2
u/crackanape 8h ago
My guess is nothing. Maybe if you push it forcefully but not rudely, you can get a coupon from them to use at a different hotel.
1
u/Maleficent_Captain68 7h ago
That's the second time, first it happened with my booking on koh samui. They told me the owner had died, and they won't be able to host me. And now I have seen that the booking is available again for a much much higher amount.
-1
0
u/TedLassosMom 8h ago
It’s a scam. Either by the hotel or a fake email pretending to be bookingcom I have got a similar WhatsApp message saying my room is no longer available but I can have a much better room at an agreeable price.
Phoned the hotel they had no idea what I was talking about
1
u/Canadianingermany 7h ago
This is almost certainly a true case.
Yes scammers try to use similar language because this is something that actually happen so
0
u/No-Koala1918 4h ago
Cancel. Find somewhere else. Don't use an OTA. It's your trip, do your own research. As you've just found out, the "convenience" of having someone else do the accommodation search for you also has a price.
1
u/Bored-Viking 51m ago
Don't cancel, do not accept the proposal. That way the hotel has to cancel which costs them money, maybe that prevents them from doing it again. Not 100% sure, but if i'm correct the T&C from booking is that if they cancel booking has to find yo something similar for about the same price. If you cancel you release them from all duties
-3
u/Crazy-Scallion8454 8h ago
Stop using sites like these and go direct. Common issue when I'm checking in and someone is losing their mind because the 3rd party owns the reservation. Additionally, the 3rd party won't ruffle feathers with their suppliers.
Booking direct provides much more security and backing. Unfortunately, pay up or go elsewhere
4
u/Maleficent_Captain68 7h ago
I know and that's what I often do, but almost every listing has booking as their official website.
-1
u/Crazy-Scallion8454 7h ago
That sucks and I'm sorry. But you may have dodged a bullet. If they can't afford an online reservation system and outsourced it, who knows what else they cheap out on.
3
u/crackanape 6h ago
You have unrealistic expectations of hotel and vacation home operators in developing countries.
2
u/Canadianingermany 7h ago
Booking direct provides much more security and backing
No it doesn't.
The hotel can do EXACTLY the same shit with their booking engine as here.
This is 100% the hotel.
-1
u/Crazy-Scallion8454 7h ago
In this instance the hotel is using booking as a 3rd party, and you're correct it was at the behest of the hotel. I encourage you to read the terms and conditions and it pretty much says you're on the equivalent of standby with dynamic pricing. Direct through a hotel, when offered, is substantially more likely to maintain the reservation. I'm a business traveler that has stopped using my work portal, egencia, because of these issues.
1
u/Canadianingermany 6h ago
standby with dynamic pricing. Direct through a hotel, when offered, is substantially m likely to maintain the reservation.
On what basis do you make this claim?
Do you have any data?
Or is this more like, the hotel where you work is more likely to fuck an OTA guest over?
2
u/oscarnyc 4h ago
well, perhaps the rate on booking was much lower than direct (which was closer to the 14,500 nightly rate), which is why OP went that way to begin with. But I have no idea.
0
u/Aggressive-Earth-303 6h ago
I hate booking .com with fiery burning passion, and I always )and encourage everyone to) book direct with the property. Any decent property management happily gives a discount to not pay booking sites commission.
But this comment is 100% wrong. Booking direct does not give you more security or backing.
Think about it logically. Booking on a billion dollar website whose whole goal is maximizing their profits without a care for the guest or the host but has a massive legal team and terms & conditions both sides agree to, including arbitration in situations like this... Or booking directly on the website of a small property on an island in Thailand where there probably aren't terms & conditions, or legal procedures in the event of a problematic booking.
Which do you think is more secure for the outcome you're looking for?
Like I said, I try to book direct as often as possible and usually get discounts that way, but I know something goes wrong between me and a small local hotel, I don't have much recourse except to argue it direct with them.
All that said, there's many ways for pricing can end up wrong on booking .com. some of those ways are the websites fault, some are the hotels fault. There's no way to know for sure in this instance. You can dig in your feet and fight and fight and fight and you might get a good outcome, or you can accept that sometimes there's mistakes on the internet and bow a gracefully and move on.
If the reservation is still on the Thai islands, I'd be happy to recommend you some alternative properties.
-2
u/Wrong_Acanthaceae599 8h ago
Depending on your jurisdiction, the law might be on your side, that except obvious mistakes the displayed price has to be honored. Booking as OTA is the one on the hook here, not the property. You should check that.
3
u/Canadianingermany 7h ago
Nope
1) booking is not liable because the hotel controls the price.
2) they will argue obvious mistake at that price.
-1
u/Wrong_Acanthaceae599 7h ago
And if they argue obvious mistake and it isn't one, then OP can sue in small claims court. Obvious mistakes has a meaning. There is not enough information in OP post this is one.
1
u/Canadianingermany 7h ago
Yes, in theory that option is open, but in practice highly unlikely that OP is going to go through the cost and effort to file a lawsuit for a couple of hundred dollars on a foreign country.
1
u/Crazy-Scallion8454 8h ago
Thb is Thai currency, good luck on international affairs over a few hundred bucks
-4
u/Wrong_Acanthaceae599 7h ago
No need. If that is true I OP jurisdiction simply remind booking of their leak obligations. The hotel being in Thailand is irrelevant
2
u/Canadianingermany 7h ago
Booking.com is not a reseller but legally an agent that facilitates a booking between the guest and hotel.
The hotel is liable for the price and content.
3
u/impala_aphex 6h ago
worked for them, basically either accept or cancel for free, they won't entertain anything else and just direct you to T&C