Likely hotel price glitch - will they honor it?

[sonnyjane]

I'm going to leave out names and locations, but just wondered if anyone had ever dealt with this and if I should anticipate trouble when I show up.

I had a hotel room booked for 3 nights at a less expensive hotel next week, but since the trip is coming up soon, I decided to check other local hotels to see if there were any last minute details.

When I searched on one hotel's page, rooms normally $200+ a night came up as $50 a night (for a weekend no less). I knew this was likely a glitch so I called the hotel before booking to confirm. The lady on the phone was very surprised at that rate but said she couldn't access the screen I was on, and that if I found that rate, "definitely book it", then she could confirm the reservation number and tell me if it went through or not.

So, I booked the rate and then called back right away and sure enough, it did show the cheap price. The woman said she had never seen a price that low before, but that it was showing up in her computer that way and she sent me an email confirmation displaying the price breakdown as well, so I do have written proof that I booked at that particular rate.

As of right now, if you type those dates in again, it's coming up as about $700 but the price I'm confirmed for is $300. I'm worried that when I show up, they'll say it was a mistake and charge me the full amount, in which case I would have been better off keeping my less expensive reservation elsewhere.

Anyone have any experience with this situation?

 

[low-key]

good move talking to the lady, I think since you got it confirmed your good

 

[Cantw8]

If it's in writing, they really have no reason to not honor it. They confirmed it by sending a confirmation. You brought attention to it and it wasn't corrected, so I'm thinking you are good to go. Good for you!

 

[sonnyjane]

Thanks. I'm certainly hoping so! It would be a very pleasant birthday gift (purpose for the trip). I told DH to be prepared for them to show us to a broom closet lol.

 

[bcla]

I had a rate with an "extra benefit" - some gift cards for local businesses. It didn't really make that much sense, but it was still being listed. It was $20 more than the "last minute special" that they were also running for a single night. I booked it, called in directly to the front desk, and was told it should OK.

Then when I arrived the manager was running the front desk (it was a holiday and he gave all his employees the night off until the late shift clerk arrived) and he said it was a problem with the corporate website. It wasn't supposed to display this rate without a two-night stay and it frankly wouldn't have been a bargain in that case compared to the last-minute rate. He then adjusted our rate to the last minute rate, so I didn't feel totally ripped off.

So - I'd say it depends. You've got no guarantees. Most website terms and conditions have ample weasel room to honor a "fat finger" rate. Granted - once I booked a room through Priceline and one of the reasons was because they were listing free parking (normally $20). So I then looked again at my reservation and it was gone. However, I had saved a (PDF) copy of that reservation and the clerk brought it to the manager. However, it was just $20. I'm not sure that a manager would have honored it had it been something that cost $300.

If there was a mistake rate, you're kind of at the mercy of the manager when you arrive.

 

[sonnyjane]

I had a rate with an "extra benefit" - some gift cards for local businesses. It didn't really make that much sense, but it was still being listed. It was $20 more than the "last minute special" that they were also running for a single night. I booked it, called in directly to the front desk, and was told it should OK.

Then when I arrived the manager was running the front desk (it was a holiday and he gave all his employees the night off until the late shift clerk arrived) and he said it was a problem with the corporate website. It wasn't supposed to display this rate without a two-night stay and it frankly wouldn't have been a bargain in that case compared to the last-minute rate. He then adjusted our rate to the last minute rate, so I didn't feel totally ripped off.

So - I'd say it depends. You've got no guarantees. Most website terms and conditions have ample weasel room to honor a "fat finger" rate. Granted - once I booked a room through Priceline and one of the reasons was because they were listing free parking (normally $20). So I then looked again at my reservation and it was gone. However, I had saved a (PDF) copy of that reservation and the clerk brought it to the manager. However, it was just $20. I'm not sure that a manager would have honored it had it been something that cost $300.

If there was a mistake rate, you're kind of at the mercy of the manager when you arrive.

Thanks. I'm feeling more and more nervous but guess I don't have much choice but to try. I can't keep both reservations because you have to cancel more than 24 hours in advance, so showing up and cancelling one would still result in me being charged for the other. I'm hoping that if they do say anything, I can negotiate to split the difference and maybe get some dining credits or something. I do feel I have a compelling case as far as documentation goes, but I also am 99.9% positive this is a mistake - it's just not an obvious mistake like 99 cents instead of 99 dollars, for example.

 

[bcla]

If it's in writing, they really have no reason to not honor it. They confirmed it by sending a confirmation. You brought attention to it and it wasn't corrected, so I'm thinking you are good to go. Good for you!

