I had prepaid for a room through Hotels.com and arrived at the hotel that evening at around 11:30 pm, expecting a routine check-in. However, the front desk clerk, who identified himself as “Wayne,” informed me that my room had been “cancelled” by the third-party provider. This was both confusing and frustrating, especially after Wayne looked at his computer screen, called me by name and then claimed that my reservation had been cancelled, without any explanation or attempt to assist.
I immediately contacted Hotels.com customer support upon returning home, and they confirmed unequivocally that my reservation was active and had not been cancelled. When I looked at my emails, I saw that I had received an email at around 10 pm from the hotel (via Hotels.com) but it was blank.
The following morning, when I looked at it again, it now had the following vague and unprofessional message that had not been visible the previous evening:
________________________________________
*"Hi there;
Due to unforeseen circumstances we are unable to honor your reservations today for Gerald Gillard. Please feel free to cancel this reservation free of charges.
Apology for inconvenience and thank you for your understanding
Ram Chandra Adhikari
Lead Gallery Host
Hyatt Place Dulles Airport South"*
I am a practicing attorney, and I informed Mr. Wayne of this fact at the desk. I also respectfully urged him to reconsider before turning me away, but he refused.
