Travel Troubleshooter: A reservation, but no room
Expedia confirms a reservation for one night in a New York hotel. But there's just one problem: the booking doesn't exist. That leaves one unhappy traveler homeless for the night -- and Janice Japa, the person who made the booking, is trying in vain to get her money back. Janice Japa, St. Louis, Missouri startclickprintexclude--> Your experience raises a question that's plagued travelers since the first computerized booking: What's a reservation worth? In your case, not a whole lot. The "confirmation" you received from Expedia turned out to be an empty promise for a room at the Hyatt. And what's worse, the agency took its time returning your money -- even after your manager had to bunk down at the airport. The unfortunate truth is that a confirmation isn't really a confirmation these days. It's more of an agreement in principle to provide you with an airline ticket, cruise berth, hotel room or rental car. If a better offer comes along -- or if the company just forgets to follow through on your reservation -- then you're sleeping in a terminal. I think you handled this grievance pretty well. Calling the hotel was an excellent idea, and so was following up with Expedia. But you should have pinged Hyatt again after getting off the phone with Expedia to make sure your manager was in the system. I asked Expedia to take another look at your case. Its records show that when you called, the online agency had an indication your reservation wouldn't be honored by the hotel. (The booking was made on short notice and there was severe weather in New York on that day.) The agent should have tried to find you a room at a different hotel. "Instead, the agent simply re-sent the original reservation to the hotel," said Expedia spokeswoman Katie Deines. Expedia apologized for the error, refunded the $789 and credited your account with $400 in vouchers. |
