Travelling for work can be stressful enough.

But imagine the shock of arriving at your hotel after a long-haul flight, only to be told that your booking doesn't exist.

This was the unfortunate reality for Aaron Smith, who booked his accommodation through Qantas, only to find out that his reservation was nowhere to be found upon his arrival in India.

Smith had booked a 12-night stay at Apollo Dimora Calicut in Southern India through the Qantas website in September, along with his flights.

Smith booked his accommodations booked through the Qantas website. Image source: Qantas.

However, when he arrived at the hotel for his business trip on November 9, the staff claimed they had no record of his booking.

To make matters worse, it was late in the evening, leaving him with no way of contacting the airline.

'We resolved to create a temporary booking so I could contact Qantas in the morning, which I did, but they reiterated that the booking was active and confirmed,' Smith said.

Despite this, the hotel staff maintained they had no record of his booking for several days.

When the hotel staff finally found his booking, they informed him that he would need to pay about 30 per cent more (about $300) than he had initially paid through the Qantas site, as he had been given the wrong rate.

In the ensuing back-and-forth between Smith, Qantas, and the hotel, it was revealed that Qantas was 'essentially a wrapper' for Expedia, a holiday booking site.

This was news to Smith, as Expedia was not mentioned at all throughout the booking process.

Smith argued that Expedia should have been 'completely taken out of the loop in the resolution' given Qantas didn't outwardly indicate it used the site.

Qantas reportedly partnered with Expedia for accommodations booked through their website. Image source: Expedia.

'My suspicion is that the hotel doesn't manage its listings very well and probably has wrong pricing all over the place,' Smith thought.

'But my issue throughout this whole process has been the ongoing communication with Qantas and their inability to get a resolution up until this morning [Tuesday].'

He also shared that a post he made on social media may have spurred the airline into finding a resolution.

'I did that to try to apply pressure and get a response because I was completely out of options otherwise.'

After almost two weeks in limbo and upon checking out, Qantas informed Smith that they would be covering the additional charges imposed by the hotel.

'Arguably this should’ve happened 10 days ago rather than five hours before checking out,' he said.

'I typically like Qantas as an organisation, but I just think they dropped the ball here.'

While Smith was able to absorb the temporary loss of $300, he worried that others could be seriously impacted.

'I’m concerned that other people would go through this and not have the capacity to get it resolved,' he expressed.

The ordeal was financially stressful and a significant distraction from Smith's work in India to complete.

'It’s just something I don’t need and I don’t want to spend any time on it. I wasted a lot of time.'

Qantas has since apologised to Smith and confirmed that it would pay for all his accommodation, including the additional charges.

'We sincerely apologise to Mr Smith for this situation and have worked with him and the hotel to resolve the issue,' a spokesperson said.

'In recognition of his experience, we have provided Mr Smith with a full refund for the booking and the extra charge.'

The airline is now reportedly working with Expedia to 'understand how this has happened'.

Qantas also confirmed bookings with Apollo Dimora Calicut, where Smith stayed, were facilitated by Expedia.

As a gesture of goodwill, Smith was also provided a $250 Qantas Hotels voucher.

Key Takeaways

• An Australian man named Aaron Smith booked and paid for accommodation and flights via the Qantas website but was told his hotel booking didn't exist upon arrival at Apollo Dimora Calicut in India.
  
• The hotel eventually found his booking but asked him to pay about 30% more than he had already paid through Qantas, attributing the error to incorrect rates.
  
• Smith revealed communications between him and Qantas where it was revealed that Qantas acts as a 'wrapper' for third-party booking site Expedia, despite not indicating this at the time of booking.
  
• Qantas ultimately agreed to cover the additional charges imposed by the hotel. They also offered Smith a full refund for the booking, the extra charge, and a $250 Qantas Hotels voucher.

Have you ever experienced a similar issue with your bookings? Share your experiences and tips with us in the comments below.

 

[rehandra]

Travelling for work can be stressful enough.

But imagine the shock of arriving at your hotel after a long-haul flight, only to be told that your booking doesn't exist.

This was the unfortunate reality for Aaron Smith, who booked his accommodation through Qantas, only to find out that his reservation was nowhere to be found upon his arrival in India.

