We reserved the Pelican House at Manasota Beach Club months in advance for our 20th wedding…read moreanniversary. Leading up to the trip, we made repeated efforts to communicate with the property about details and amenities. At one point, we were told their system had been hacked and that we should not accept emails from them for a period of time. Then, shortly before our trip, we received what they described as an "app," which appeared incomplete and contained little to no useful information. Taken together, the communication issues raised concerns early on.
The day before our cross-country flight, we received a call from Charles, who identified himself as the head sales manager and said he was "the boss" when asked about a supervisor. He informed us that the Pelican House was no longer available due to a reported bedbug issue. Regardless of the reason, the timing left us with virtually no ability to make alternative plans.
The replacement options offered were, in our view, not comparable. We specifically chose this property for a quiet, intimate beachfront experience with access to amenities like kayaks, canoes, and bikes. The suggested alternatives were larger, more traditional resort-style properties without the same privacy, beach access, or features we had planned around. While these were described as "nicer," the focus was on things like interior finishes rather than the experience we had intentionally booked.
What made this especially difficult is that just the day before, we had conversations with staff where we shared that this trip was for our 20th anniversary during a period of repeated family tragedies. At that time, the tone was empathetic and understanding. However, once the cancellation was communicated, that empathy disappeared. The interaction shifted to a rigid, take-it-or-leave-it approach with no meaningful acknowledgment of the impact.
We were given two options: accept a replacement that did not meet our needs or take a refund at the last minute--leaving us with non-refundable flights, a car rental, and no place to stay. There was no effort to provide a comparable solution or to help mitigate the disruption.
After the call, I attempted to reach Charles again, but did not receive a return call. My wife later received an automated refund email. When I contacted Susan, the house manager, to confirm what had happened, the response was brief and, in our view, lacked empathy--stating only that they "couldn't risk it" because of bedbugs.
From our perspective, this experience was deeply disruptive and disappointing. It left us with significant unexpected costs, no accommodations, and a milestone anniversary trip that had been planned for months effectively undone at the last minute.