Non refundable hotel reservation (hotels, reservations, price, resort)

[Flamboyante]

So I made a last minute hotel booking yesterday that was non refundable. At checkout, they displayed the total due plus some additional money ($99), that needed to be paid at the hotel. I mistakenly thought this was going to be the deposit. I established a budget based on those figures I saw at checkout. Once I arrived at the hotel, I was told I needed to pay an additional $300 security deposit that wasn’t displayed at checkout. And I wasn’t the only one complaining about this.

I called booking.com and I was told that the $300 deposit was mentioned in the general info section of the hotel, which I missed.

I asked them why that wasn’t also displayed at checkout, the same way they displayed the additional $99, which as it turns out is actually $112, according to the hotel. I felt that was very deceptive because nowhere on the receipt or checkout info page or on the email confirmation I received was this amount mentioned. I wasn’t able to check in because I didn’t have the $300. The hotel agreed to cancel but booking.com says because it was a non refundable partner offer, they can’t refund or rather, their partner won’t refund.

I will see if I can file a dispute through my bank but has anyone gone through this before? I don’t usually make last minute hotel reservations but this is definitely a lesson learned!

[gus2]

Was the $300 a security hold? As in, they would put a charge on your CC but refund it if you check out and everything is as you found it. Was your room through a private renter?

I booked a resort condo through booking.com last weekend not realizing it was via a private owner and not the resort. They did have a $125 hold that was released upon checkout assuming we didn't trash the place.

I think you're out of luck. It says nonrefundable probably ALL OVER the reservation, and whatever you missed in the details is on you. Sorry.

[Flamboyante]

It was to be refunded but I still didn’t have enough for that amount. The issue really isn’t that it said Non refundable. The additional fees to be paid at the hotel were not displayed at checkout. They only displayed some of the fees to be paid at the hotel which is The $99, which then became $112 at the hotel. In any case, I will dispute with my bank on this basis and see what happens.

[sam812]

What part of NON REFUNDABLE are you seriously not understanding? You agreed and reserved the room and now YOU somehow think you should be able to change the agreement.

There are times I feel so sorry for great people that have to deal with the general public.

[hertfordshire]

Originally Posted by Flamboyante

It was to be refunded but I still didn’t have enough for that amount. The issue really isn’t that it said Non refundable. The additional fees to be paid at the hotel were not displayed at checkout. They only displayed some of the fees to be paid at the hotel which is The $99, which then became $112 at the hotel. In any case, I will dispute with my bank on this basis and see what happens.

That sounds like a security hold, and it's a pretty standard practice when staying at hotels. They put a hold on your card for an amount over the actual room rate for incidentals and any potential damage/excessive cleaning fees. After you've checked out and there are no additional charges, they release the hold. To be honest, I never look for it when I make reservations online; I just always assume it's going to happen.

[lieqiang]

Originally Posted by Flamboyante

In any case, I will dispute with my bank on this basis and see what happens.

Your bank will do nothing, except maybe explain to you what everyone else in this thread is trying to say. It's security hold, not a charge for services/products not rendered that can be disputed.

[kokonutty]

And probably the $99 became $112 due to sales and other taxes. That's to be expected, those fees are not tax exempt.

[projectmaximus]

Yeah I hate to side with booking.com or any other OTA that often involves certain hidden or unscrupulous fees, but it sounds like in this case you're referring to a very standard security deposit that is to be expected. I also would not expect the security deposit amount to be indicated along with the price + hotel taxes/fees, unless when booking directly with the hotel.

[Sundaydrive00]

Originally Posted by projectmaximus

I also would not expect the security deposit amount to be indicated along with the price + hotel taxes/fees, unless when booking directly with the hotel.

I just looked up my booking that I did directly through Hilton, and even then it doesn't give a security deposit amount. Under "Rules & Reservations" it just says "a hold may be placed on your card account for the full anticipated amount to be owed to the hotel, including estimated incidentals, through your date of check-out and such hold may not be released for 72 hours from the date of check-out or longer at the discretion of your card issuer."

I would think all hotel booking websites would have similar language. They let you know that there might be an extra hold put on your card, but they're not able to tell you how much. I would think the actual amount depends on a variety of factors and may not even be the same for everyone.

[BobNJ1960]

OP, As others stated well, you are out of luck. Security holds are common, and vary by hotel. Most btw are released back to your available funds in your account in a few days, even when you stay longer.