Smith had booked a 12-night stay at Apollo Dimora Calicut in Southern India through the Qantas website in September, along with his flights.

Smith booked his accommodations booked through the Qantas website. Image source: Qantas.

However, when he arrived at the hotel for his business trip on November 9, the staff claimed they had no record of his booking.

To make matters worse, it was late in the evening, leaving him with no way of contacting the airline.

'We resolved to create a temporary booking so I could contact Qantas in the morning, which I did, but they reiterated that the booking was active and confirmed,' Smith said.

Despite this, the hotel staff maintained they had no record of his booking for several days.

When the hotel staff finally found his booking, they informed him that he would need to pay about 30 per cent more (about $300) than he had initially paid through the Qantas site, as he had been given the wrong rate.

In the ensuing back-and-forth between Smith, Qantas, and the hotel, it was revealed that Qantas was 'essentially a wrapper' for Expedia, a holiday booking site.

This was news to Smith, as Expedia was not mentioned at all throughout the booking process.

Smith argued that Expedia should have been 'completely taken out of the loop in the resolution' given Qantas didn't outwardly indicate it used the site.

Qantas reportedly partnered with Expedia for accommodations booked through their website. Image source: Expedia.

'My suspicion is that the hotel doesn't manage its listings very well and probably has wrong pricing all over the place,' Smith thought.

'But my issue throughout this whole process has been the ongoing communication with Qantas and their inability to get a resolution up until this morning [Tuesday].'

He also shared that a post he made on social media may have spurred the airline into finding a resolution.

'I did that to try to apply pressure and get a response because I was completely out of options otherwise.'

After almost two weeks in limbo and upon checking out, Qantas informed Smith that they would be covering the additional charges imposed by the hotel.

'Arguably this should’ve happened 10 days ago rather than five hours before checking out,' he said.

'I typically like Qantas as an organisation, but I just think they dropped the ball here.'

While Smith was able to absorb the temporary loss of $300, he worried that others could be seriously impacted.

'I’m concerned that other people would go through this and not have the capacity to get it resolved,' he expressed.

The ordeal was financially stressful and a significant distraction from Smith's work in India to complete.

'It’s just something I don’t need and I don’t want to spend any time on it. I wasted a lot of time.'

Qantas has since apologised to Smith and confirmed that it would pay for all his accommodation, including the additional charges.

'We sincerely apologise to Mr Smith for this situation and have worked with him and the hotel to resolve the issue,' a spokesperson said.

'In recognition of his experience, we have provided Mr Smith with a full refund for the booking and the extra charge.'

The airline is now reportedly working with Expedia to 'understand how this has happened'.

Qantas also confirmed bookings with Apollo Dimora Calicut, where Smith stayed, were facilitated by Expedia.

As a gesture of goodwill, Smith was also provided a $250 Qantas Hotels voucher.

Key Takeaways

• An Australian man named Aaron Smith booked and paid for accommodation and flights via the Qantas website but was told his hotel booking didn't exist upon arrival at Apollo Dimora Calicut in India.
• The hotel eventually found his booking but asked him to pay about 30% more than he had already paid through Qantas, attributing the error to incorrect rates.
• Smith revealed communications between him and Qantas where it was revealed that Qantas acts as a 'wrapper' for third-party booking site Expedia, despite not indicating this at the time of booking.
• Qantas ultimately agreed to cover the additional charges imposed by the hotel. They also offered Smith a full refund for the booking, the extra charge, and a $250 Qantas Hotels voucher.

Have you ever experienced a similar issue with your bookings? Share your experiences and tips with us in the comments below.

This reminded me of when I arrived in Columba in the early hours travelling on my own. It was over 40 years ago. Taxi driver took me to my hotel where I was informed there was no booking although I had booked it in South Africa prior to getting the flight. All worked out as the hotel managed to find me a room for the two days I was there. In this situation with Qantas I think I would be taking hard copies or screen shots of all my bookings. This is shocking for a person to arrive and find no accommodation and then have to fork out more on top.

 

[mylittletibbies]

What a disaster, which should have been able to have been sorted out much quicker.
At least Qantas has compensated him financially, but it doesn't make up for the stress caused to the customer. It would have been hard for him to concentrate on his business with all these problems going on in the background.

