This way, you can worry less about losing your identity, and instead focus on having a great trip. And while dining in feels like the safest bet, ordering from one of these menus might make you the brunt of swindle. Here's how the scam works: The scam artist creates and prints realistic food menus. Once created, the documents are slid underneath the doors of hotel rooms, inviting guests to place an order. During the call, travelers are often asked to pay with a credit card. In the end, the food never comes, and the scam artist gains access to the guest's credit card information.
A simple internet search of restaurants in the area will yield plenty of dining options.
And those who have doubts can always ask the front desk or concierge for restaurant recommendations. In many high-end hotels, personnel are trained to phone a guest's room 15 minutes after check-in to make sure that their accommodations are suitable. But smart scammers know that an unsuspecting traveler can be taken advantage of with this simple "courtesy call. Instead, offer to come down to the front desk to sort it out. If the caller insists that the issue must be taken care of immediately, simply hang up and contact the front desk to report the incident. This makes a "free Wi-Fi" network tempting for travelers wanting access to the outside world.
Essential hotel sales strategies to increase occupancy and revenue
Once connected, your data then routes through several points, including a scam artist's computer. Wow I have to be careful and maybe it's better to go to the hotel or call them from a directory phone book. Sometimes old ways still work better. Offering 21k for a 14k expense. It happened to us recently.
That our reservation did not go directly to the hotel but instead to a 3rd party Be careful even when you call that you know who you are dealing with. We thought we were talking to the hotel directly. As a hotel manager, I am very pleased to see this getting attention finally. For those requesting more tips on avoiding third parties, I may have a few to add. When booking online, check for any wording such as "brought to you by" "powered by" "presented by" or any other such wording.
Google allows sites to pay to be a top result, and third parties use this tactic to place their booking sources at the top, all while looking like the hotel site. If you know the actual company or hotel name, type into the address bar instead. If you are looking to call, make sure the number you are calling is an actual area code number, rather than a 4. Many hotels, especially in the US, have to have Front Desk staff that speak the local language, and in many cases these staff members are local to the area itself.
If you call a number and the person does not sound like they are from that area, they may be at an off-site facility. Furthermore, a test I recommend any of my guests to use is to simply ask the person to describe what is in front of them the lobby. For a person actually at the desk, this is a simple task, though for someone off-site, there may be a clear pause while they try to find a photo to describe.
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Many hotels have Apps and so, booking through their apps, many of which are free, you are getting a direct booking connection to the hotel. Finally, read everything. Especially if you see an asterisk next to something, that means there is more to it than what you immediately see. I have dealt with these issues for years and it is a constant battle with third parties and the difficulties they impose on guests.
I hope things are dealt with rather quickly so that this mess can be fixed finally.
I am pleased to see this issue being focused on. For years this has been an issue at properties around the country. It always amazes me to hear a guest yelling at the front desk and our staff for an issue that quite simply is not our problem. This can be solved very simply by booking with the hotel directly. It is unprofessional of us to tell a guest that they are not our customer, but it really is that simple.
When booking with third parties, the guest is NOT our customer. The third party has the guests money. Not the hotel.
Coach House Hotel & Spa - Orion Hotels & Resorts : Orion Hotels & Resorts
Not to mention that in addition to being yelled at by the same guest that did not pay close attention to booking, we also get much less revenue from that same reservation. Third parties have some of the highest commission rates out there. For most hotels, you will not pay any less through a third party than you would at the hotel site. Deceptive practices used by third parties are cruel and unfair to all guests. It only benefits the third parties because they do not have to deal with an irate guest in person.. For me it is simple. Book directly with the hotel.
After all, you would not just hand your money to anyone. Pay attention and ensure you are booking the correct way. This happened to my parents when they came to visit me, halfway across the country. We were fortunate that my mother was refunded, my parents could stay with me I put them up in my bed and slept on the floor versus arriving late at night in an unfamiliar city, but it's a disgusting scam. How did your parents get a refund? This happened to my daughter and she received a refund and a month later the charges showed up on her card again.
Within minutes I receive and e-mail confirmation. If you follow the same process and DON't receive an e-mail, chances are you've been duped. We had the same issue. Thought we were reserving a condo with Booking. Cancellation was not permitted. They are simply the agent.
It is laid out in fine print so read carefully. Beware Booking. They have sneaky software with promises and when you print it, they have it deleted. Extreme deception. I hope that website is looked into. I filed an FTC complaint about booking. Does that mean the FTC is not going to investigate my specific complaint, or is it the norm to kust send some informative links?
I feel they coykd have beeb more forthcoming. Nothing in the email refers to my specific conplaint or says I can contact anyone or that I have or have not been scammed or to call some other place. Thank you for filing a complaint. The information you provide goes into a secure database that law enforcement agencies, including the FTC, use for investigations nationwide. The Hotel was legit but the rewards program is obviously a scam. The reservations for that weekend worked well however the rewards program did not. From the date of sale until today I informed these people I was taking a trip to Orlando, Fl in October but didn't have the exact dates and wouldn't know for sure until mid Sept.
I gave them my dates as I tried to make my reservation then I am told there is no availability that weekend. Obviously they plan the tours we are required to take to get our money returned to us as they try and sell us some resort time share I am guessing. They never indicated a schedule for me at time of sale and indicated I would be accommodated any time before my expiration date.
Well I just emailed them my demand to refund my money or get my room booked while I am in Orlando. Lets see what happens before I report them to the FTC fir scamming people. All is rainbows and flowers when they make the sales pitch but after they "go you" then all of a sudden there is an only of available clause. I wouldn't book a room at Holiday Inn ever if I were you.
We booked 5 rooms through a third party website that is NOT holding the money rooms are charged on arrival by hotel.
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When we arrived, and aske to visit a room, we couldn't visit because "hotel was at full capacity". We paid for the rooms and left the hotel to go to work. The filthiest rooms ever! None of our band member could properly sleep.