Why You Should Never Use Hotels.com to book a Hotel
I have nothing against Hotels.com. Up until last weekend, I thought they served a useful purpose. But I’ve learned my lesson, and from here on, while I may find a hotel at Hotels.com or Expedia, I will be booking directly through the hotel.
Here’s why.
Last weekend I stayed at a hotel I booked through Hotels.com (Hotels.ca actually). During my stay, my laptop and other electronics were stolen from the hotel room. If I had booked my room directly through the hotel, I would not have had to pay for my stay because of the incident, according to the hotel manager.
However, because the room was booked and paid for through Hotels.com, they were not equipped to refund me directly. They could refund the money to Hotels.com, but there would be no reassurance that any of that money would make it back to me. Ever.
I now understand that while booking through a middleman may seem convenient, when things go wrong that extra company in the middle makes things far more inconvenient in the long run.
So from now on, I’ll find my hotel online, but book directly by phone. Odds are, by booking directly I’ll probably save money as well.
May 27th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Hi,
Thank you for the very good advice. I am sorry about your laptop, etc, but am glad you were willing to share what you learned with others.
I am always nervous about my things when staying at a hotel. Some parents we were playing baseball with had their navigating system stolen from their vehicle at about 11 a.m. in the morning from our hotel. They would have retrieved more if not for the maid who allerted the owners.
June 1st, 2009 at 10:23 am
You always get the attention of your readers by sharing what you’ve experienced and I admired you for that.
September 9th, 2009 at 11:55 am
I also would NEVER use Hotels.com again. When I called the hotel direct the price was cheaper plus hotels.com website booked my reservation while I was still SEARCHING! It does not give you a chance to verify information. I HATE hotels.com. Do yourself a favor & SAVE money…DON’T USE hotels.com.
January 10th, 2010 at 4:59 am
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September 18th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
I completely agree about Hotels.com.
Go directly to the hotel you want and book it yourself. More than likely, you will get a rate that is almost the same as through Hotels.com, and definitely you will be able to get the hotel you really WANT to stay at. Dont take a chance with Hotels.com. If you do, be fully prepared to get a hotel that is on the very EDGE of thier map! Once booked, you have no way to back out, and they will not listen to you.
December 8th, 2010 at 11:34 am
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December 9th, 2010 at 7:23 am
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January 19th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
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May 6th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
Made a booking with Hotels.com two days prior check-in date and I decided to cancel my reservation moments later, and they refused to refund me. They are plain thieves, there is always a catch with all these 3rd party online bookings services.
August 16th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Hotels.com has a price match guarantee, however when you check into the hotel and the price is lower they do not honor that rate claiming it is not a published rate. If you book through the hotel directly you will get the lower rate. Hotels are setup to serve customers – hotels.com is not.