Originally Posted by
ijgordon
Sorry, I don't think honoring a reservation is excessive or draconian.
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I also think it's different if a hotel closes unexpectedly. A hotel taking reservations for the future, and then deciding not to open could be considered fraud (I mean it's a high hurdle to prove they never intended to open, but still...)
What do you do if you've pre-paid for the room? That's a pretty firm contract, and if there are monetary damages because you have to book a more expensive room at another hotel, then you can probably sue the owner in small claims court for reimbursement.
This is all pretty basic. If you've pre-paid, your money will be refunded. Past that there are no damages if you need to stay somewhere else. The parent company is not liable for the actions of it's franchisees within this context and franchise A is under no obligation to do franchise B a favor by taking less than whatever their going rate is. Each is it's own independent entity. If the parent company throws you a bone it 's a service recovery gesture, not a requirement.