 

[Mrtnst]

Having travelled a lot, both inside Australia and overseas, I always take copies of my bookings with me.

Even if I have received direct confirmation from the hotels (I take copies of this as well).

It's not uncommon for airlines, travel agents, booking companies or hotels misplace information.

People make mistakes, that is a fact of life.

But being totally dependent upon your memory to convince someone that a mistake has been made is not pleasant.

Having to spend the night, or several, in a hotel where the desk clerk asks: "How many hours do you want it for?"
Isn't pleasant.

 

[Staffordshire Whippet]

Use a travel agent. They f*** it, they fix it.

 

[JaMac]

Travelling for work can be stressful enough.

But imagine the shock of arriving at your hotel after a long-haul flight, only to be told that your booking doesn't exist.

This was the unfortunate reality for Aaron Smith, who booked his accommodation through Qantas, only to find out that his reservation was nowhere to be found upon his arrival in India.

Smith had booked a 12-night stay at Apollo Dimora Calicut in Southern India through the Qantas website in September, along with his flights.

Smith booked his accommodations booked through the Qantas website. Image source: Qantas.

However, when he arrived at the hotel for his business trip on November 9, the staff claimed they had no record of his booking.

To make matters worse, it was late in the evening, leaving him with no way of contacting the airline.

'We resolved to create a temporary booking so I could contact Qantas in the morning, which I did, but they reiterated that the booking was active and confirmed,' Smith said.

Despite this, the hotel staff maintained they had no record of his booking for several days.

When the hotel staff finally found his booking, they informed him that he would need to pay about 30 per cent more (about $300) than he had initially paid through the Qantas site, as he had been given the wrong rate.

In the ensuing back-and-forth between Smith, Qantas, and the hotel, it was revealed that Qantas was 'essentially a wrapper' for Expedia, a holiday booking site.

This was news to Smith, as Expedia was not mentioned at all throughout the booking process.

Smith argued that Expedia should have been 'completely taken out of the loop in the resolution' given Qantas didn't outwardly indicate it used the site.

Qantas reportedly partnered with Expedia for accommodations booked through their website. Image source: Expedia.

'My suspicion is that the hotel doesn't manage its listings very well and probably has wrong pricing all over the place,' Smith thought.

'But my issue throughout this whole process has been the ongoing communication with Qantas and their inability to get a resolution up until this morning [Tuesday].'

He also shared that a post he made on social media may have spurred the airline into finding a resolution.

'I did that to try to apply pressure and get a response because I was completely out of options otherwise.'

After almost two weeks in limbo and upon checking out, Qantas informed Smith that they would be covering the additional charges imposed by the hotel.

'Arguably this should’ve happened 10 days ago rather than five hours before checking out,' he said.

'I typically like Qantas as an organisation, but I just think they dropped the ball here.'

While Smith was able to absorb the temporary loss of $300, he worried that others could be seriously impacted.

'I’m concerned that other people would go through this and not have the capacity to get it resolved,' he expressed.

The ordeal was financially stressful and a significant distraction from Smith's work in India to complete.

'It’s just something I don’t need and I don’t want to spend any time on it. I wasted a lot of time.'

Qantas has since apologised to Smith and confirmed that it would pay for all his accommodation, including the additional charges.

'We sincerely apologise to Mr Smith for this situation and have worked with him and the hotel to resolve the issue,' a spokesperson said.

'In recognition of his experience, we have provided Mr Smith with a full refund for the booking and the extra charge.'

The airline is now reportedly working with Expedia to 'understand how this has happened'.

Qantas also confirmed bookings with Apollo Dimora Calicut, where Smith stayed, were facilitated by Expedia.

As a gesture of goodwill, Smith was also provided a $250 Qantas Hotels voucher.

Key Takeaways

• An Australian man named Aaron Smith booked and paid for accommodation and flights via the Qantas website but was told his hotel booking didn't exist upon arrival at Apollo Dimora Calicut in India.
• The hotel eventually found his booking but asked him to pay about 30% more than he had already paid through Qantas, attributing the error to incorrect rates.
• Smith revealed communications between him and Qantas where it was revealed that Qantas acts as a 'wrapper' for third-party booking site Expedia, despite not indicating this at the time of booking.
• Qantas ultimately agreed to cover the additional charges imposed by the hotel. They also offered Smith a full refund for the booking, the extra charge, and a $250 Qantas Hotels voucher.

