Hotwire Hotel: 3* Cancun (North Riviera Maya - Puerto Morelos) Ocean Breeze Riviera Maya

[catty.q]

I hope I am posting this in the right place if not let me know.I am new to the forum.I need advice on how to proceed and I am wondering whether this has happened to any one else

I used a "HotDeal" unnamed Hotel to get this deal.In the list of amenities it clearly states" Food and Beverages Included" as well as a number of others my wife and I were looking for.Great deal and after finding out the hotel we were extremely pleased with our purchase.We then booked our flights using our accumulated Avion Air Miles and then proceeded to plan the rest of our trip.Two days later we receive the following e-mail from Hotwire:

"We are contacting you about your upcoming stay at OCEAN BREEZE RIVIERA MAYA . Hotwire itinerary ??????????. We regret that the hotel is not able to offer the All-inclusive that was listed on our site. We do periodically review our hotel partners' amenities to show the most accurate and up-to-date information, and we recently changed our site to reflect the current offerings of OCEAN BREEZE RIVIERA MAYA . As such, we would like to offer you the option of either cancelling the reservation for a full refund, or keeping the reservation and receiving 25% of your entire stay in HotDollars. HotDollars can be used for any hotel, flight, or Hotwire hot Rate rental car booking on Hotwire. Each HotDollar is equivalent to one U.S.. dollar and is available for one year from the date of issuance".

After hours on the phone I have not received any logical explanation for the cancellation of the all inclusive amenity. Hotwire Customer Service simply read my available options from a scripted text and of course do not understand the impact this has on our limited travel budget.The Hotel says that their confirmation shows an EP plan.My confirmation still says Food and Beverages Included as I am writing this post.Neither Hotwire or the Hotel is taking blame.Hotwire has given us a number of excuses,depending on who you talk to,including that the "hotel management has changed and the hotel is no longer offering an all inclusive plan at all which is an out right lie.I was quoted from the hotels website that it would cost $80 per person per night in order to upgrade to an all inclusive plan.So the all inclusive does exist and does on other travel sites including Priceline HotWires answer is that they do not have an all inclusive listed for this Hotel.They are using many other deceptive tactics as well.

Any ideas on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.Has this happened to anyone else ? I have googled it and I have not found any body else who has had this problem

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Can you please add a reply to this thread with the amenities shown before your purchase... you can still view this information by going to HOTWIRE and clicking the MY ACCOUNT link near the top right of their home page.

I don't see the all-inclusive option for $80 more per nite at the hotel's website (i do see a 'Book 14 days in advance and get 10% off an all-inclusive package' but nothing about an $80 per person figure' so i can't say if this is an old promotion as the hotel has removed the all-inclusive option or if this is something still available, as per your $80/pp quote). Either way i would call HOTWIRE and ask to speak to a supervisor and let them know that you only booked this trip based upon the all-inclusive option and the price shown since it seemed like a good deal based upon what you had budgeted for this trip, and you have since made other plans (like purchased airline tickets) based upon your confirmation of the hotel booking. Tell them they need to work it out with the hotel to have them honor the all-inclusive rate (or they should pay the hotel for this package) OR they need to find you accommodations at a similarly rated all-inclusive property for no additional out of pocket expense on your part.

Good luck.

[catty.q]

I have talked to a supervisor at hotmail.com twice and I have told them exactly what you suggested.I have asked them to find another hotel with the same amenities for the price I paid or pay the hotel for the difference.They practically laughed in my face and said that they are not responsible for the actual listing.The price of $80 extra per person for the all inclusive upgrade came from the reservation manager of the Ocean Breeze Hotel Chain (Maria Chevez).I e-mailed her to check to see whether they still offered the all inclusive package after hotwire sent the e-mail telling me that they did not have that option any more.Once I got a response I then asked her the price.I talked to Hotwire after this and they said they would not pay the difference and again offered to cancel the reservation out right or if I decided to keep it they would give me 25 percent cash back in hotwire dollars.They will not even give me 25 percent back on this trip it is only on the next one I purchase.I will never use hotwire again after this experience.

Ocean Breeze Riviera Maya

See ratings guide

Carr. Federal Cancun - Playa del Carmen Km 48,

Playa del Carmen, QROO, 77710

Check-in Thu, Mar 14, 2013 3:00 PM

Check-out Thu, Mar 21, 2013 12:00 PM

Amenities

Free Parking Near Beach Food and Beverages Included

Water Sports/Ocean Activities Included Evening Entertainment Included Daily Activities Included

Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s)

Laundry Facilities (self-service) