Hotel cancelled… thoughts?

Hotel cancelled… thoughts?

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carreauchompeur

Original Poster:

18,176 posts

218 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
Hi folks,

Have a work do in a fortnight, we are all staying over in a major UK city. We had all booked accommodation 3 months ago.

They have now cancelled this, 2 weeks before the do, stating that the hotel has been sold. Major chain. They’ve obviously known about this for a while, as a month ago the rates increased massively, probably to discourage bookings.

All they have offered is a refund, or to be accommodated at a completely inconvenient location on a nearby motorway junction.

Luckily there are still some, fairly, reasonable alternatives, albeit more expensive.

I have no particular expectations, but what are one’s rights in such a situation?

Doofus

30,570 posts

187 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
I don't expect you have any rights; you haven't suffered any loss. What are the Ts and C's of booking?

Countdown

44,299 posts

210 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
This happened earlier in the year in Manchester when Oasis released their concert dates. I believe a few hotels cancelled previous reservations and then made the rooms available again for a much higher price.

Not sure if yours is the same situation- I would have assumed that any new owners would also be wanting the rooms to be rented out.

carreauchompeur

Original Poster:

18,176 posts

218 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
No, it states the hotel has been sold by the parent company! No concerts on of note.

My financial loss is limited, it’s just annoying!

Tony1963

5,666 posts

176 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
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What more would you expect, over what they’ve offered you

Greendubber

14,204 posts

217 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
What exactly are you expecting?

Pica-Pica

15,151 posts

98 months

Wednesday 4th December 2024
quotequote all
We had the same, book a country pub to stay to go to our nephew’s wedding. They cancelled nearer the time ‘boiler being replaced’, or so they said. We believe they had a request for a block booking for the same wedding. We just found a Premier Inn nearby. A bit annoying as we could have walked from the wedding venue and had a few drinks. Nevertheless we enjoyed the wedding - well, apart from catching
CoVID!

Move on.

Rufus Stone

9,839 posts

70 months

Thursday 5th December 2024
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Doofus said:
I don't expect you have any rights; you haven't suffered any loss. What are the Ts and C's of booking?
carreauchompeur said:
Luckily there are still some, fairly, reasonable alternatives, albeit more expensive.

That's a loss.

Tony1963

5,666 posts

176 months

Thursday 5th December 2024
quotequote all
Rufus Stone said:
That's a loss.
It’s not, is it. Get a refund, don’t go to the do, no financial loss at all. Or book somewhere else, maybe better…

We have to accept that all these plans in life are subject to change, usually at an inconvenient time, and we can’t expect to be handsomely rewarded for it.

Paul Lazzaro

92 posts

49 months

Thursday 5th December 2024
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I have no real idea, but I wonder if this might fall under the same principle as the guy who posted on here after he had agreed to sell his car to someone, but then sold it to someone else? The original purchaser took him to small claims due to loss of bargain/loss of opportunity (I can't precisely remember which). The purchaser won.

Isn't it the same principle, that the OP had an agreement with the hotel and he has a right to be put back into the same position following the cancellation? May well be trumped by the hotel's T&Cs, of course.

alscar

6,235 posts

227 months

Thursday 5th December 2024
quotequote all
carreauchompeur said:
No, it states the hotel has been sold by the parent company! No concerts on of note.

My financial loss is limited, it’s just annoying!
Assuming they are refunding your money in full you haven’t suffered any financial loss.
Annoying yes but I would be booking an alternative asap before other guests take up any spare locally.
Unless of course the hotels booking T and C says otherwise.

Greendubber

14,204 posts

217 months

Thursday 5th December 2024
quotequote all
Paul Lazzaro said:
I have no real idea, but I wonder if this might fall under the same principle as the guy who posted on here after he had agreed to sell his car to someone, but then sold it to someone else? The original purchaser took him to small claims due to loss of bargain/loss of opportunity (I can't precisely remember which). The purchaser won.

Isn't it the same principle, that the OP had an agreement with the hotel and he has a right to be put back into the same position following the cancellation? May well be trumped by the hotel's T&Cs, of course.
He is in the same position he was in before the booking. No hotel room and the money in his bank.

Why are people intent on kicking the arse out of this incredibly simple situation the OP finds himself in?

Chucklehead

2,820 posts

222 months

Thursday 5th December 2024
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did you book direct with the hotel company or through an intermediary like Booking or Expedia? Who took the money?

One of the benefits of booking through an intermediary is that they will rebook you into something or similar standard/neighborhood at their cost. If you booked direct then they'll refund you and tell you to FRO.

xx99xx

2,545 posts

87 months

Thursday 5th December 2024
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Had this hotel not been available in the first place, you'd still be looking at using one of the more expensive/less convenient alternatives.

A full refund = no loss to you in terms of the booking with that hotel. They're not responsible for the rates/locations of other hotels.

It's a bit like going on holiday and asking for compensation because you couldn't use the pool as the weather was too cold. Swapping the word 'couldnt' with 'didnt want to' is more accurate and is similar to your mindset.....you don't want to pay for a more expensive hotel, yet this option is available.

carreauchompeur

Original Poster:

18,176 posts

218 months

Thursday 5th December 2024
quotequote all
Chucklehead said:
did you book direct with the hotel company or through an intermediary like Booking or Expedia? Who took the money?

One of the benefits of booking through an intermediary is that they will rebook you into something or similar standard/neighborhood at their cost. If you booked direct then they'll refund you and tell you to FRO.
Direct. Although a colleague booked with Hotels.com and they were rather difficult about it apparently!

IJWS15

2,008 posts

99 months

Thursday 5th December 2024
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At least OP was offered an alternate.

Couple of years ago we had booked three nights in Norwich - large (franchised) chain.

Took a call while we were having coffee at Rugby services saying they would honour that nights booking but the other two nights were cancelled.

Got nothing despite being a platinum rewards member.

We struggled to get out of the hotel the next morning as their contractor carried old beds out and new ones in - it was being rented out for asylum seekers!

Sebring440

2,698 posts

110 months

Thursday 5th December 2024
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IJWS15 said:
We struggled to get out of the hotel the next morning as their contractor carried old beds out and new ones in - it was being rented out for asylum seekers!
I hope you thanked the large (franchised) chain for the heads-up!

Griffith4ever

5,531 posts

49 months

Friday 6th December 2024
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Packaged holiday - they have to find you same or better equiv accom or refund you. Just hotel booking, I assume they are only obliged to refund you.

otolith

61,280 posts

218 months

Friday 6th December 2024
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Were the other hotels cheaper when you booked three months in advance than they now are two weeks in advance?

carreauchompeur

Original Poster:

18,176 posts

218 months

Friday 6th December 2024
quotequote all
otolith said:
Were the other hotels cheaper when you booked three months in advance than they now are two weeks in advance?
To be fair, there is still quite a bit of reasonably priced accommodation… I can imagine many other cities where it wouldn’t be!