Spiff

Examples like these are why I'll never book anything through travelo****ty.com or booking.com. Neither honors its commitments nor understands what a contract is.

Adam1222

Unfortunately, this is both incorrect (legally, as discussed ad nauseum on several fora, a contract is avoidable if the customer booked it knowing it was a mistake; moreover, the contractual relationship between a customer and a travel agent is not the same as between a customer and an accommodation provider) , and non sequitur. This thread is about mistake deals. Usually, if there is a mistake deal on a specific OTA, one does not have the choice of pursuing another avenue. Moreover, as a quick search of Flyertalk makes clear, several properties themselves, including major chains like SPG, do not always honor mistake rates.

In the case of the the post you are responding to, it is very likely that the property itself did something, not Travelocity. I would persist with Travelocity and ask them if it is possible that the hotel cancelled the booking.

chokdee

They ended up honouring the March reservations...finally !

Also had walk up to the door reservations at the Atlas Essaouira & SPA honoured. Deal was on a pay one get 3 nights free basis inc bft....aprox £16 pn booked via Prestiga.

Hope my experiences calm the nerves of others with non reconfirmed mistake rates who might be worrying about troubles at check in...all good so far for me...and as I have said before on these forums....if one in say 30 goes belly up ....who cares ...think of the 29 successes and get on with plan b (which you should never travel without^

telabadmanwot

No, not at all. Im quite surprised at how you choose to conduct yourself.

When I book a room in the Sofitel, I do so to enjoy some peace and quiet

Following badly informed 'best practices' may very well result in a life long ban from staying a certain hotel chains.


A note to NEW hotel mistake hunters...
If you get ANY room at a mistake rate, you WON (insert Charlie Sheen photo here)
if the hotel offers a compromise (a lesser room, no breakfast etc) and its still less than what it SHOULD have cost... you WON.
DO NOT ABUSE HOTEL STAFF
DO NOT THROW A TANTRUM IF YOUR RATE IS QUESTIONED
DO NOT MAKE UNREASONABLE DEMANDS
DO NOT FOLLOW CHOCKDEE's EXAMPLE

It is possible to benefit from mistake rates AND still be courteous to the well meaning staff.

chokdee

Yep...I can understand from your aggressive nature why many hotels might refuse you at the door. If I was a hotel manager I would certainly refuse you since I wouldn't want your presence upsetting the decent guests.

FYI I don't use any leverage at all with any of the hotels I book.

I only reported back some experiences here at check in due to the request of others previously on this thread.

The thread is all about mistake rate practices and that can sometimes involve what actions are acceptable at check in if there are problems. What practices are acceptable can of course vary with factors such as who has promised what, for how long and under what circumstances.

Demanding upgrades???? Only once did I complain about a room at check in and that was after I had a personal email from the hotel General Manager some 8 months previously confirming that the hotel would honour my reservation in full on a one bed pool villa. If you travel the other side of the world on a promise that you had not forced only to be told on the day of arrival you were being downgraded to the basic room then I think anybody would be a little upset.

BTW that personal email came unilaterally from the hotel manager after I had accepted a cancellation from the reservations manager with no animosity on my part whatsoever. It indeed was a lovely surprise.

I have never taken anything I did not pay for. I paid ,all be it a lower rate than normal, the hotel accepted the rate and I stayed ...and not only have I stayed but I have found the overwhelming majority of the hotels in question to be very gentlemanly indeed, even going that extra mile to make my stay more pleasant such as with the complementary bottle of champagne that I received this week in France.

People don't tend to give you free bottles of Champagne on mistake rates if they don't like you when you arrive ,they tend to refuse to honour the rate at the door.

Ring any bells with you

telabadmanwot

You got mad about getting two rooms for 15cent a night, Including Breakfast. And you unnecessarily embarrassed a senior member of staff, taking two villas for one month, for free, plus the hotels cost of feeding you and your family for a month.

Your personal best practices, may well be good for you, but not good for the Flyertalk community. They greatly reduce the chances of others benefiting from good deals. Paying a reduced price you see is fair is fine, but taking without giving is fundamentally wrong.

