Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies - Expedia Hotel moves us to another location....what would you do?

Hi all.

Just looking for some guidance on whether to make a complaint and, if so, at what intensity level.

Had purchased three rooms for 2 days each for 6 of us at the Locanda di Palazzo Cicala in Genova, Italy (total cost approx $USD 1600). It is a 4 star boutique hotel with an ideal location right in the center of the old town and only a 2 minute walk from the conference I was attending.

Upon arrival at 7pm the owner/manager met us at the door and said there was a problem with "one of the floors" and that we would have to be moved. I am unsure as to what the "problem" was as she would not elaborate depsite my asking. She said she had already mage arrangements to have us taken and reaccomodated at the Grand Hotel Savoia Genova. Cabs came (the owenr paid them in cash) and took us to the GHS where we had an uneventful stay at a nice place.

The hotel was a good 20-25 min walk from the Conference and 20 min from the old city, where we had wished to stay. Ended up paying probably 100+ extra euro in cabs and doing a hell of a lot more walking over two days. Although the GHS lists officially as a 5-star, rates seems similar for the two properties are similar.

I'm not outraged, but I ain't happy either.

What to do?

All your thoughts welcome.

Did you complain at the hotel at all? Did they give you anything extra over what you had paid for (free breakfast, room upgrade, etc?)

I think it would be fair to ask Expedia to cover the money you spent on cabs + maybe an Expedia gift voucher or something.

Though I don't know the rules & regulations in this case I don't think Expedia is to blame. Probably the hotel that was overbooked. However, if you paid your money to Expedia then they might be responsible.

I once had a prepaid reservation for three double rooms in a nice hotel in TLL. Upon arrival we were told that there were some problems and that they had moved us to another hotel. We said we wanted the hotel we had paid but agreed to take a taxi to the new hotel to look at it. Though it was nice it was an international business hotel and not at all what we were looking for on our holiday. So we went back to the first hotel and gave them a list of acceptable hotels. After a lot of more arguing (all very courteous) they suddenly found three rooms for us... Strange thing was, that whiel we were arguing other people were checking in. So only think I can think of was that our consolidator rate (was booked as ferry + hotel) was too low..

The hotel was a good 20-25 min walk from the Conference and 20 min from the old city, where we had wished to stay. Ended up paying probably 100+ extra euro in cabs and doing a hell of a lot more walking over two days. Although the GHS lists officially as a 5-star, rates seems similar for the two properties are similar.


I am sure it is disappointing that you were all set for one hotel, and then you got something ELSE. Having said that, my advice would be to look at the bright side.

1. Legally speaking, there are differences between 4 star and 5 star properties. Not having stayed in both you won't be able to tell the difference, but they are different. (E.g. Restaurants in 5 star hotels are required to have a sommelier in Italy.)

2. Just because the rates seemed similar does not mean anything. It's not all about how much it costs. Most hotels implement various revenue management systems. Just last weekend I stayed at the Renaissance in Amsterdam for less than most 3 star hotels were charging. So you really don't know... chances are you stayed at a nicer hotel.

3. When in Europe... walk. ;) I wouldn't complain about doing "doing a hell of a lot more walking over two days". It is, after all, just 2 days, and walking in Genova is hardly something to complain about. 100 euros seems suspiciously high to me, but then again, there were 6 of you so you couldn't fit all in one cab. Still... 100 euros/6 people ~= 17 euros/person. It's not that bad, is it? Have you looked at all into public transportation? (Again, we are talking about Europe, where public transportation is abundant).

4. The fact that the manager did not explain you the details of the problem they were having is irrelevant. She could have made something up (which is what usually happens in the US); would that have seriously made you feel any better? I'm sure that the hotel didn't just refuse to host you; they had to pay another hotel + cabs, thus losing money instead of making money. No manager would do that just for the heck of it. There must have been a genuine problem.

In conclusion, what have you really lost? Chances are you stayed at a nicer hotel. The 17 euros/person you spent on cabs could have been substantially reduced had you considered public transportation or walked more. You got to walk more through Genova, which most people would consider a privilege, not a nuisance. I would just look at the bright side and move on...

Did you complain at the hotel at all? Did they give you anything extra over what you had paid for (free breakfast, room upgrade, etc?)

I think it would be fair to ask Expedia to cover the money you spent on cabs + maybe an Expedia gift voucher or something.

I agree that the easiest thing to do would have been to call Expedia at the time of walking. If you didn't call them at the time of the problem, then there's not much to be done after the fact. Had you called them right then and there, they would have been responsible, since they were your travel agent.

Mike

Please continue to follow this thread in the Online Booking Forum (which includes lots of discussion re: Expedia).
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator