Originally Posted by
Lifetimenotelite
sure, but airlines make it more transparent that basic economy is restricted and even has info buttons right next too it.
Booking a room using a company travel portal like Egencia I would never have know that they are using Expedia themselves. Hotel transparency on this is not even close to what airlines produce when offering basic economy fares.
You are comparing apples and oranges.
There is a lot of consternation that many corporate portals do not adequately disclose BE, at least early on, long-time experienced passengers were outraged to find out that they could not select seats and have other perks of multi-year high-level status. It is the air carrier websites themselves which warn of the perils of BE. But, you were booking through a corporate portal.
All of this comes back to a beef to raise with your employer, e.g. that it should require its travel contractor / TA to be more transperent in what is displayed to employees. Unless, of course, the employer does not want to be transperent, in which case you have another problem.
It is not reasonable for the FD clerk at 4:30 AM to start handing out freebies to people where his training says not to. The alternative was that you could have paid for the lounge access or meal and then sorted it all out with your employer in due course.