Service
http://www.travelocity.com/

I wonder if that means that the Roaming Gnome is going to don his cape and goggles and come swooping in if the hotel tells me to buggar off.

"I’m going to ride with this to see where it goes – but I would regard it as immoral for IC to pass the buck squarely with the hotel in this case."

IMMORAL because a mistake was made , can I come to your work and take advantage of any mistakes there ,

hard to believe that people that try and get things for nothing,
then try and take a moral stand on it :(

RALLY

I don't think you understand what I was saying.
I think it is immoral that a HUGE corporation like IC – who foist an operating system on a hotel which is prone to understandable human error – would then expect the hotel to deal with the subsequent problem all by itself.

My sympathy is squarely with the hotel - because I do understand human error – but not with IC as an organisation if they were to make them deal with this mess by themselves.

If my boss left me in charge of a huge project and had specified the software and procedures I was to use, and then left me to carry the can all by myself because I did make a mistake – yes, I would think that was immoral too. Good management doesn’t let people get into that situation. A chain of back up and checking procedures should be put in place to prevent this kind of thing.

And as for your analogy - " can I come to your work and take advantage of any mistakes there" - well naturally, I'd prefer you didn't. However, IC are completely prepared to take advantage of any mistake I myself make when booking with them. THIS is what I take issue with!

I wonder if that means that the Roaming Gnome is going to don his cape and goggles and come swooping in if the hotel tells me to buggar off.

I think you will see a roaming gnome with goggles and cape that says, "Calling for backup, NO DON'T BACKUP!"

Mistakes do happen BUT how you explain them to your customers is another thing.

The following statement is NOT meant to be racist or stereotypical - BUT as we learned from the last Asian error - the Marriott one - the Asians have their own way of doing things. As was learned from several Asian folks on the board - the culture is NOT to say No to a customer - so it has to be blamed on something else. I do not buy what the email says. If you look at the site for the hotel - it is true that renovations are going on until November 1st. However - when I just called Holiday Inn - there are standard rooms available prior to this BUT at the correct rate. SO somone is not telling the truth - right?

Now please - do not respond with any angry messages or call me a racist - I am just repeating what was said in the other thread - and a pattern does appear ro be occuring.

do we really need to respond to the token poster who comes along, every price error, to exude his moral superiority, & offer nothing else?

As it is, I was told tough luck by IC recently, regarding cancelling a reward reservation, where I had missed that there was a deadline for cancellation - they refused & said 'sorry, it's our rules you agreed to', even though I'm Plat. Royal Ambassador.

Well, there you go - I'm agreeing to their t&c's which probably state that a confirmation means just that actually - any legal beagles here find any get-out clauses yet?

As for this standard room renovation nonsense - well, maybe I haven't been written to yet by them, since I get a guaranteed upgrade, where available, anyways? :D

Message to hotel owner/lurker if you're there - don't muck with the Plats, or you'll have a whole heap of trouble coming down from I.C. Try respectful negotiation if cannot honour.

I don't know if this helps, but here is my tale of dealing with Travelocity on a mistake fare:

Last month I booked a room in Amsterdam, via Travelocity, on a 'glitch' fare posted by Lemex for roughly $15. I actually booked it for some friends who live there, as a nice evening out sort of thing.

I received a message from Travelocity a day or two later. The call sounded like it originated from an Indian call center and went something like this:

"The hotel has informed us that the rate you booked was an error, and the actual room rate is $xxx. So we would like for you to call the hotel and be convinced to take the higher rate. If after calling the hotel you are not convinced, then Travelocity and honor the lower rate that you booked, unless you are convinced to take the higher rate by the hotel."

Huh? Now why exactly would I call the hotel and be 'convinced' to take the higher rate when Travelocity stated they would honor the much lower rate I booked?

Regardless, as things turned out, my friends were unable to get a dog sitter and so I called Travelocity to cancel. I didn't really expect a refund as it was a non-refundable booking, but I figured it was the ethical thing to do if Travelocity had to pay the difference between the actual rate and what I booked at. However, they refunded me with no problem. I did ask if they would have honored it, and was told yes, they would have.

