Hilton HHonors - HHonors says okay if hotel changes rate

Booked a reservation 10 months ago and now the hotel is changing the rate per email I received in the last week sent by hotel manager. Lets just say per night increase is over 100%. I responded to the email to no avail. Called hhonors. Hhonors saw the reservation, rate...He agreed with rate I said I was quoted. However, he says the hotel can change rate at any time. To me, I entered into agreement/contract at a certain rate and Hhonors says too bad for me. So I ask what good does it do to book a room for a rate if the hotel can change the rate at the last minute?

Booked a reservation 10 months ago and now the hotel is changing the rate per email I received in the last week sent by hotel manager. Lets just say per night increase is over 100%. ?

Slimy, disgustin, egregious.... You get the idea. I would first contact the hotel GM and give him/her an "opportunity" to honor the contracted rate. If no change of heart, I would either take my businesss elsewhere--or pay the rate and take the issue to Small Claims Court (assuming you have the necessary documentation). WOW--these guys are getting arrogant in the current high-demand environment.

Slimy, disgustin, egregious.... You get the idea. I would first contact the hotel GM and give him/her an "opportunity" to honor the contracted rate. If no change of heart, I would either take my businesss elsewhere--or pay the rate and take the issue to Small Claims Court (assuming you have the necessary documentation). WOW--these guys are getting arrogant in the current high-demand environment.

Paris just got a new car, money has to come from somewhere :)

Booked a reservation 10 months ago ...
Hmmm!!! That's interesting. Similarly, last August, I booked 4 nights in the May timeframe for $229/night. Now, the best available rate for a lesser quality room at the same hotel is $269 for the first night and $375 for the next three nights! Hope I don't get hit with the same "bait & switch" on rates that hammered you.

Wish I knew of some recourse for you to get your original rate ... but I don't.:(

What is described is simply unacceptable. Try calling Hilton's guest relations regarding this, NOT just the standard HHonors desk. I don't have their phone number handy but the HHonors folks will be able to provide it to you.

Is this a government rate or a negotiated corporate rate? I have had the rate increase when the government contracted price is changed. So, if you are locking onto a negotiated rate, you may be out of luck.

But, if the hotel is changing the rate you agreed upon as an individual, I'd pay the new rate on my Amex and then refuse to pay the credit card charge. I would simply send the original reservation documentation to Amex, and let them sort it out with the hotel.

Is this a government rate or a negotiated corporate rate? I have had the rate increase when the government contracted price is changed. So, if you are locking onto a negotiated rate, you may be out of luck.

I would doubt that any govt or negotiated rate would/could ever change by anything close to "over 100%" from year to year (which is the magnitude of increase the OP cited).

I would call the manager and ask what the deal is. A reservation should be honored, the only time I could it see not being honored is if it was some sort of promo rate or corporate rate and they didn't meet the room quota or something, but that won't be anywhere near 100% increase.

They obviously have something that needs the room at the higher rate, but that doesn't mean they should try to raise yours, at a minimum they should walk you to another hotel of the same quality.

Let us all know the property name. That will certainly be a way to keep the heat on them. I always make vacation plans 7+ months out, and stay 90% at HH properties. You may help me and others at making a similar bad choice.

can they?

does the T/C says a hotel can change prices ...
i dont think so.

if they need your room they should pay you the night in another hotel .

i have never heard that a hotel tries to increase a rate. i would call the hotel and talk to the duty manager and than to the gm.

this shouldnt be possible normally

dp

I wonder if there was a misunderstanding between you and the agent. I had a similar situation last week. I saw the change in rate in my online reservation. I emailed the agent who is my normal contact. She responded:

"I have reviewed the reservation for March and it appears the hotel made the changes which resulted in a higher rate. The only think I can suggest is that you take a copy of the original confirmation to show the front desk clerk. This should prove without a doubt that you booked at the lower rate."

I then asked her what I should do if the hotel refused to honored the rate. She said that on my return, I needed to call Customer Service to get it corrected. In my case, the hotel did honor the lower rate on presentation of my printed copy of my reservation.

I then asked her what I should do if the hotel refused to honored the rate. She said that on my return, I needed to call Customer Service to get it corrected. In my case, the hotel did honor the lower rate on presentation of my printed copy of my reservation.

Don't you think that it is a bit frightening that the hotel can change the rate without notifying anybody? I don't take copies or print my reservations as PDF's. Maybe I should start doing so.

I've had reservations show a higher rate than booked before. It happens at some hotels when they process an upgrade (eg due to HHonors status) to my room. If they do it incorrectly the rate applicable to the higher room shows against the reservation. I check for this when checking in, and if necessary show my original reservation. I've never had a problem getting the rate adjusted back to what I'd booked.

Don't you think that it is a bit frightening that the hotel can change the rate without notifying anybody?

Yes, I think it is completely wrong. This hotel has done this twice. I've only gotten my booked rate by showing my original reservation - and then arguing for it. I always take a printed copy of my reservation.

Booked a reservation 10 months ago and now the hotel is changing the rate per email ... Called hhonors.

Hhonors saw the reservation, rate...He agreed with rate I said I was quoted. However, he says the hotel can change rate at any time. To me, I entered into agreement/contract at a certain rate and Hhonors says too bad for me.
So I ask what good does it do to book a room for a rate if the hotel can change the rate at the last minute?



This would be very interesting to test legally.

While I am completely sympathetic to your position, if you consider that once a guest makes a reservation, and providing that it is not non-cancelable, then the guest can cancel or alter it at any time.

So whay can't the hotel alter or change the reservation at any time providing that "adequate" notice has been given ??

It would be a completely different situation if a deposit had been paid.

I am referring to the legal/contract situation and not to the customer service implications which would be significant if the chain made a practice of changing reservations.

Any thoughts?

Don't you think that it is a bit frightening that the hotel can change the rate without notifying anybody? I don't take copies or print my reservations as PDF's. Maybe I should start doing so.


I can name one hotel that does it a percentage of the time I check in there.

Like 100%.

No that's not my rate

Do you have your confirmation or whatever with the rate you said you got?

Yes I do, here you go

OK, sorry for that.

That would be the Newark Airport Hilton is forever not seeing the rate I have confirmed. I wonder how many people don't have the proof, don't want to discuss it, or just assume that rates changed, so they have to pay more.

You should always have a copy of the reservation, it's better to have them and not need them then it is to not have them and need them. It's the only property it's been an issue at for me, but there are a couple where they didn't have the dates right and the copy has helped.

Don't you think that it is a bit frightening that the hotel can change the rate without notifying anybody? I don't take copies or print my reservations as PDF's. Maybe I should start doing so.
I do not either, but stay to many nights a week to make it work. Os SPG rooms I do, since I have to cut and paste it into outlook, but with hilton it they can add it to outlook, but it does not have the rate. Overall I think the hotels have such high demand they do not worry much anymore. On the Spg board they jsut had a thing about Plats getting walked and how it is becoming common.

then (whilst I'm no lawyer) then you do have a contract with the reservation I believe.
The hotel changing the rate may also fall under the "unfair contract" legislation too. A little proper homework, a properly (paper) crafted letter (cc'ed to anyone important I can think of) and possibly cc company involvement would be my course of action.
Let us know which property and what happens please and good luck