This was, without question, the worst hospitality experience I have ever had…read more
On March 31, 2026, I booked and fully prepaid over $1,500 for a King room for July 17-20 through Expedia. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we arrived one day late, at approximately 2:30 p.m. on July 18. When we arrived, I was told that the hotel had marked our reservation as a "no-show" and given away our room, despite having already confirmed our stay on Expedia.
What is particularly frustrating is that no one from the hotel attempted to contact me or Expedia before canceling and reselling a reservation that had been paid for in full. Throughout the entire weekend I was supposed to be staying there, my Expedia reservation still showed as active and so was unable to get a refund for the insurance portion of my payment.
I understand that the hotel may have considered us a no-show. However, I find it extremely difficult to understand why a fully prepaid reservation would be canceled without making even a basic attempt to contact the guest or the booking agency. If a hotel chooses to accept reservations through third-party sites such as Expedia, guests who use those services should receive the same level of consideration and professionalism as guests who book directly.
Unfortunately, the way the situation was handled made me feel as though our reservation mattered less simply because we had booked through Expedia. I was repeatedly told to contact Expedia and that the hotel would do nothing to help. One employee even smirked while telling me this. The lack of empathy was incredibly disappointing.
When I asked what we were supposed to do, given that every hotel, motel, and other lodging option within roughly 18 miles appeared to be sold out, no meaningful assistance was offered. I stood at the front desk quietly crying while politely asking for help, and no one made any real effort to find a solution. One young woman at the front desk was genuinely kind and compassionate, and I appreciated her treating me like a human being during an extremely stressful situation. Unfortunately, that was not representative of the overall experience.
I have significant health issues and had been looking forward to this trip for a long time, and instead we were forced to stay at the only property we could find, in an area where the hotel itself was gated because of safety concerns in the surrounding neighborhood. I did not feel comfortable staying there, but we had no other choice.
What makes this even more frustrating is that when I later checked this hotel's website, rooms were still showing as available. That reinforced my feeling that this situation could have been handled very differently.
This was not simply a matter of a policy being applied. It was the complete lack of communication, empathy, and willingness to help that made this experience so upsetting. Policies are one thing, but basic customer service should not disappear when something goes wrong.
Afterward, I looked through the hotel's other reviews and was disappointed to find similar complaints from other guests. That makes me concerned that this may be a recurring issue rather than an isolated mistake.
I sincerely hope management takes a serious look at how prepaid third-party reservations are handled and, just as importantly, how guests are treated when problems arise. No guest should spend over $1,500 on a fully paid reservation and leave feeling dismissed, embarrassed, and completely abandoned.
I would not recommend this hotel based on my experience.