So, if this is SOP, then one would think Travelocity bookings are safe one way or another. That's a big IF, since they probably handle each incident in a different way. I was likely one of only a handful of people who booked the Amsterdam glitch, whereas there are many more on this one. So we'll see...

FWIW, travelocity agreed to eat the cost on another mispriced hotel (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=523820) recently.

The hotel called that they were not honoring the rate, offered to cancel the reservations and refund my payment or I could take the two rooms at half off the regular rate of $98.

I called Travelocity and was initially told that "the hotel put the wrong price on their site and will not honor that price". Went around for a few minutes then asked to speak with a supervisor. Waited on hold for 10 minutes and a supervisor came on and advised that the hotel should not have called me, the reservations will be honored as paid and either the hotel or travelocity would make up the difference.

Just heard of the hotel is starting to eMail those who have booked:

"Dear XXXX

Thank you for your booking at our resort. I am sorry to inform you that the rate you booked is not our correct rate. It was error while we updated our room rates as the power cut off so it was not successful.

In fact, we updated the rates in order to close our Standard rooms for renovation means from 01 May till mid of September 2006 there are no Standard rooms available.

The room type which are available during that time and the rates we can offer you are :-

Superior room Main wing @ 3,315 Baht
Studio room pool view Busakorn wing @ 3,740 Baht

The above rates are per room/night inclusive of tax, service charge and daily buffet breakfast.

Please confirm which room type you prefer.

We are very sorry for inconvenience caused.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.


Best regards,
Reservation Manager
HOLIDAY INN RESORT PHUKET
Tel : 66 76 370263 Fax 66 76 370245
website phuket.holiday-inn.com"

Greetings - Dirk [Edited to remove the name of the person involved at the hotel]

Had you booked a 1 baht or a 0.01 baht per night room? I had booked the prepaid, 1 baht/night, and have not received the email.

(post # 3000)

Has everyone received one of these emails? I have not received anything yet.

Has everyone received one of these emails? I have not received anything yet.
I have not gotten anything. I booked a few days in Aug on IC site and a few days in Oct on Travelocity, both were prepaid.

No Email yet, have 3 bookings and still monitoring

No Email yet, have 3 bookings and still monitoringTwo 3-day bookings for me(back-to-back). One pre-paid, one "confirmed" and no email on either.

.....and welcome to Flyertalk Walouigi

Sorry for causing mass-emotions here...I myself have not gotten the eMail, just got that from someone posting on the board that was the original source of that special-rate. And from what I can judge I have no reason to believe that the person posting the eMail just made it up.

Over there that person claims he had booked a refundable rate and to my knowledge has been a very early booking in terms of when he booked yesterday. I myself booked later in the evening (also a fully refundable rate) and have not received anything yet.

So maybe the person at the hotel has just started sending out eMails and has not gotten much forward in his quest to eMail everyone, or he was stopped (by ICHotel's corporate?) once the eMail got published here...

Greetings - Dirk

Two 3-day bookings for me(back-to-back). One pre-paid, one "confirmed" and no email on either.

.....and welcome to Flyertalk Walouigi


THANK YOU :) ^

I wonder how they can do this and stay in business,

If half the hotel is booked for basically free

If it was me , I would say computer error and "refund" your one baht,

its not like 99.9% of you would ever go there if it was normal prices, so they are not losing any "repeat" customers

Rally
The above would be true if this were a standalone hotel. In fact, it is a Holiday Inn, part of the InterContinental Hotels Group. These bookings were made on Travelocity's web site, or the website of IHG. Both those websites have guarantees on their website, and the e-mail posted above is a violation of both guarantees. These are the organizations that have to think about losing repeat business.

The e-mail is obviously an attempt by someone, probably local, to bluff his way out of this error. IHG's website states that most hotels are independently owned. What will happen when Travelocity and IHG get involved? Does Travelocity think that the above response will leave a smile on its customers' faces? Will IHG honor their guarantee? Stay tuned.

All quiet on this front.

1 booking on ICH
1 booking on Travelcity
Brothers booking on Zuji.com.au

Nothing yet....
All booked for the last weeks of Roctober

No emails for me either. I did just email Travelocity though asking for confirmation from them. I think they are far more likely to honor this than IC.

Dirk -

NO REASON TO APOLOGIZE! This stuff happens here all the time. The email may be real BUT there have been some ones made up on here before - believe it or not.

