I booked a room at a small hotel in Coventry through LateRooms.com recently. On arrival, the landlady told me there was no room and very rudely and dismissively turned me away.
I immediately contacted LateRooms, which could not contact the owner and would not provide me with an alternative room at the price I had booked.
I was faced with a late drive home and an early start, leaving me tired for the next few days. To date, no compensation has been forthcoming.
What is the situation with these online hotel reservation sites? What is the point of making bookings through these sites if they can be dishonoured in this way?
Imagine if I’d been a vulnerable individual left without a bed for the night? KJ, by email
Should a booking agency be held responsible if a hotel chooses not to honour a booking? The evidence shows that the booking was, indeed, made by LateRooms, but the small independent hotel in Coventry refused you entry.
LateRooms’ terms and conditions are clear and state, in common with most such sites, that “you will be entering into a contractual relationship with the accommodation provider, we act solely as an intermediary and agent”.
A spokesperson from LateRooms confirms that it is up to the hotel to find alternative accommodation if the booking cannot be honoured: “We have since been in touch with the hotel to clarify their obligations to find alternative accommodation and, similarly, re-briefed the customer service agent KJ spoke with on the telephone.”
But LateRooms could have been more helpful and put pressure on the hotel that night. To apologise, and as a goodwill gesture, it has offered £60 of booking vouchers towards your next trip.
Perhaps the moral of the tale when using online booking agents is to contact the hotel after making a booking to make sure it has your room – although we concede that is not always possible.
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