Lctkw

Hi! Wondering if the FT regulars have any advice on how exactly I should proceed in my current situation.

So I recently realised that my credit card had been charged by a Hilton property on 19 June 2017. Checking my reservations online, I noted that my reservation for 18-19 July 2017 is now found in the cancellations list.

I've contacted Hilton via web chat and verified that the cancelled booking was indeed flagged as a no-show and cancelled by the property. I believe that the property somehow misread my reservation month and incorrectly applied the standard no-show procedure to me. They advised ('highly suggest') me to contact the property directly to confirm the details.

I've emailed the property about 24h ago but they've yet to reply. At this moment I'm not panicking since I still have about three weeks to fix all this, and have made another (cancellable) reservation at another nearby property and I'm sure things will get settled... eventually. Just wanted to get your opinions on the following, in the meantime.

1. Should I just wait patiently for a reply? How long should I do so before escalating this (and how should I do so)?
   
2. Is this at all typical? I recognise that mistakes do happen from time to time... but this seems rather serious, to me! It seems simple enough to remedy right now, but I shudder to imagine what would have happened if I hadn't noticed the charge.
   
3. What exactly should I expect from the property? Is it reasonable to demand more than a simple reset of the reservation (and refund)?
4. Should I actually be panicking?

Any advice/thoughts would certainly be appreciated!

zachary

1. Personally, I would call. You are more likely to get an immediate response with a phone call than an email.

2. Not typical in my experience.

3. I wouldn't expect more than a refund and reset of the reservation, but who knows. I don't ask for compensation for something that doesn't cost me anything but a few minutes of my time. YMMV.

4. No.

InkUnderNails

Fax, don't call or email. Yes, fax. They actually read these.

After that, sounds like a job for the Diamond Desk.

BobH

Did you keep a copy of your confirmation from Hilton?

Bob H

Lctkw

Unfortunately not! This is something that worried/annoyed me, since I usually do but coudln't find this particular booking.

That said, I do have the cancellation number and screenshot/chat log from Hilton help desk confirming the rate and date of cancellation (done by property, no show tag).

As for other suggestions thus far... I'm also not keen on calling/faxing since I'll rake up international fees doing so, but will probably look into that as my next course of action if I don't get a reply by the 48h mark.

smmrfld

Stuff happens...call the property for quickest resolution...your angst will be relieved by throwing a few bucks at the problem to make it go away. They will likely sort it out.

missamo80

Call the front desk of the hotel directly.

Neil

writerguyfl

As someone who worked over a decade in hotels, I can say that this issue is not something the Front Desk would handle. The only exception is if this is a very small hotel where the Front Desk Manager also covers Reservations.

For a no-show, call the hotel during normal business hours and ask to speak to the on-site Reservations Office.

Calling the Front Desk lessens the chances of a successful outcome. Someone at the Front Desk isn't going to spend time researching a no-show...particularly if there are guests present waiting for help.

PayItForward

Doesn't cancelled reservations still shows the dates the reservation was originally booked for? Mine does. If the cancelled reservation shows the original booked dates, then the original email is not necessary. Also, this is a poor system if a future dated reservation can be marked as no-show instead of a cancelled booking.

hhoope01

Not trying to be contrary, but is it possible the OP accidentally made the reservation for the wrong dates? I agree, I wouldn't have thought the reservation system would let them charge a no-show for a reservation well in the future. But if there isn't a "paper trail" showing the original date, it may be possible the reservation was originally made for the incorrect June dates.

I know I have made reservations for the wrong dates before and would have swore that I didn't, until I actually looked at my reservation email and saw that it really was for the wrong dates.

Yllanes

Even if the OP had made the reservation for the wrong dates (which doesn't seem the case judging from their message), by calling the property they would have a decent change of them fixing the situation. It has happened to me before. In any case, this is a situation where calling the hotel is the easiest solution.

Lctkw

Thanks for everyone's input! I'd also initially thought I might have booked the wrong dates, but saw this in my reservation records, under cancellations... (also checked the details via Hilton web chat, as described in original post)



It sounds like I might have to just suck it up and invest in some Skype credits soon. Will see what they are able to offer, then - if they proactively "make it right", I won't turn it down ; if not, well, I guess I'll just be glad if they're able to resolve it swiftly and without hassle.

writerguyfl

I didn't notice your location when I recommended calling the hotel's Reservations Department. Without question, calling the hotel directly is the best course of action. But, I wouldn't do it if it costs you money...at least not right away.

As you already contacted them by email, I'd give them a few days to respond before doing anything else. If that makes you nervous, you could make a cancelable reservation at another hotel just to make sure you have somewhere to stay.

hhoope01

Can you call Hilton Customer Server (i.e. Gold or Diamond line)? Maybe they will be able to contact the hotel for you? I've never done that with Hilton, but I have had the Marriott Plat line do that for me a number of times. So maybe Hilton's CS will do it as well.

pinniped

The cost to Skype them is negligible. I'd start there - you may be able to solve this is a matter of minutes.

I don't even see how this happened. Is that property known for less-than-stellar service or other issues?