Have you ever experienced a similar issue with your bookings? Share your experiences and tips with us in the comments below.

 

[Gil]

Back in 2006 I booked directly with the Airport Hotel in Jakarta Airport for one night. I was flying in from Australia, arriving at Soekarno-Hatta airport at 8:30 p.m. and my domestic connecting flight was due out at 5:00 a.m. I had to travel from the Terminal 3 to Terminal 2 to get to the hotel. When I got there they said sorry but your room has been taken. I questioned why and was told that there was a youth science convention in Jakarta and that all accommodation had been given to them. I was informed that the best option for 6 or 7 hours rest would be to grab a taxi and get to a close-by hotel. I got in a taxi and one and a half hours later found a place with accommodation. Apparently the youth convention had about 2000 attendees and all hotels near the airport were full. My accommodation was horrific when I got to the room, way down the back of the place. Right alongside a stinking open canal drain. The small bar fridge stunk, there were no pillowslips on the pillows, there were very large cockroaches scattering when I walked in. I immediately turned around, walked back to the font of the place, demanded my money back, ordered another taxi and went back to the airport and caught a few winks on seats. Absolutely horrible.

 

[JaMac]

well my experience with the Qantas hotel booking site did not have such a good outcome.
I booked

 

[mylittletibbies]

Use a travel agent. They f*** it, they fix it.

Mmmm, not too sure about that.
One just recently went belly up, leaving people thousands out of pocket.

 

[JaMac]

I booked a hotel in Fiji through Qantas’s website for a golf holiday in August this year - advertised as being next to a golf course and in a village, I arrived (by taxi - I didn’t hire a car thinking it was in the village) and checked in. On enquiring whether I hired golf clubs there or at the golf course was met with a perplexed look. The nearest golf course was 35 kms away!
The hotel was also about 30kms from the stated village and nowhere near any other.
By this time no other accomodation was available and it was only a 5 day break so not much I could do except register my frustration with staff who were less than interested.
On returning I filed a complaint with Qantas. It said they had nothing to do with what was advertised on its website and the hotel wasn’t going to do anything because there was a golf course I could have used 30 kms away.
The hotel’s misleading advertising remained on the Qantas website.

 

[mylittletibbies]

Did you post a review warning others of this representation?

 

[DLHM]

Having travelled a lot, both inside Australia and overseas, I always take copies of my bookings with me.

Even if I have received direct confirmation from the hotels (I take copies of this as well).

It's not uncommon for airlines, travel agents, booking companies or hotels misplace information.

People make mistakes, that is a fact of life.

But being totally dependent upon your memory to convince someone that a mistake has been made is not pleasant.

Having to spend the night, or several, in a hotel where the desk clerk asks: "How many hours do you want it for?"
Isn't pleasant.

I make copies that I keep on my phone as well as hard copies that I print out. I may go a bit overboard, but you never know…

 

[Kaybee]

Travelling for work can be stressful enough.

But imagine the shock of arriving at your hotel after a long-haul flight, only to be told that your booking doesn't exist.

This was the unfortunate reality for Aaron Smith, who booked his accommodation through Qantas, only to find out that his reservation was nowhere to be found upon his arrival in India.

Smith had booked a 12-night stay at Apollo Dimora Calicut in Southern India through the Qantas website in September, along with his flights.

Smith booked his accommodations booked through the Qantas website. Image source: Qantas.

However, when he arrived at the hotel for his business trip on November 9, the staff claimed they had no record of his booking.

To make matters worse, it was late in the evening, leaving him with no way of contacting the airline.

'We resolved to create a temporary booking so I could contact Qantas in the morning, which I did, but they reiterated that the booking was active and confirmed,' Smith said.

Despite this, the hotel staff maintained they had no record of his booking for several days.

When the hotel staff finally found his booking, they informed him that he would need to pay about 30 per cent more (about $300) than he had initially paid through the Qantas site, as he had been given the wrong rate.