Nick

Sorry for causing mass-emotions here...I myself have not gotten the eMail, just got that from someone posting on the board that was the original source of that special-rate. And from what I can judge I have no reason to believe that the person posting the eMail just made it up.

Over there that person claims he had booked a refundable rate and to my knowledge has been a very early booking in terms of when he booked yesterday. I myself booked later in the evening (also a fully refundable rate) and have not received anything yet.

So maybe the person at the hotel has just started sending out eMails and has not gotten much forward in his quest to eMail everyone, or he was stopped (by ICHotel's corporate?) once the eMail got published here...

Greetings - Dirk

Perhaps the OP or a mod can stick a RATE GONE in front of the topic...

I did 2 separate bookings in 2 seperate names very early on in the day and have recieved only confirmations immediately after the booking
and no other followup/
I can NOT imagine ICH not honoring these rates as they are from their official website. ^

Perhaps the OP or a mod can stick a RATE GONE in front of the topic...

I don't believe the OP has the ability to do that, but I certainly do!

bhatnasx
Mileage Run Moderator

PS - I hope this gets honored, like tinkybelle, I haven't heard otherwise & booked a week to visit my old roommate who's a few hours away by bus.

Okay guys so here is the scoop. Just got a call from the HI Phuket basically stating the facts as described in the email previously posted. Power outage while trying to update rates, no standard rooms available because to be renovated etc. Offer was to book at new rate of Baht 3,??? for the next higher room category or cancel.

So far so good (or bad). First of all I feel sorry for the people that have to call as they are left with nothing to offer and will have to take the heat from some upset customers. I told the lady that I'm not agreeing to either one of the offered choices, that I will hold on to my reservation for now, and requested some explanation in writting instead of over the phone (alas no proof otherwise). Secondly I told her that I do not intend to take this out on the property but that the GM and maybe the corporate folks at ICHG should think about this mistake and how they want to handle it.

If we as customers make an erroneous booking and want to change or cancel it later we will have to bear whatever charges (pay full stay or first night charge) are stated in the T&C's. Do we get a break? 99.9% of the cases - NO? We just have to suck it up and live with it.

While I personnally do not want to make this property suffer too much as the staff is very nice and was hit hard enough by the Tsunami, I still have to say that I'm a bit disappointed by the rather unimaginative way of trying to wiggle out of the situation. There is not even an attempt being made to offer something to the affected customers, be it a special rate or a free night with x paid nights at regular rate, ... etc. Be imaginative and think of something that creates a win-win in some way. Heck, might as well give PC points good for a nights stay at a HI property (alas 15K) whatever works for them.

Why was the rate error accepted at HI Anaheim? Because in the US the property and ICHG could get sued based on their own reservation confirmations send out and the T&C's due to U.S. consumer protection laws. In Thailand this scenario appears very unlikely as the courts wont really care a lot. (and I do not intend to find out as I have stated above that my issue does not lie with the property but the general policies applied)

To be continued.

Cheers ...

Why was the rate error accepted at HI Anaheim? Because in the US the property and ICHG could get sued based on their own reservation confirmations send out and the T&C's. In Thailand this scenario appears very unlikely as the courts wont really care a lot.

To be continued.

Cheers ...

You could always sue them in the US. Why bother going to Thailand to do so?

I'm glad to see we're already talking about lawsuits.

I'm glad to see we're already talking about lawsuits.

I believe it's in the FT T&C that all discussion of mistake rates must turn to lawsuits before the 200th post.

These rates were booked on Travelocity or ICH websites. Each website has a guarantee. If they are not going to fulfill the terms of their guarantee, I think that they should take the guarantee off the website, and put in its place what they will do. My problem is not with the hotel, it's with the website.

2.5 (American) cents per night is a pretty decent bargain in my book. ;)



Yeah but what about the 1.5% foreign exchange fee you probably have to pay the bank ? Gah ! It ruins the whole deal.

Thank you demue & gemac for putting the emphasis on this case where it belongs (i.e. not with the hotel itself).

I believe it's in the FT T&C that all discussion of mistake rates must turn to lawsuits before the 200th post.

Good one. :D BTW, it might have seemed that way but I do not have the slightest intention of suing anyone for anything. It was worth a try and if nothing comes out of this so be it.

