Trip Reports - Hotel price mistake- your view?

Posted this under FlyerTalk travel, but wanted some more views.
So here's the deal... I'll be spending a few days in Amsterdam at the end of December.
After pricing hotels for weeks, I found a great deal on the website www.bookings.nl, (http://www.bookings.nl,) which is an independent hotel booking site (which seems to have an affiliation with the Netherlands Tourist Board).
In any case, the deal I found was a great winter special, roughly 40% off the price that was listed on the hotel's website. I received an e-mail confirmation saying that "Your booking is guaranteed."

Today, I called the hotel and they had no record of my booking. When I contacted www.bookings.nl, (http://www.bookings.nl,) they resonded with the following:
"We act as an intermediare between hotel and the client. As an intermediare we depend on the information given to us by the hotel.
Unfortunately the hotel did not in time update their prices for the Christmas season. They can offer you the room but for the period requested the rate vary since this is Christmas season. The price will be EURO 290 per night per room."

So what do you think? Should I pursue this with the booking site or hotel, both or neither? In most businesses, when you get a confirmation on a price, they will honor it, especially when it's not an obvious mistake (i.e. r/t airfare from JFK-AMS for $35 or something like that). What if I canceled another hotel rez I was holding, and couldn't get it back now. This whole situation could have really screwed me.

Thanks for listening to my ranting!

35$ for JFK-AMS seems pretty expensive when you could fly SJC-CDG for less then 30$ http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

They definately have to honor that guaranteed rate, the European Union has very strict contract regulations, certainly the Netherlands are included, but I don`t know about any special dutch laws, perhaps a member from the Netherlands can help you.

Send a copy of the confirmation to the hotel and ask them to comment, better to confirm the rate.

bookings.nl is a good scource for cheap hotels, they indeed have something to do with the official Tourist Agency, I booked via their website last Winter and had a couple of problems with the rate, too.
Back in Februar 2000 I booked three rooms in a hotel by mistake and the hotel management told me, that they have some problems with bookings.nl

I can offer any help you may need, I also have all the phone numbers and contact info, just do happens one of their offices ais just around the corner here.... Please mail me if you need any help.

I sent bookings.nl this e-mail about 24 hours ago, and never got a response. I just followed up with a similar note. Assuming I don't hear back from them today (or hear back from them with no good news), I'll contact the hotel manager tomorrow. Not sure if I mentioned, but they're blaming the hotel for not providing the proper pricing information- passing the buck is what I see.

Dear Bookings NL:

If the hotel did not give you proper pricing information, then the hotel should be willing to honor the rate they have given you.
Please forward this to the hotel and ask them if they will honor the rate, since this was their doing. In any other business, when someone gets a confirmed rate, that rate is honored, even if it is a mistake.
As I am the one now inconvenienced without a hotel at a price I was quoted, the hotel can put an end to this by simply honoring the rate I was quoted.
If not, I would ask that you supply me with the name of the hotel manager at the hotel for me to contact them directly.

Dave,

Did you try Priceline?

I just got back from AMS and got a rate of $63US per night for the Marriott.

~Missy

Actually yes. I tried Priceline twice, I think at $75 and $80, and both were rejected. I'm going from Dec. 28-31, which are pretty busy times there I guess.

A happy resolution. I e-mailed all of my dialogue with www.bookings.nl (http://www.bookings.nl) with the confirmation I received from them, and asked the hotel nicely to give me the rate I was promised. With a nice, and apologetic response, the hotel agreed to the discounted (and wrong) rate.

Shows that the good guys do win, sometimes.

Dave Im so glad to hear it was resolved in the manner that it should have. Now enjoy the trip. Have a safe and peaceful holiday and do a trip report when u return

Ernie

Dave, I am glad everything worked out well for you. Enjoy your holidays.