BEST PRACTICE
DO NOT BOOK UNNECESSARY LONG STAYS
DO NOT BOOK MORE ROOMS THAN NEEDED (booking a whole villa for a 6 year old is too much)
DO NOT BOOK IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO STAY (its unlikely you will receive any miles or stay credits if you don't check in)
DO NOT EMBARRASS HOTEL STAFF
DO NOT CONTACT HOTEL MANAGEMENT (as others will be unable to book the discounted rate)

chokdee

Lets get a few things straight shall we.
I did NOT use my child as leverage..it is only you that is using my child as ''leverage'' to try and justify your unfounded rant.

Did you not read that the hotel manager unconditionally made the offer to honour the deal in it's entirety with no pressure from myself. I had already accepted the hotels cancellation with no complaints. Now this offer was actually ''too good to be true '' that actually had become true thanks to a kind hearted hotel manager who for reasons unknown decided it was right to honour the reservations.

Two villa's were booked and my wife's family occupied the other villa. It was in the off ''rainy'' season so I guess that helped with the reservations being honoured.

Now you tell me a man ''in his right mind'' who would turn a kind hearted deal like that down? There was no pressure on the hotel to honour the deal because I had already accepted the cancellation without complaint... but guess what THEY DID!

Now on check in the hotel manager was away for a few days and the lady in charge actually went as far to LIE to us saying that the pool villa's were not under the control of the hotel anymore. However a quick internet search the previous evening had revealed that indeed the rooms were being offered by the hotel.

So if you think being lied to your face on arrival by someone of high standing in a hotel is a good thing then so be it but I found that unacceptable. I did not treat her like a child , that would be to insult a child, but as a fully educated adult who had just lied to my face.

I figured that maybe she had not understood what the GM had done for us and asked her to recheck her records, and yes I also informed her that what she had just told us was a lie...because it WAS...and consequently she was unable to defend her actions.

So if by taking up a personal offer from the GM is stealing in your opinion then so be it...why should I care about your peculiar ways? And how can me accepting an offer direct from a hotel GM greatly reduce other peoples chances?

BTW your views about stealing would appear to have changed since your ''attempted theft '' at the Dusit in Dubai at $11 or whatever . Furthermore why are you encouraging others to steal from smaller 4* hotels in Ireland at just $14 pn???

The mind boggles

Adam1222

can we all agree that outrage and verbal abuse, whether directed at fellow posters or hotel staff on mistake deals, shows poor manners, greed, and a violation of FT rules?

telabadmanwot

You shouldn't.

And contrary to me previously trying to point out taking something for free is theft. You are indeed totally entitled to your own opinion and it is wrong for me to try and change what you think. I may not respect your way of life, but I do respect your right to it. I am sorry for being an idiot. You are totally free to do as you see fit, who am I to judge.

Regarding the best practices...
Just like bringing airline deals to the attention of the airline stops others from benefiting from the deal. Bringing a hotel deal to the attention of the manager prematurely will most certainly put a stop to the deal... maybe the manager will thank you for doing this, it depends on if you want to share or not. If you wait a few weeks before contacting a manager that is fair enough. The thread was about best practice. I cant say I agree with some posters best practice's.

For the most part, the same rules for flight deals apply.

chokdee

Well what can I say telabadmanwot except we are all different.

Bringing things to the attention of the manager or airline is never a good idea and has been well highlighted on FT too many times to remember.

We have a hotel deals thread on FT because like most things in life everybody (or most of us) like a bargain.

From your posts you obviously like a bargain too yet you do not respect my way of life ?

I have nothing more to say really

chokdee

sorry.. duplicate post

craigsphilips

Thanks for the tips. Yes, there is a lot of risks that your reservation may not be honored. Just keep your cool even under pressure. Though, admittedly, that situation could lead to a stressful vacation. I am keeping in touch with different deals around using giift and compare offers. It is quite a handy tool actually.

telabadmanwot

So true. People still make this fundamental mistake, and its good to highlight it in this thread again. It always surprises me how many people pop up on the forum to offer a helpful...

'i called the call centre to book it but they wouldn't let me'

Makes me laugh every time. Its usually followed by a string of people proclaiming the deal has now expired.

mtvesuvius

Thanks chokdee for sharing some of these stories -- They make me a bit more confident about a couple bookings I have coming up!

lorribarnes

Absolutely agree. No need for it.