In the ensuing back-and-forth between Smith, Qantas, and the hotel, it was revealed that Qantas was 'essentially a wrapper' for Expedia, a holiday booking site.

This was news to Smith, as Expedia was not mentioned at all throughout the booking process.

Smith argued that Expedia should have been 'completely taken out of the loop in the resolution' given Qantas didn't outwardly indicate it used the site.

Qantas reportedly partnered with Expedia for accommodations booked through their website. Image source: Expedia.

'My suspicion is that the hotel doesn't manage its listings very well and probably has wrong pricing all over the place,' Smith thought.

'But my issue throughout this whole process has been the ongoing communication with Qantas and their inability to get a resolution up until this morning [Tuesday].'

He also shared that a post he made on social media may have spurred the airline into finding a resolution.

'I did that to try to apply pressure and get a response because I was completely out of options otherwise.'

After almost two weeks in limbo and upon checking out, Qantas informed Smith that they would be covering the additional charges imposed by the hotel.

'Arguably this should’ve happened 10 days ago rather than five hours before checking out,' he said.

'I typically like Qantas as an organisation, but I just think they dropped the ball here.'

While Smith was able to absorb the temporary loss of $300, he worried that others could be seriously impacted.

'I’m concerned that other people would go through this and not have the capacity to get it resolved,' he expressed.

The ordeal was financially stressful and a significant distraction from Smith's work in India to complete.

'It’s just something I don’t need and I don’t want to spend any time on it. I wasted a lot of time.'

Qantas has since apologised to Smith and confirmed that it would pay for all his accommodation, including the additional charges.

'We sincerely apologise to Mr Smith for this situation and have worked with him and the hotel to resolve the issue,' a spokesperson said.

'In recognition of his experience, we have provided Mr Smith with a full refund for the booking and the extra charge.'

The airline is now reportedly working with Expedia to 'understand how this has happened'.

Qantas also confirmed bookings with Apollo Dimora Calicut, where Smith stayed, were facilitated by Expedia.

As a gesture of goodwill, Smith was also provided a $250 Qantas Hotels voucher.

Key Takeaways

• An Australian man named Aaron Smith booked and paid for accommodation and flights via the Qantas website but was told his hotel booking didn't exist upon arrival at Apollo Dimora Calicut in India.
• The hotel eventually found his booking but asked him to pay about 30% more than he had already paid through Qantas, attributing the error to incorrect rates.
• Smith revealed communications between him and Qantas where it was revealed that Qantas acts as a 'wrapper' for third-party booking site Expedia, despite not indicating this at the time of booking.
• Qantas ultimately agreed to cover the additional charges imposed by the hotel. They also offered Smith a full refund for the booking, the extra charge, and a $250 Qantas Hotels voucher.

Have you ever experienced a similar issue with your bookings? Share your experiences and tips with us in the comments below.

 

[Kaybee]

We had the same issue in November when we disembarked our cruise in Dubai. Went to our accommodation for the night to be told we had no bookin. As it was a Sunday morning over there we couldn’t contact anyone to get some explanation. The staff at the hotel were really rude and after sitting there waiting for the manager to sort out something (over 6 hours) we ended up booking elsewhere. The booking company HOTELBEDS (used by cruise 1st) responded at midnight and said that they don’t deal with the clients that we had to go through our booking agent Cruise 1st. Finally heard back from cruise 1st Monday morning and their reply was well we may refund you your accommodation cosrs and will get back to you. This was 20thNovember and have sent frequent emails to CRUISE 1st And still no outcome. I might add our friends also had same issue and she has contacted our booking agent from Cruise 1st and he played ignorant we hadn’t received our refund CRUISE 1St need to lift their game. They can’t hid behind Covid wait times now. Be wary people.

 

[riskydave]

Travelling for work can be stressful enough.

But imagine the shock of arriving at your hotel after a long-haul flight, only to be told that your booking doesn't exist.

This was the unfortunate reality for Aaron Smith, who booked his accommodation through Qantas, only to find out that his reservation was nowhere to be found upon his arrival in India.

Smith had booked a 12-night stay at Apollo Dimora Calicut in Southern India through the Qantas website in September, along with his flights.

Smith booked his accommodations booked through the Qantas website. Image source: Qantas.

