We booked 2 double rooms in August 2022 for 5 nights in March 2023 using booking.com. As part of the booking process, we registered a credit card on a ”pay at the hotel” basis. 6 days before we were due to arrive, we received an e-mail telling us we had to confirm the credit card details within 24 hours by following a link in the e-mail, with the threat of cancellation if we didn't do so. In years of travelling, we've never come across this before. We tried repeatedly, ended up using 5 different cards (mix of debit/credit cards and of card-providers) and every time it failed with a message saying there was a problem, and to try later. We contacted the bank to confirm the cards weren't at fault, rang booking.com and got them to contact the hotel - we even offered to pay the full amount up-front rather than risk losing the booking. They checked with the hotel and said the hotel were unable to take a payment over the phone, but that the booking was OK. The following day, we received a further e-mail stating the booking was cancelled as we'd failed to confirm the credit card. We rang booking.com again, who - once again - rang the hotel but couldn't get a response. With 5 days before we were due to fly, we went into a desperate search for somewhere to stay. Booking.com offered us a number of alternatives - none were anywhere near as convenient a location (as other reviews have said, it's superb for the main tourist sites), and at higher prices. We ended up finding an AirBnB apartment. Lo and behold, 3 days from flying, we get an e-mail from booking.com stating the hotel had now got 2 ”Superior” rooms available to offer us at £50 per room per night over our original booking price. We declined. So - our conclusion is that - at best, the hotel's admin/systems are flawed (card confirmation process/system is unreliable and they can't/won't accept payment by phone). Or - at worst..... well, you can draw your own conclusion.
80 Reviews