Like LapLap and gemac, my issue lies more with ICHG's general handling/interpretation of T&Cs in case of their own mistakes vs. mistakes made by customers. :confused: That's my sole point and I won't have the HI Phuket suffer for that. Rather I will take up the issue with ICHG corporate HQ to make them aware of this double standard.

Cheers ...

Like LapLap and gemac, my issue lies more with ICHG's general handling/interpretation of T&Cs in case of their own mistakes vs. mistakes made by customers. :confused: That's my sole point and I won't have the HI Phuket suffer for that. Rather I will take up the issue with ICHG corporate HQ to make them aware of this double standard.

Well said. ^

And with that, the ball is squarely in ICHG's court - time to do the right thing for their customers.

And I am now very, very glad I didn't include a phone number in my reservation.

These rates were booked on Travelocity or ICH websites. Each website has a guarantee. If they are not going to fulfill the terms of their guarantee, I think that they should take the guarantee off the website, and put in its place what they will do. My problem is not with the hotel, it's with the website.

From ICH Website
Online Reservation Guarantee

By securing your online reservation with a credit card, you are eligible for our Reservations Guarantee. If your reservation cannot be honored, the host hotel will provide a room at, and transportation to, another convenient and comparable hotel, and pay for telephone calls to notify family of the lodging change. The host hotel will also pay the full cost of the first night's lodging rate, plus tax. Any advance deposit will be refunded.

So basically, for ICH, they can say they will guarantee the res, but shift you over to another hotel and pay for the first night, and refund you the 1THB / night, and thats it.
There nothing in there to say they 'Guarantee' the reservation once confirmed will be honoured for the full stay.

Travelocity, will be another story...

Fun times ahead.....
Rob

Just got billed 0.16 to my AMEX for the prepaid week by travelocity. Notr a worry in the world here as travelocity stands by its custmomers and makes it right!

From ICH Website
Online Reservation Guarantee

By securing your online reservation with a credit card, you are eligible for our Reservations Guarantee. If your reservation cannot be honored, the host hotel will provide a room at, and transportation to, another convenient and comparable hotel, and pay for telephone calls to notify family of the lodging change. The host hotel will also pay the full cost of the first night's lodging rate, plus tax. Any advance deposit will be refunded.

Rob

This was quoted a little earlier (don't worry - I'm not having a go at you for not reading and remembering every comment in this thread :) )

But isn't securing a reservation with a CC completely different from being asked to pay for it 'upfront' as we are required to do with advance purchases?

When you pay something in full - this is not an 'advance deposit'.

It seems to me this guarantee is worded to cover those on a flexible rate - giving reassurance to people handling corporate accounts that their staff will be looked after by ICHG when they are away from home on the company dollar.

Good one. :D BTW, it might have seemed that way but I do not have the slightest intention of suing anyone for anything. It was worth a try and if nothing comes out of this so be it.

I thought that you were not serious, and I was just joking as well. However, talk of a lawsuit always begins right after someone suggests that the rate will not be honored. It's just part of the mistake fare life cycle.

Like LapLap and gemac, my issue lies more with ICHG's general handling/interpretation of T&Cs in case of their own mistakes vs. mistakes made by customers. :confused: That's my sole point and I won't have the HI Phuket suffer for that. Rather I will take up the issue with ICHG corporate HQ to make them aware of this double standard.

Cheers ...
Yes, but the hotel has brought itself into this by contacting customers directly, which it should not be doing. The hotel should be going through the booking engines, because the customers are the booking engines' customers. The hotel obviously does not want the booking engines to know what it is doing, that is why it does not go back through them.

Interestingly, we have had only the one isolated report of this e-mail. Why is everyone not getting them? Did someone who got one contact IHG or Travelocity and ask why the hotel is voiding a contract between the customer and the booking agent? And did the booking engine then direct the hotel not to do that?

