hotel gift card

ztoical

Hi all,

I got a gift card for a hotel group at the end of august. There was a decent amount on the card [400euros] and a 12 month expiry. I had to go to dublin last weekend for a meeting and I thought rather then stay with friends like I usually do I'd book into a hotel. On the back of the card it said you could book either by ringing a number or via a website. I went to the website and booked a hotel. I looked through the website really carefully to make I didn't need to check a box of enter a code in order to use the gift card. Couldn't find anything.

I stayed one night at the hotel. I planned to ask when I arrived about using the gift card to pay but I didn't get to the hotel until well after midnight and the night porter just gave me my room key and said he couldn't answer my question. The next morning when I went to pay, the receptionist refused to take the gift card when I handed it to her. At first she told me I had to ring to make my booking in order to use the gift card. I pointed out that it states very clearly on the back of the card you can book via the website.

She hummed and hawned for a few minutes and then told me that the hotel didn't take those gift cards and there was info on the website stating this. I said I'd looked very careful and there was no such information [I've since checked the website again and still couldn't find any information] Again she hummed and hawned for a few minutes and then said the information was on the hotels own website. I argued that I'd booked via the site listed on the card, their hotel is listed on that website, if they don't take the cards the info should be on that site not their own website.

She then said that the hotel was no longer part of that hotel group. I asked when they had left and she said one month ago. I asked if they had any info on this at the desk for customers to read, she said no and said it was on the hotels website [again I've since checked the website and couldn't find any of this information, in fact on the website it clearly says "member of *insert name* hotel group" under the hotels name on the first page] I asked to speak with a manager and she said there was no one around at that time and I had to go to make my meeting that morning. So I paid with my credit card [100euros] and left.

I'm not sure if I should complain to the hotel or not. It seemed very odd the girl kept altering the story and kept saying "its all on the website" which its not. I'm annoyed at spending 100 euros for a hotel I only booked cus I had a gift card. I was late getting to the hotel as I was with the friends I normally stay with and would much rather have stayed with them again. I've worked for companies that have chanaged brands before and normally they've accepted gift vouchers for the old brand up to a certain point - one month after leaving the hotel group with no information at the hotel desk or on the website seems a little odd to me. Of course I still have a gift card with 400 euros on it, I tired calling the number on the back but it just kept connecting me with the same hotel outside of dublin who couldn't give me any information.

what does anyone else think?

axer

ztoical wrote: »

Hi all,

I got a gift card for a hotel group at the end of august. There was a decent amount on the card [400euros] and a 12 month expiry. I had to go to dublin last weekend for a meeting and I thought rather then stay with friends like I usually do I'd book into a hotel. On the back of the card it said you could book either by ringing a number or via a website. I went to the website and booked a hotel. I looked through the website really carefully to make I didn't need to check a box of enter a code in order to use the gift card. Couldn't find anything.

I stayed one night at the hotel. I planned to ask when I arrived about using the gift card to pay but I didn't get to the hotel until well after midnight and the night porter just gave me my room key and said he couldn't answer my question. The next morning when I went to pay, the receptionist refused to take the gift card when I handed it to her. At first she told me I had to ring to make my booking in order to use the gift card. I pointed out that it states very clearly on the back of the card you can book via the website.

She hummed and hawned for a few minutes and then told me that the hotel didn't take those gift cards and there was info on the website stating this. I said I'd looked very careful and there was no such information [I've since checked the website again and still couldn't find any information] Again she hummed and hawned for a few minutes and then said the information was on the hotels own website. I argued that I'd booked via the site listed on the card, their hotel is listed on that website, if they don't take the cards the info should be on that site not their own website.

She then said that the hotel was no longer part of that hotel group. I asked when they had left and she said one month ago. I asked if they had any info on this at the desk for customers to read, she said no and said it was on the hotels website [again I've since checked the website and couldn't find any of this information, in fact on the website it clearly says "member of *insert name* hotel group" under the hotels name on the first page] I asked to speak with a manager and she said there was no one around at that time and I had to go to make my meeting that morning. So I paid with my credit card [100euros] and left.

I'm not sure if I should complain to the hotel or not. It seemed very odd the girl kept altering the story and kept saying "its all on the website" which its not. I'm annoyed at spending 100 euros for a hotel I only booked cus I had a gift card. I was late getting to the hotel as I was with the friends I normally stay with and would much rather have stayed with them again. I've worked for companies that have chanaged brands before and normally they've accepted gift vouchers for the old brand up to a certain point - one month after leaving the hotel group with no information at the hotel desk or on the website seems a little odd to me. Of course I still have a gift card with 400 euros on it, I tired calling the number on the back but it just kept connecting me with the same hotel outside of dublin who couldn't give me any information.

what does anyone else think?

Does their website or anything in the hotel indicate that the hotel is still part of that hotel group?

ztoical

axer wrote: »

Does their website or anything in the hotel indicate that the hotel is still part of that hotel group?

on the hotels own website it has the hotel logo and underneath it "by *hotel group name*" other then that there is nothing on the website saying they are or aren't part of the group.

axer

ztoical wrote: »

on the hotels own website it has the hotel logo and underneath it "by *hotel group name*" other then that there is nothing on the website saying they are or aren't part of the group.

If that is the case then you probably should have refused to pay with anything other than the voucher as it will be tough to get things changed now.

Try contacting the manager of the hotel and explain the situation to him/her. A letter is always a good way to make contact for record reasons but it might be easier to explain things over the phone. Let the manager know that it still says on their website that they are a member of that hotel group plus on the hotel group's website thus you booked their hotel as their was no reason to suspect they were not. Alternatively contact the hotel group if you can find another contact number other than that on the card.

dudara

Get in touch with both the hotel manager and the manager of the hotel group.