However, when he arrived at the hotel for his business trip on November 9, the staff claimed they had no record of his booking.

To make matters worse, it was late in the evening, leaving him with no way of contacting the airline.

'We resolved to create a temporary booking so I could contact Qantas in the morning, which I did, but they reiterated that the booking was active and confirmed,' Smith said.

Despite this, the hotel staff maintained they had no record of his booking for several days.

When the hotel staff finally found his booking, they informed him that he would need to pay about 30 per cent more (about $300) than he had initially paid through the Qantas site, as he had been given the wrong rate.

In the ensuing back-and-forth between Smith, Qantas, and the hotel, it was revealed that Qantas was 'essentially a wrapper' for Expedia, a holiday booking site.

This was news to Smith, as Expedia was not mentioned at all throughout the booking process.

Smith argued that Expedia should have been 'completely taken out of the loop in the resolution' given Qantas didn't outwardly indicate it used the site.

Qantas reportedly partnered with Expedia for accommodations booked through their website. Image source: Expedia.

'My suspicion is that the hotel doesn't manage its listings very well and probably has wrong pricing all over the place,' Smith thought.

'But my issue throughout this whole process has been the ongoing communication with Qantas and their inability to get a resolution up until this morning [Tuesday].'

He also shared that a post he made on social media may have spurred the airline into finding a resolution.

'I did that to try to apply pressure and get a response because I was completely out of options otherwise.'

After almost two weeks in limbo and upon checking out, Qantas informed Smith that they would be covering the additional charges imposed by the hotel.

'Arguably this should’ve happened 10 days ago rather than five hours before checking out,' he said.

'I typically like Qantas as an organisation, but I just think they dropped the ball here.'

While Smith was able to absorb the temporary loss of $300, he worried that others could be seriously impacted.

'I’m concerned that other people would go through this and not have the capacity to get it resolved,' he expressed.

The ordeal was financially stressful and a significant distraction from Smith's work in India to complete.

'It’s just something I don’t need and I don’t want to spend any time on it. I wasted a lot of time.'

Qantas has since apologised to Smith and confirmed that it would pay for all his accommodation, including the additional charges.

'We sincerely apologise to Mr Smith for this situation and have worked with him and the hotel to resolve the issue,' a spokesperson said.

'In recognition of his experience, we have provided Mr Smith with a full refund for the booking and the extra charge.'

The airline is now reportedly working with Expedia to 'understand how this has happened'.

Qantas also confirmed bookings with Apollo Dimora Calicut, where Smith stayed, were facilitated by Expedia.

As a gesture of goodwill, Smith was also provided a $250 Qantas Hotels voucher.

Key Takeaways

• An Australian man named Aaron Smith booked and paid for accommodation and flights via the Qantas website but was told his hotel booking didn't exist upon arrival at Apollo Dimora Calicut in India.
• The hotel eventually found his booking but asked him to pay about 30% more than he had already paid through Qantas, attributing the error to incorrect rates.
• Smith revealed communications between him and Qantas where it was revealed that Qantas acts as a 'wrapper' for third-party booking site Expedia, despite not indicating this at the time of booking.
• Qantas ultimately agreed to cover the additional charges imposed by the hotel. They also offered Smith a full refund for the booking, the extra charge, and a $250 Qantas Hotels voucher.

Have you ever experienced a similar issue with your bookings? Share your experiences and tips with us in the comments below.

 

[riskydave]

I cannot understand why people still use anything to do with Qantas, it is an embarrassment to Australia, a rip off, and nothing has been done to rectify any of it's previous problems which still exist.

 

[kevinwoodtufftyke52@gmail]

Qua

Travelling for work can be stressful enough.

But imagine the shock of arriving at your hotel after a long-haul flight, only to be told that your booking doesn't exist.

This was the unfortunate reality for Aaron Smith, who booked his accommodation through Qantas, only to find out that his reservation was nowhere to be found upon his arrival in India.

Smith had booked a 12-night stay at Apollo Dimora Calicut in Southern India through the Qantas website in September, along with his flights.

Smith booked his accommodations booked through the Qantas website. Image source: Qantas.

However, when he arrived at the hotel for his business trip on November 9, the staff claimed they had no record of his booking.

