Possible Hotel Scam in Istanbul
Oct 12, 2015, 12:16 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 574
Possible Hotel Scam in Istanbul
So I have been in Istanbul a while.
In the past few months I would get 2 or 3 nights on Expedia
and then extend the hotel stay with Expedia, if I liked it, no chat with the desk
until morning.
A couple times they complained, "Just tell us at the front desk and it'll be easier."
So I got in the habit of doing so and the price always worked
out to the same as the Expedia price, no problem, I was happy to oblige.
Last week I got 3 nights in the Sultanahmet region for about $100 total at a new hotel.
The shifty guy at the front desk told me at the initial contact I accidentally paid for the previous night
(which I have done before) but I looked online and I told the manager.... who scolded him.
I asked for one night more and the manager was happy to chalk up
an extra night. However, the total price as I checked out hurriedly was $217, meaning the last
night I was charged a whopping $80 instead of $33. (Right now that will get you a 5 star hotel in Istanbul with the strong dollar.)
Expedia is trying to work it out, they seem flabbergasted someone would do that. The shifty guy at the front desk wanted me to pay half credit card/half cash, I am wondering if he wanted to take a cut without
the manager knowing.
Any advice? This kind of BS is exactly why I relied on expedia for additional nights in the first place.
In the past few months I would get 2 or 3 nights on Expedia
and then extend the hotel stay with Expedia, if I liked it, no chat with the desk
until morning.
A couple times they complained, "Just tell us at the front desk and it'll be easier."
So I got in the habit of doing so and the price always worked
out to the same as the Expedia price, no problem, I was happy to oblige.
Last week I got 3 nights in the Sultanahmet region for about $100 total at a new hotel.
The shifty guy at the front desk told me at the initial contact I accidentally paid for the previous night
(which I have done before) but I looked online and I told the manager.... who scolded him.
I asked for one night more and the manager was happy to chalk up
an extra night. However, the total price as I checked out hurriedly was $217, meaning the last
night I was charged a whopping $80 instead of $33. (Right now that will get you a 5 star hotel in Istanbul with the strong dollar.)
Expedia is trying to work it out, they seem flabbergasted someone would do that. The shifty guy at the front desk wanted me to pay half credit card/half cash, I am wondering if he wanted to take a cut without
the manager knowing.
Any advice? This kind of BS is exactly why I relied on expedia for additional nights in the first place.
Last edited by yandosan; Oct 12, 2015 at 12:59 pm
