Keyser

i read it....

the hotel is definitely at fault here....but i really don't expect them to do anything about it....

the_savman

The only Waldorf in London now is Syon Park which I believe is not near anything resembling nightlife. London is an easy city to commute so if it was me I'd go with whichever has the most reasonable room rate and hop on the tube if need be.

I always tend to lean towards Kensington as a happy compromise.

onobond

Comprehended version:
This is tough luck for you, but using a Credit/debit Card with expiry date before your planned stay is a major risk. You don't state what communication has been between your reservation and cancelling e-mail. It's unusual to see cancelling without previous notice...

Keyser

not if you update the card details before the old one expires & specially before the hotel has a chance to charge your card....

azepine00

I can't believe someone would defend hilton in this situation - what they did (if indeed this happened as described) is absolutely outrageous.

I think OP rushed to mention legal options though - quite possibly you are stuck now with hiring an attorney to deal with this. Is there an option of small claims court for you to recover the costs of alternative accommodations or nonrefundable trip expenses?

CAlex

I am not trying to defend Hilton here, but I think they were very reasonable in dealing with the issue:
- 10k HH points for your trouble
- 2 BMG certificates, valid at any HH hotel worldwide

As this is now extraordinary demand, not sure how the Diamond Desk or any Claims Court be able to help you further...

Keyser

they knew it was going to be extraordinary demand when they first allowed the reservation to be made....

tezzer

Stayed at the Paddington Hilton last week, lots of bars and restaurants around, and travellcouldn't be eaiser .

BearX220

Sure. Here's how one would phrase a sharp, succinct letter to someone in a position to cut some ice for you. Advice: sum up your complaint in the first sentence.

----------------

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am upset over the unexplained cancellation of a long-standing confirmed booking for the Olympics period at the Courthouse Doubletree London. I made the reservation back in October 2010 but noticed it missing in May 2011. Contact with the property elicited an admission that the booking had been wrongly pulled, a consolation award of 10,000 points, and a promise to find me alternate accommodation in London, but nothing has happened and now the Olympics are six short months away. Hotel management has fallen silent. Legal advice leads me to regard their performance as breach of contract and it will result in significant loss of future Hilton bookings barring satisfactory response, which I trust you will initiate upon receipt of this letter. Please ring me on XXX-XXX to resolve.

Yours

/s/ Monkey & Minkey

-----------------

See? That's all you need. Such a fuss.

COOLIO

I wonder if they bumped a bunch of res when this company asked to book the whole hotel.

CIT85

Exactly. It is the hotel's fault and they are responsible to make OP whole.

To the other responses blaming the OP for not being more proactive and make additional reservations. Have you ever tried booking hotels during an Olympics?

Yes the post was long, but I understood exactly what happened, and I would be more than pissed if this happened to me.

payam81

Just an FYI that threatening with legal action, if you don't really mean it which you didn't in this case, is akin to shooting yourself in the foot.

As soon as you mention "legal action" the GM is probably required by his/her employers to refer your case to their counsel and let them handle it from then on so it's not surprising the communication stopped from that point on.

The hotel does seem to be in the wrong and frankly I'm surprised Hilton corporate didn't step in themselves to try to resolve this directly and then deal with the hotel internally specially as it seems they were quite responsive in the beginning.

At the end though, I don't think this is any different than basically 'walking' the guest at an over-sold situation.

Good luck OP.

jefftiger

Agreed! It's a reasonable Hilton and the neighborhood is outstanding. The Bull, just a few blocks north on Upper Street, is where I go during my annual London visit for decent beer and grub. There are many, many other pubs and restaurants of many nationalities in the area around the hotel, all within an easy walk.

dcsnowwake

How about London green park hotel? Anything around it?

chitownflyer

I would second the remarks about the Trafalgar or Doubletree Courthouse, but do also consider the Hilton Park Lane which borders both Mayfair and Kensington.