And, of course, we have the usual issues that come up in these cases. Once it becomes obvious to a booking engine what has happened, they take the rate down off their website. That happened yesterday. It then takes them about 15 minutes to decide what is the best thing to do in a business sense - that would be to stand behind their customer and abide by the written assurances on their website and the written confirmation that they have given their customer. It takes about an hour more to determine what doing the right thing would cost them. Then they spend the next week with lawyers in round-the-clock sessions determining if their is a legal loophole that they can squeeze through to avoid doing the right thing. It is unfortunate that some of our fellow posters might be thinking of their legal recourse should IHG or Travelocity refuse to honor their obligations. I guarantee you that IHG and Travelocity are considering their legal position in that event.

It is also unfortunate that the first thing that occured to the hotel when they discovered this problem was to lie to customers. The standard room is still on the IHG website, but now it is at 3500 bhat. If it were unavailable, they would have taken it off completely. When I was about 10 years old, I learned about the feeling I got in the pit of my stomach when I had made a mistake and there were likely to be major consequences. I also learned that a natural human instinct was to tell a lie to get out of the problem. The third thing I learned was that telling the lie doesn't really help anything, it only makes it about 10 times worse. It is too bad that whoever runs the hotel didn't learn this lesson when they were ten years old. Also, they obviously didn't put much thought into their lie. If they don't take the standard room down from websites, it will be obvious that this is a lie. If they do take it down, then they can't rent it, which is just as bad as renting it for 1 bhat.

We live in interesting times.

It is also unfortunate that the first thing that occured to the hotel when they discovered this problem was to lie to customers. The standard room is still on the IHG website, but now it is at 3500 bhat. If it were unavailable, they would have taken it off completely. When I was about 10 years old, I learned about the feeling I got in the pit of my stomach when I had made a mistake and there were likely to be major consequences. I also learned that a natural human instinct was to tell a lie to get out of the problem. The third thing I learned was that telling the lie doesn't really help anything, it only makes it about 10 times worse. It is too bad that whoever runs the hotel didn't learn this lesson when they were ten years old. Also, they obviously didn't put much thought into their lie. If they don't take the standard room down from websites, it will be obvious that this is a lie. If they do take it down, then they can't rent it, which is just as bad as renting it for 1 bhat.


It isn't a complete lie though...

This is from the hotel's own website: http://www.holiday.phuket.com/rates.htm

"During 01st May till 10th Sep '2006, the hotel will continue to renovate and rejuvenate the remaining 168 standard rooms into the new look Superior rooms. There will not be a visual impact except some noise disturbances in the lobby from ongoing work can be expected during the day. Hotel facilities in the Main Wing as well as in the Busakorn Wing such as kidsclub, club 12 plus, The Bar, Sam's Steak and Grill, Seabreeze Cafe, Terrazzo, Busakorn Restaurant, all Swimming Pools, Kidspool and Aspara Spa will be fully operational as usual and will not be affected from the renovation."

Underneath, however, there is some conflicting information:

Super Saver Promotion

Room Type - Standard Room
11 Jan – 28 Feb '06 - 4,860
01 Mar - 15 Apr '06 - 4,320
16 Apr – 31 Oct '06 - n/a

Conditions:

Rates are quoted in Thai Baht per room per night, inclusive of 10% service charge and taxes.
Rates are inclusive of breakfast for maximum 2 persons
Full prepayment is required at the time of booking, once the booking is confirmed, it is non-refundable.
Reservation amendment subject to availibility
This promotion required to book at least 14 days before arrival date.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Special Internet Rates

Room Type - Main Wing - Standard Single/Twin
11 Jan – 15 Apr '06 - 5,400
16 Apr – 31 Oct '06 - 3,400

Conditions:
The above rates are inclusive of tax, service charge and daily buffet breakfast.
Reservations are held until 6 p.m. only, unless guaranteed by credit card or first night deposit.
Check out time 12:00 noon, Check in time 14:00 hrs
Non smoking rooms are available.
Holiday

I now received a similar email from the hotel rez mgr after I emailed them:

Dear the_nomad,

Thank you very much for your e-mail. Unfortunately and we are very sorry to inform you that our rooms rate was error while we updated our rate and we lost connection during updating.

We are very sorry for unable to honor the rate of 1.00 Baht.

The best rate we can offer you is lowest rate of 2,250 Baht with complimentary daily buffet breakfast.

Please confirm by return.

Once again we are very sorry for this happened.


