Dear travel problem solver: I booked a weekend getaway to the Miraval Berkshires, an all-inclusive resort in Lenox, Massachusetts, for early September last yr. It was my best friend's birthday and my sister originally wanted to come back. She couldn't make it, so I notified the hotel ahead of time so I could change my reservation without penalty. Instead of three nights and three people, it could be two nights with two people. Because Miraval is all-inclusive, the property charges a fee per person per night.
The hotel charged me for 3 people. When I checked out I noticed the extra cost and a representative initially told me I might receive a refund. Just a few days later, one other hotel representative informed me that I might not receive a refund.
After over a month of attempting to resolve the problem and requesting an in depth breakdown of the associated fee per night so I could understand where the discrepancy was, the billing department offered to refund $290, which is a couple of tenth corresponds to the extra costs.
The Miraval team had offered such a poor solution and even then the mere $290 was neither refunded nor processed. Now they stop replying to my emails. The whole process has been stressful and I feel stuck like I can't do anything. Can you help me get the $2,500 in additional costs reimbursed?
ANSWER: Miraval must have charged you for 2 nights for 2 people, as you requested. If it overcharged you, it must have refunded the fees quickly as a substitute of stalling you and keeping you silent.
You did the appropriate thing by calling the resort to cancel your sister's stay and sending a follow-up email. This will create a obligatory paper trail that may mean you can prove that you will have requested a cancellation. You also made the request inside the cancellation period.
It appears that Miraval never confirmed the cancellation in writing. That must have set off all kinds of red flags for you since it means the hotel continues to be expecting three guests and plans to charge you accordingly.
How are you able to get a response from a hotel like Miraval Berkshires? You could have looked up the name of the overall manager of the hotel and emailed him. The manager would have forwarded the message to someone within the reservation who would then make sure you received written confirmation.
Another approach to fix this may be at check-in. In a follow-up conversation you mentioned that you simply had asked concerning the price when checking in because it was for 3 people. A representative assured you the problem can be resolved. But without written confirmation with the proper price, I probably wouldn't have left the lobby.
After failing several times to correct this, you could possibly have finally appealed to someone at Miraval's corporate owner, Hyatt. I publish the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of their customer support representatives on my consumer advocacy website. Elliott.org.
I actually have contacted Miraval in your behalf. A representative responded that the hotel “does not comment in any way” on guest billing inquiries or personal experiences.
“What I can tell you is that they take feedback from guests and consumers seriously and are investigating all alleged matters like this with detailed assistance and contacting the party itself directly,” the representative said.
And they did. The general manager of Miraval called you and explained what happened. He says the unique rate was “incorrectly communicated” to you and that you simply actually paid the proper rate. To clear up the misunderstanding, he offered you either a refund or the choice to return to the property at no cost for 2 nights. You have decided to return.
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