BE WARNED: I stay in 3 hotels a week professionally through work and have done so for many years. I have never, ever been accused of causing damage — in fact, I usually leave rooms in better condition than I find them. I don’t smoke and I don’t iron, so being accused of leaving burn marks on the carpet was insulting.
The room itself was not what was advertised. It was listed as having a private bathroom, but there was no en suite and I had to go to the second floor to use a bathroom. I didn’t complain at the time, as I’m not that kind of person, but it was not as described.
A £50 holding deposit was taken from my bank account. I received an email receipt but no explanation. When I tried to contact the owner — via phone calls (with voicemail left), text messages and WhatsApps (all delivered and read), as well as email — I received no response at all.
Only after the deposit had been taken did I receive an email accusing me of leaving burn marks. I immediately requested photographic evidence of the alleged damage, including images of the room before and after my stay. Despite numerous attempts to follow this up, I received nothing.
Hotels.com were excellent and refunded the cost of the room and more. After also contacting my bank, the £50 was eventually returned to my account.
This was never about the money — it was about principle and the complete lack of communication. Had the owner engaged in any dialogue, this may have been resolved as a misunderstanding. DISGRACEFUL