Best regards,
XXXXX XXXXXXX
Reservation Manager
HOLIDAY INN RESORT PHUKET
Tel : 66 76 370263 Fax 66 76 370245
e-mail ak_hirp@phuket.ksc.co.th website phuket.holiday-inn.com


Holiday Inn Resort Phuket - a familiar face in an exotic place.
Welcome to the Innovative new look of our mainwing.
Experience Thai hospitality, smiles and service from the heart.



A little better rate than was quoted before and breakfast is included.....

I now received a similar email from the hotel rez mgr after I emailed them:

Dear the_nomad,

Thank you very much for your e-mail. Unfortunately and we are very sorry to inform you that our rooms rate was error while we updated our rate and we lost connection during updating.

We are very sorry for unable to honor the rate of 1.00 Baht.

The best rate we can offer you is lowest rate of 2,250 Baht with complimentary daily buffet breakfast.

Please confirm by return.

Once again we are very sorry for this happened.


Best regards,
XXXXX XXXXXXX
Reservation Manager
HOLIDAY INN RESORT PHUKET
Tel : 66 76 370263 Fax 66 76 370245
e-mail ak_hirp@phuket.ksc.co.th website phuket.holiday-inn.com


Holiday Inn Resort Phuket - a familiar face in an exotic place.
Welcome to the Innovative new look of our mainwing.
Experience Thai hospitality, smiles and service from the heart.



A little better rate than was quoted before and breakfast is included.....

Not bad. But I think they can still go a bit lower.

A question for you guys - would you consider 1000 Baht (US$25) per night including breakfast a fair rate for both parties? I think it's something I could live with and would probably accept.

Assuming the truth of their statement that there are no standard rooms available:

1. If standard rooms are not available, it doesn't seem prudent to still be selling standard rooms on the IHG and Travelocity websites. What do they intend to do with those customers who book standard rooms today on those booking engines?

2. If a hotel has overbooked a room category, what I normally expect is that the hotel will upgrade people until the hotel is full. The hotel is obviously not full, as they are trying to get people to book a room at a higher rate.

3. There is a very common practice where an organization advertises a product at a very low price to lure people in. When people try to buy the low priced product, they are told that that product is no longer available, and encouraged to buy a similar product at a much higher price. This practice is called "bait and switch" and is illegal. If this is not a bait and switch, I do not know why. It seems to me to fulfill the classic definition.

Word of warning to those contemplating booking at a higher rate - the information cited by LapLap mentions "some noise disturbances in the lobby from ongoing work can be expected during the day." It is likely that the noise disturbances will be apparent in other areas as well, as the work is not taking place in the lobby itself but in the rooms. It is possible that you will hear this work when you are in restaurants, bars, pools, or in your own room trying to take a nap. It is possible that this noise will be from jackhammers.

Is it time to sue yet ;)

Is it time to sue yet ;)
Not yet. Read the thread. Not 'til post 200. :rolleyes:

Also interesting is that they have offered somebody a choice of Superior Room at 3315 or Studio Room Pool View at 3740. They are offering the_nomad an unspecified room at 2250 including breakfast. Why two different offers? If there really aren't standard rooms available, why not tell the_nomad what room category he is being offered? Why does the e-mail to the_nomad not mention the lack of standard rooms?

Also, why is there no mention of construction and accompanying annoyances on Travelocity and IHG websites? Seems like that is information that they should provide to their customers.

All I really ask of internet providers is the following:
1. Do what you say you will do.
2. No major surprises.
3. If something goes wrong, try to make it right.

Also interesting is that they have offered somebody a choice of Superior Room at 3315 or Studio Room Pool View at 3740. They are offering the_nomad an unspecified room at 2250 including breakfast. Why two different offers? If there really aren't standard rooms available, why not tell the_nomad what room category he is being offered? Why does the e-mail to the_nomad not mention the lack of standard rooms?

Also, why is there no mention of construction and accompanying annoyances on Travelocity and IHG websites? Seems like that is information that they should provide to their customers.

All I really ask of internet providers is the following:
1. Do what you say you will do.
2. No major surprises.
3. If something goes wrong, try to make it right.
Maybe there are or will be a few standard rooms by the time he's there. Maybe they don't expect four thousand people threatening to sue and happen not to see the need for a standardized response. If just a few people are actually going to show up, why not just accomodate them the best they can. I seriously doubt there is a huge conspiracy to screw us over. Are you saying that there is no construction and they are just making up some BS as an easy way out? There was a mistake, some of us saw it and booked. They are trying to make it right. Bottom line is we bought what we knew was a mistake; I don't see that any of us are owed or entitled to anything.

