Traveler found motel closed after prepaying, NBC Responds steps in to help

After booking and pre-paying for a motel stay, a consumer says he couldn’t check-in. When he arrived, the motel was closed.

Read on for what travelers can do to avoid a similar setback.

“THERE WAS NOTHING THERE”

With family property to take care of in Texas, Andrew Price of San Francisco booked a trip to Big Spring – about 300 miles west of Dallas. Price prepaid Expedia $683 for an eight-night stay in June. When he arrived, Price said he couldn’t check in.

“There was nothing there, the place was abandoned. The office was closed, all the rooms were excavated of the furniture, the water was cut off, the electricity was cut off,” Price told NBC Bay Area Responds.

Price found a different motel, and then contacted Expedia. It initially denied his refund request, saying it couldn’t make contact with the Super 8. 

“That’s when I contacted NBC Responds and they gave me justice, thank God,” Price said.

After our colleagues at NBC Bay Area Responds contacted Expedia, it refunded $683, plus $50 in credit for future travel. 

Neighboring businesses told the Responds team, the motel closed sometime in the spring.

So, why was Expedia still taking bookings for the June stay?  

Expedia said, in part, “We learned that the property had closed operations before giving a prior notice to Expedia. Please note that as soon as we became aware of the issue, we made sure that the property was no longer available for reservations.”

We contacted Super 8 By Wyndham’s parent company. We did not hear back.

During the catastrophic winter power outages in 2021, we told you about a North Texas family on the hunt for a hotel room with electricity. After booking and paying through a different travel website, they arrived and learned the hotel didn’t have power. NBC 5 Responds helped them get a refund from the third-party website.

Both cases highlight a lesson for consumers when booking travel: call to your hotel directly.

TRAVEL TIP FOR CONSUMERS

“I would definitely recommend confirming the details of your reservation, confirming your arrival date and your departure date,” said Dr. Kim Williams, chair of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Department at the University of North Texas.

Even if you have an email confirmation through the third-party website, Williams recommends calling the hotel within a week of check-in.

“Sometimes I go beyond, if it's a central reservations number,” Williams said. “I call the hotel directly and don't hit the number for central reservations. I want to talk to somebody at that property to make sure everything is in place when I arrive.”

During peak travel times Williams said she also tells consumers to join the hotel’s loyalty program. It may help reduce the risk of your reservation being “walked” to another hotel if they’re overbooked.

Travel insurance may also be an option but read the fine print to make sure you’re covered before buying a policy.

NBC 5 Responds is committed to researching your concerns and recovering your money. Our goal is to get you answers and, if possible, solutions and a resolution. Call us at 844-5RESPND (844-573-7763) or fill out our customer complaint form.