To make matters worse, it was late in the evening, leaving him with no way of contacting the airline.

'We resolved to create a temporary booking so I could contact Qantas in the morning, which I did, but they reiterated that the booking was active and confirmed,' Smith said.

Despite this, the hotel staff maintained they had no record of his booking for several days.

When the hotel staff finally found his booking, they informed him that he would need to pay about 30 per cent more (about $300) than he had initially paid through the Qantas site, as he had been given the wrong rate.

In the ensuing back-and-forth between Smith, Qantas, and the hotel, it was revealed that Qantas was 'essentially a wrapper' for Expedia, a holiday booking site.

This was news to Smith, as Expedia was not mentioned at all throughout the booking process.

Smith argued that Expedia should have been 'completely taken out of the loop in the resolution' given Qantas didn't outwardly indicate it used the site.

Qantas reportedly partnered with Expedia for accommodations booked through their website. Image source: Expedia.

'My suspicion is that the hotel doesn't manage its listings very well and probably has wrong pricing all over the place,' Smith thought.

'But my issue throughout this whole process has been the ongoing communication with Qantas and their inability to get a resolution up until this morning [Tuesday].'

He also shared that a post he made on social media may have spurred the airline into finding a resolution.

'I did that to try to apply pressure and get a response because I was completely out of options otherwise.'

After almost two weeks in limbo and upon checking out, Qantas informed Smith that they would be covering the additional charges imposed by the hotel.

'Arguably this should’ve happened 10 days ago rather than five hours before checking out,' he said.

'I typically like Qantas as an organisation, but I just think they dropped the ball here.'

While Smith was able to absorb the temporary loss of $300, he worried that others could be seriously impacted.

'I’m concerned that other people would go through this and not have the capacity to get it resolved,' he expressed.

The ordeal was financially stressful and a significant distraction from Smith's work in India to complete.

'It’s just something I don’t need and I don’t want to spend any time on it. I wasted a lot of time.'

Qantas has since apologised to Smith and confirmed that it would pay for all his accommodation, including the additional charges.

'We sincerely apologise to Mr Smith for this situation and have worked with him and the hotel to resolve the issue,' a spokesperson said.

'In recognition of his experience, we have provided Mr Smith with a full refund for the booking and the extra charge.'

The airline is now reportedly working with Expedia to 'understand how this has happened'.

Qantas also confirmed bookings with Apollo Dimora Calicut, where Smith stayed, were facilitated by Expedia.

As a gesture of goodwill, Smith was also provided a $250 Qantas Hotels voucher.

Key Takeaways

• An Australian man named Aaron Smith booked and paid for accommodation and flights via the Qantas website but was told his hotel booking didn't exist upon arrival at Apollo Dimora Calicut in India.
• The hotel eventually found his booking but asked him to pay about 30% more than he had already paid through Qantas, attributing the error to incorrect rates.
• Smith revealed communications between him and Qantas where it was revealed that Qantas acts as a 'wrapper' for third-party booking site Expedia, despite not indicating this at the time of booking.
• Qantas ultimately agreed to cover the additional charges imposed by the hotel. They also offered Smith a full refund for the booking, the extra charge, and a $250 Qantas Hotels voucher.

Have you ever experienced a similar issue with your bookings? Share your experiences and tips with us in the comments below.

Quantas is continuing to damage their reputation. It hasn't had a good reputation ever since Joyce took over.

 

[Staffordshire Whippet]

Mmmm, not too sure about that.
One just recently went belly up, leaving people thousands out of pocket.

...as opposed to the much greater risk of D-I-Y going wrong, in which you are DEFINITELY up-the-creek AND out-of-pocket?

 

[mylittletibbies]

...as opposed to the much greater risk of D-I-Y going wrong, in which you are DEFINITELY up-the-creek AND out-of-pocket?

I always DIY and have never had a problem.
I book my own fares, no problems,always receive written confirmation and do my accommodation bookings thru
Bookings.com. Once again you receive confirmation from them and also from the accommodation.
Nothing has ever gone wrong.
I know a few people were scammed thru what they thought was Bookings.com recently but you need to be wary of scams, know what to look for, etc. I am 77 years old, not extremely tech savvy, so I reckon if I can manage then anybody should be able to. If you can't, then get a family member to help.
At least you're not giving your money to a travel agent who doesn't pass it on to the people it is meant for. If they go broke you've got Buckley's of getting your money back

 

[Luckyus]

Travelling for work can be stressful enough.