Maybe there are or will be a few standard rooms by the time he's there. Maybe they don't expect four thousand people threatening to sue and happen not to see the need for a standardized response. If just a few people are actually going to show up, why not just accomodate them the best they can. I seriously doubt there is a huge conspiracy to screw us over. Are you saying that there is no construction and they are just making up some BS as an easy way out? There was a mistake, some of us saw it and booked. They are trying to make it right. Bottom line is we bought what we knew was a mistake; I don't see that any of us are owed or entitled to anything.


Why does this same discussion have to happen over and over and over for every single mistake fare? Can people please stop telling others what they think is right and wrong. Start a new thread called 'the ethics of suing' if you want and battle it out there. I am getting tired of this same f###ing discussion all the time. If you want to sue: do it. If you don't, then don't.

Can people please stop telling others what they thing is right and wrong. thats funny !! :p

Are you saying that there is no construction and they are just making up some BS as an easy way out?
I am saying that either there is construction or there isn't. If there is construction, then Travelocity and the IHG websites should inform their customers that construction is going on, and that may interfere with the resort experience. Normally, resorts offer a special, lower "construction rate" while they are having construction going on. People who book over the internet should be informed what they are buying - if it is substandard for any reason, that information should be provided to them so that they can make an informed decision.

The other possibility is that there is no construction, and, as you so elegantly put it, "they are just making up some BS as an easy way out".

Neither possibility seems optimal to me.

Why does this same discussion have to happen over and over and over for every single mistake fare? Can people please stop telling others what they think is right and wrong. Start a new thread called 'the ethics of suing' if you want and battle it out there. I am getting tired of this same f###ing discussion all the time. If you want to sue: do it. If you don't, then don't.

I agree. I did not make a booking, but feel that those who did have every right to pursue the matter as they see fit. If you won't be pursuing the matter any further, then don't. Nobody is going to try and tell you you should. Similarly, respect others and don't try to tell everyone they should drop it too.

If Holiday Inn gives me trouble, I can always count on my goggle eyed gnome buddy. Can't I?

Guarantee shmarentee already.

Why does this same discussion have to happen over and over and over for every single mistake fare? Can people please stop telling others what they think is right and wrong. Start a new thread called 'the ethics of suing' if you want and battle it out there. I am getting tired of this same f###ing discussion all the time. If you want to sue: do it. If you don't, then don't.
if you dont like this discussion then I suggest you dont read the thread :D

if you dont like this discussion then I suggest you dont read the thread :D

I like the discussion (the discussion that the title of the thread alludes to). However, it is annoying that every single mistake rate thread has to end up with the same predictable discussion. Why can we not just start a thread somewhere to discuss the ethical issues of suing and stop taking every other thread off topic?

Why does this same discussion have to happen over and over and over for every single mistake fare? Can people please stop telling others what they think is right and wrong. Start a new thread called 'the ethics of suing' if you want and battle it out there. I am getting tired of this same f###ing discussion all the time. If you want to sue: do it. If you don't, then don't.

Without a doubt the best post I have read on FT in a long time. :-:

Why can we not just start a thread somewhere to discuss the ethical issues of suing and stop taking every other thread off topic?

Actually I started that last month, but few people bothered to contribute to it. It is here (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=516040)

Thanks for reminding us. good thread! ^

My IC account still shows my booking. It’s still confirmed. I’ve not been contacted in any way. When I look at the hotel website I see the information about works being carried out. The weather is often bad in October. And when I booked at the ‘special rate’ I noticed that prices were back to normal in November (High Season). Breakfast isn’t included in my room price. And I saw the photographs of the standard rooms and noticed how badly they compared to the ‘superior’ rooms.

