There’s nothing I HATE more than large corporations that thrive and profit off of disingenuous business practices. And, isn’t that pretty much ALL of the large corporations? Let me tell you what happened today.
We are staying in an Extended Stay America for the week while we move into our new house. My husband made the reservation via HOTWIRE.COM. If you’ve eve used this service to book travel plans, this is the way it works: You get a list of hotels (or flights) without knowing the name, only the general location, the listed amenities, and the price per night. Matt searched for pet friendly hotels in the Richmond area. An array were available, but he chose the least expensive one. When you book your reservation Hotwire does not ask you if you will have pets. Nor does it state the hotel’s pet policy.My husband just assumed the rate included a pet, since, wouldn’t you expect the extra fee would want to ALSO be collected up front (we’ve stayed in many pet friendly hotels before, and some charge while others don’t).
Today, our 4th day in the hotel, a woman who I suspect was the manager asked me what my room number was when I asked about clean towels. I happened to be walking the dog at the time. Upon re-entering the building, she stopped me to explain that my pet wasn’t registered, and that it was an oversight that the staff member who checked us in didn’t inquire about a pet. BUT nonetheless, they would be assessing a $150 pet fee. This was their “policy”. A policy not explained on the third party site through which we PREPAID a non refundable room rate. We’re one of the lucky ones. Some hotels charge that just for ONE night. For this hotel, it is $25 a night, with a maximum of $150 for the first month you stay.
I expressed my discontent with this process. It’s someone’s responsibility to disclose the policy BEFORE purchasing a room. What’s better is, they also have a weight limit on pets. So if I showed up with a 75 pound mastiff, I may have been turned away. And without getting a refund for the cost of the room. Plus, this hotel is crappy. Had we known we’d pay just as much for a nicer one that had a lower or non-existent pet fee, we wouldn’t be here.
Does anyone else think this is complete BS?
Well, Matt got right on the horn with Hotwire and laid in on the poor, outsourced Indian girl who couldn’t have cared less about the injustice of what had happened. Matt asked to speak to a supervisor, but our suspicion is, in these Indian call centers there are no managers. They just pass the phone to the next person who follows a script without thinking. After 45 minutes on the phone, one offer to refund $50 (which Matt vehemently declined), and zero acknowledgement of a problem, the call ended with Matt reiterating three times that they just lost a lifetime customer who travels once a month using Hotwire over $150, and that we would share our negative experience with all of you lovely folks, who we HOPE will also boycott Hotwire until they do the easy and smart thing that would resolve this whole situation: DISCLOSE THE DAMN PET POLICY OF THE HOTEL THAT IS ADVERTISED. And add a field in the reservation form for a pet. Is this that difficult? I guess so. We’re not the only ones who got dinged by this breech of ethics. Here’s another account of a Hotwire pet friendly reservation going awry:
Why Hotwire’s Pet-Friendly Booking Feature is Seriously Flawed | TravelPulse