They can confirm that they have the reservation, but not if it was the correct rate. However, in my experience this sort of thing gets brought to the attention of the manager pretty quickly upon check-in. Sometimes mistake rates get flagged and the clerk will see a message that the rate won't be honored. They might do something like offer a compromise, honor the rate, or allow the reservation to be cancelled without penalty.

http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea...regular-rate-on-a-night-it-could-charge-more/
http://loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com/2012/08/20/why-i-dont-publish-hotel-rate-mistakes/

 

[bcla]

Thanks. I'm feeling more and more nervous but guess I don't have much choice but to try. I can't keep both reservations because you have to cancel more than 24 hours in advance, so showing up and cancelling one would still result in me being charged for the other. I'm hoping that if they do say anything, I can negotiate to split the difference and maybe get some dining credits or something. I do feel I have a compelling case as far as documentation goes, but I also am 99.9% positive this is a mistake - it's just not an obvious mistake like 99 cents instead of 99 dollars, for example.

I'm skeptical that this is going to work out. Yeah - often something like landing a 70% discount on a Priceline bid isn't too good to be true, but there are ample stories that a straight up rate that looks too good to be true probably isn't. Granted I've booked the Hilton Anaheim for $60 a night during one of their well advertised bargain rates, but I'm thinking $50 for what normally goes for $200 is a little bit too good to be true. I'd say maybe 25% chance they honor it, 50% chance the manager splits the difference, and 25% chance they'll insist on the regular advanced reservation rate.

 

[sonnyjane]

They can confirm that they have the reservation, but not if it was the correct rate. However, in my experience this sort of thing gets brought to the attention of the manager pretty quickly upon check-in. Sometimes mistake rates get flagged and the clerk will see a message that the rate won't be honored. They might do something like offer a compromise, honor the rate, or allow the reservation to be cancelled without penalty.

http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea...regular-rate-on-a-night-it-could-charge-more/
http://loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com/2012/08/20/why-i-dont-publish-hotel-rate-mistakes/

The printout the woman I spoke to sent me specifically shows the breakdown of price per night each night for the stay plus the total, so when they pull up my name it shows the price. At least two staff have seen it already, so fingers crossed!

 

[cluvsdisney]

I managed to score a lower than low online rate for a hotel over the summer. When we checked in, the woman commented on the super low rate but it was honored. It wasn't as deeply discounted as what you presented but she did say she never saw a rate as low as what we paid.

 

[tnkr_bell]

I would just say double check and see if there are any rate rules listed. It almost sounds like an employee rate or something. I know for Marriott there is a specific form you have to bring with you. They have different requirements for employee or friends and family rates. So just read the fine print.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

Mi agree with PP, I had something like that happen, the strings attached. But, they did give a reduced rate. There always seems to be a catch when something that low pops up. One trip there was construction going on, it was NY area, the rate was $20 less then most rooms. That floor had racket from 6:00am, foot traffic, and material being thrown into a dumpster below.
We left the next morning for someplace else. They were part of a chain and found us a room with discount.

Edit: once we got a great rate, the catch was joining a Savers Club, we had a 30 day trial and got a rebate back on the stay after we used it. It took five weeks to get the rebate. I often see it with airfare, Save $40 on this flight, etc.

 

[ashley0139]

I'll be interested to see what they do about this. I hope they honor it for you. I know I've seen this kind of thing with flights and people always report it as being honored. Be sure to let us know what happens!

 

[Judique]

I'm going to leave out names and locations, but just wondered if anyone had ever dealt with this and if I should anticipate trouble when I show up.

I had a hotel room booked for 3 nights at a less expensive hotel next week, but since the trip is coming up soon, I decided to check other local hotels to see if there were any last minute details.

When I searched on one hotel's page, rooms normally $200+ a night came up as $50 a night (for a weekend no less). I knew this was likely a glitch so I called the hotel before booking to confirm. The lady on the phone was very surprised at that rate but said she couldn't access the screen I was on, and that if I found that rate, "definitely book it", then she could confirm the reservation number and tell me if it went through or not.

So, I booked the rate and then called back right away and sure enough, it did show the cheap price. The woman said she had never seen a price that low before, but that it was showing up in her computer that way and she sent me an email confirmation displaying the price breakdown as well, so I do have written proof that I booked at that particular rate.

As of right now, if you type those dates in again, it's coming up as about $700 but the price I'm confirmed for is $300. I'm worried that when I show up, they'll say it was a mistake and charge me the full amount, in which case I would have been better off keeping my less expensive reservation elsewhere.