But imagine the shock of arriving at your hotel after a long-haul flight, only to be told that your booking doesn't exist.

This was the unfortunate reality for Aaron Smith, who booked his accommodation through Qantas, only to find out that his reservation was nowhere to be found upon his arrival in India.

Smith had booked a 12-night stay at Apollo Dimora Calicut in Southern India through the Qantas website in September, along with his flights.

Smith booked his accommodations booked through the Qantas website. Image source: Qantas.

However, when he arrived at the hotel for his business trip on November 9, the staff claimed they had no record of his booking.

To make matters worse, it was late in the evening, leaving him with no way of contacting the airline.

'We resolved to create a temporary booking so I could contact Qantas in the morning, which I did, but they reiterated that the booking was active and confirmed,' Smith said.

Despite this, the hotel staff maintained they had no record of his booking for several days.

When the hotel staff finally found his booking, they informed him that he would need to pay about 30 per cent more (about $300) than he had initially paid through the Qantas site, as he had been given the wrong rate.

In the ensuing back-and-forth between Smith, Qantas, and the hotel, it was revealed that Qantas was 'essentially a wrapper' for Expedia, a holiday booking site.

This was news to Smith, as Expedia was not mentioned at all throughout the booking process.

Smith argued that Expedia should have been 'completely taken out of the loop in the resolution' given Qantas didn't outwardly indicate it used the site.

Qantas reportedly partnered with Expedia for accommodations booked through their website. Image source: Expedia.

'My suspicion is that the hotel doesn't manage its listings very well and probably has wrong pricing all over the place,' Smith thought.

'But my issue throughout this whole process has been the ongoing communication with Qantas and their inability to get a resolution up until this morning [Tuesday].'

He also shared that a post he made on social media may have spurred the airline into finding a resolution.

'I did that to try to apply pressure and get a response because I was completely out of options otherwise.'

After almost two weeks in limbo and upon checking out, Qantas informed Smith that they would be covering the additional charges imposed by the hotel.

'Arguably this should’ve happened 10 days ago rather than five hours before checking out,' he said.

'I typically like Qantas as an organisation, but I just think they dropped the ball here.'

While Smith was able to absorb the temporary loss of $300, he worried that others could be seriously impacted.

'I’m concerned that other people would go through this and not have the capacity to get it resolved,' he expressed.

The ordeal was financially stressful and a significant distraction from Smith's work in India to complete.

'It’s just something I don’t need and I don’t want to spend any time on it. I wasted a lot of time.'

Qantas has since apologised to Smith and confirmed that it would pay for all his accommodation, including the additional charges.

'We sincerely apologise to Mr Smith for this situation and have worked with him and the hotel to resolve the issue,' a spokesperson said.

'In recognition of his experience, we have provided Mr Smith with a full refund for the booking and the extra charge.'

The airline is now reportedly working with Expedia to 'understand how this has happened'.

Qantas also confirmed bookings with Apollo Dimora Calicut, where Smith stayed, were facilitated by Expedia.

As a gesture of goodwill, Smith was also provided a $250 Qantas Hotels voucher.

Key Takeaways

• An Australian man named Aaron Smith booked and paid for accommodation and flights via the Qantas website but was told his hotel booking didn't exist upon arrival at Apollo Dimora Calicut in India.
• The hotel eventually found his booking but asked him to pay about 30% more than he had already paid through Qantas, attributing the error to incorrect rates.
• Smith revealed communications between him and Qantas where it was revealed that Qantas acts as a 'wrapper' for third-party booking site Expedia, despite not indicating this at the time of booking.
• Qantas ultimately agreed to cover the additional charges imposed by the hotel. They also offered Smith a full refund for the booking, the extra charge, and a $250 Qantas Hotels voucher.

Have you ever experienced a similar issue with your bookings? Share your experiences and tips with us in the comments below.

Somehow, Why am I not surprised by the workings of Quantas?