One Star – Lied About the Pool and Refused to Cancel
I booked this hotel through Expedia specifically because it said it had a pool, which was the only reason I stopped after driving ten hours with kids. Before booking, I even called the hotel directly and asked when the pool closed. The man said 10 p.m. every night. So I booked it at 6 p.m. through Expedia.
When I arrived, there were signs everywhere saying the pool had been shut down for two days already and would stay closed for three more. No one told me that on the phone, and it wasn’t listed on Expedia either.
I immediately told the front desk I wanted to cancel, and the woman rudely told me I had to do it through Expedia. But Expedia wouldn’t let me cancel because it was after 3 p.m. check-in—even though I didn’t even book the room until 6 p.m.
I went back in and asked the woman to cancel it on her end. My name was clearly on the screen, and I hadn’t checked in. She flat-out refused and acted like I was lying about calling earlier, even after I showed her I called the correct number.
Thankfully, I had bought the $5 trip insurance and spent half an hour on the phone with them. After they contacted the hotel directly, suddenly it could be canceled. So yes—they could have canceled it all along. They just didn’t want to.
Terrible experience, rude staff, and shame on Expedia for not allowing a cancellation for a service that wasn’t even available. If I hadn’t bought the insurance, I would’ve been completely out of luc