Anyone have any experience with this situation?

Interesting and lucky for you!

It should be okay.

But - if you are still worried, book a room in your price range that is cancellable on the same day as arrival.

On the other hand, were you originally going to book at the regular rate anyway? If so, you have nothing to lose. You have a reservation at a great price, and if it falls through you have a room at what you originally expected to pay.

In the meanwhile enjoy the possible pixie dust!

 

[lizabu]

I used to work in the reservation department of a hotel chain and there were sometimes rates that were entered incorrectly. If we saw it we would call the hotel right away to have it fixed but if someone booked it it was the hotels mistake so they would have to honor it.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

We booked a cabin through Tickets At Work this Summer & had to prepay for it - KILLER price too! A month later when we checked in, the resort had TWO cabins set aside for me. I always wondered what would have happened if I'd used both LOL.

Happy coincidence, there was a gal at checkin trying desperately to upgrade from a 1-bedroom cabin to a 2-bedroom because they didn't realize how snug the 1-bedroom would be. All the 2-bedroom cabins were booked, but one of those was my "extra", and she got that one

 

[gwynne]

The hotel has lots of options. They can:
Honor the rate, and put you in a room about what you expect.
Honor the rate and put you in a really, really undesirable room.
Email you and tell you it was a computer glitch. They could give you the option reserving at the regular price, or they could just cancel the reservation made in error.
If there was any special code involved, they can require you to show you qualify for the discount when you arrive. If not, charging rack rack is an option for them.
They also can wait until you arrive and walk you to a "comparable" hotel.

FWIW, I've been at the check in desk when someone was walked. It happens.

 

[tvguy]

A reputable hotel chain will honor it, just bring your emails with you.
This thread has 577 reads already. In this Yelp and Social Media era, even if it is a mistake, is it worth that little bit of money if it is an error if you are going to get slammed on the Internet?

Rental car agencies, cruise lines, sports teams and hotels all use dynamic pricing software. Sometimes there are mistakes, but sometimes demand for a certain date that they have to "fill the spots". I have paid from $60 a night to $150 a night for the same type room at the Holiday Inn Express next to Toyota Center in Houston, just depending on whether there is anything going on at the Toyota Center. There were like 5 cars in the parking lot when we paid $60, the hotel was like a ghost town. Sure made the $27.50 a night Toyota Center tax seem huge though.

 

[bcla]

A reputable hotel chain will honor it, just bring your emails with you.
This thread has 577 reads already. In this Yelp and Social Media era, even if it is a mistake, is it worth that little bit of money if it is an error if you are going to get slammed on the Internet?

The biggest issue these days is that most hotels are just franchises and the owner (and not corporate) has to deal with the bottom line. Of course there's a chance they might just eat it, and I'd think a very good chance at that. However, if they have something like half the rooms booked at a fat finger rate, they might not. However, most would contact the guest beforehand and perhaps offer a compromise rate.

 

[HeatherC]

Hope it is not a Best Western. Back in March, I booked the Best Western Siesta Key for 10 nights in Feb. of 2016 at a rate of like $119 a night for a king size studio. That was 11 months in advance. I inputted my credit card number and received a confirmation email.

In August, I get a phone call from the hotel telling me that room doesn't exist. If I want to stay there, I need to rebook it at the current rate which was now over $250 a night! They then tried to tell me the room won't sleep four. I said that was fine there are only three of us but on their website it clearly shows the room existing and sleeping four people! They then tell me they are cancelling the reservation.

I call the 800 number for customer service who are very nice and tell me since it is confirmed there shouldn't be a problem, but they would check and call me back. Two days later they call and tell me since all Best Westerns are privately owned, the owner has decided to not honor the rate. I was flabbergasted. That means any hotel could do this to anyone. They said if I want to find another hotel they will pay the difference in rate between $119 and whatever the current rate is. I declined and told them I would be posting this on tripadvisor and yelp...which I did.

THEN...the next day the owner of the hotel responds to the review accusing me of lying and swearing at her! I cannot believe a company can get away with this and am filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. As far as I know, a confirmed rate means a hotel confirmed with the customer that they will honor the rate they booked at. Apparently, NOT TRUE a all with Best Western.

Needless to say, we will NEVER stay in a Best Western again. I have NEVER had a problem with Marriott, Starwood, Wyndham, etc.

OP, for you sake I hope it is another chain than Best Western.

For anyone interested, you can see my reviews on yelp and tripadvisor.

Hope this helps someone else out.