I think it is disgraceful what Monterey area hotels do to the public during special events. Price gouging is commonplace even with the most average to below-average hotels. For example, during our Summer Jazz Camp held in Monterey in June, we were asked to vacate our hotel so that the rooms could be re-booked (due to the US Open) at 5 times our room rate. Most of our staff could drive home, but I had to find another hotel for 4 of our clinicians for the weekend of June 18th (2 nights). I booked 4 rooms through Expedia.com at the Howard Johnson in Marina for a very low rate of $39 per room per night. Obviously, the folks at the Hotel did not know that it was US Open weekend. One week prior to Camp, 2 of the clinicians informed me that they did not need the room after all, so I contacted Expedia about canceling. Expedia told me to contact the hotel, which I did ( on June 11). The clerk at the hotel said this would not be a problem and told me that my reservation number was my cancellation number.
On June 16th, I went to the hotel to pay for the two rooms we were still using. At that time, I checked to see that the other two rooms were canceled. The clerk looked it up and told me they were. I paid in advance for the two rooms we planned to keep.
The charge with tax was $86.24 for each room (2 nights each) for a total of $172.48. On 6/21, my Visa card was charged this amount, but was also charged $798.49 for an additional room. When I called the hotel, the manager told me that I was not allowed to cancel the rooms, so he charged me their US Open rate (for one room). I was not charged for the 2nd room that I supposedly could not cancel. Charging me a rate other than the one that I had been quoted when booking seemed grossly unfair to me so I contacted Expedia.com who told me they could not help me. Next, I contacted our Visa card provider. They are investigating. Next I contacted the Wyndam Hotel Group, the parent company for Howard Johnson Hotels. They originally told me (via email) that the manager of the hotel would call me by July 28th, which did not happened. Recently, they emailed me that they will wait and see what Visa decides to do.
Originally, the folks at Visa credited our account pending a final decision. They then recharged us after one month’s time. I called and asked why. They asked if I had given permission to charge the account, which I had for the two rooms we used. They explained that the original case was being handled by their fraud dept. and that now this needed to go to another dept. We have been credited half --$399.25 while the other dept. investigates.
I am hopeful that at the very most, I will be charged the original $39 per room per night ($172.48 with tax) for the two rooms that I was told I could cancel. $798 for a room at the Howard Johnson in Marina is just outrageous.
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