I’ve enjoyed stays at the Hyatt Regency with spectacular views of Manhattan for $35, and booked triple rooms in the centre of London for £10, I’ve even enjoyed a stay in a 4* hotel in Spain where breakfast and lunch was included in the price at only £20 for two of us – our room was effectively free. The offer from the HI in Phuket I could easily assume is the other way around. By staying here for 1 baht, I am likely to buy breakfast, buy meals/consume room service, tip the staff, maybe even pay room tax (which my IC booking is still not revealing how much it will be). All of this is revenue from somebody who would have been unlikely to go there otherwise in a room that nobody would choose or be happy to have allocated to them and would probably remain unfilled.

This would probably have been my line of thought regarding this reservation if I had stumbled upon it with no knowledge of FT. Especially having received the confirmation email and still seeing it as an active reservation

If my room booking is honoured, you can bet your socks I’ll be spending money there like nobody’s business. If not, well obviously, there are other places I’d probably go instead (I’ve wanted to enroll for cooking classes in Thailand for years). But if I did end up at this HI at the normal price, I doubt I’d spend any more there than the cost of the room (plus tips for the maids, obviously).

Perhaps somebody with a clearer grasp of economics can show me that I am being disingenuous, but this conclusion/attempt-at-self-justification does come from my own experiences.

I can’t help but hope that the ICH will come to a similar conclusion. I suppose part of this will come down to predicted capacity in the ‘off season’.

(Other issues about right & wrong have been posted in the thread sensibly opened by mapleleaf – the opinions I’ve posted here are wrapped up in the fact that this is a resort hotel where customers usually spend more on extras than is typical for a standard hotel)

My IC account still shows my booking. It’s still confirmed. I’ve not been contacted in any way. ditto here so..... I've booked 4 tickets to BKK. Next step is to figure out how to get to HKT.....

ditto here so..... I've booked 4 tickets to BKK. Next step is to figure out how to get to HKT.....

That's easy:

Full-fare, full-service:

Thai Airways (www.thaiair.com)
Bangkok Airways (www.bangkokair.com)

LCCs:

www.nokair.com (Nok Air, partly owned by Thai)
www.airasia.com (15K baggage allowance, not really recommended)

If you're checking luggage through from whatever airline you're flying internationally (I'm guessing NW in your case), I would recommend going with either Thai or Bangkok Airways.

Have fun!

If my room booking is honoured, you can bet your socks I’ll be spending money there like nobody’s business. If not, well obviously, there are other places I’d probably go instead (I’ve wanted to enroll for cooking classes in Thailand for years). But if I did end up at this HI at the normal price, I doubt I’d spend any more there than the cost of the room (plus tips for the maids, obviously).

Perhaps somebody with a clearer grasp of economics can show me that I am being disingenuous, but this conclusion/attempt-at-self-justification does come from my own experiences.

I can’t help but hope that the ICH will come to a similar conclusion. I suppose part of this will come down to predicted capacity in the ‘off season’.


I 100% agree with you, and it makes perfect sense to us all. But for some reason the only thing the hotel chains see is the room rate not being paid per night.
I would think Travelocity issue there "Guarantee" based on the contacts they have with their suppliers. They would definitely have a clause in there relating to these situations, that the hotel is responsible for mistakes and the rooms have to be supplied.
Rooms purchased directly through ICH, will be a different ball game, as we have already started to see.

The roll-a-coaster has just began. Its going to be a bumpy ride.....

By staying here for 1 baht, I am likely to buy breakfast, buy meals/consume room service, tip the staff, maybe even pay room tax (which my IC booking is still not revealing how much it will be).

Tax was included in the rate. That's what it said at the time of booking.

By staying here for 1 baht, I am likely to buy breakfast, buy meals/consume room service, tip the staff, maybe even pay room tax (which my IC booking is still not revealing how much it will be). All of this is revenue from somebody who would have been unlikely to go there otherwise in a room that nobody would choose or be happy to have allocated to them and would probably remain unfilled.

That would be exactly what a "reasonable" person would do if the hotel actually honours the BHT1/0.01 rate.

However, with so many FTalkers who have booked 1-2months stay just because it doesnt cost them anything, I dont believe everyone of us can match your moral standard.

Perhaps the hotel could come up with a compulsary BHT1,000/guest/day meal package inreturn for honouring the mistake rate. This will ensure that the 30day stayer will contribute at least BHT30,000/60,000 F&B charges to the hotel :)

Perhaps the hotel could come up with a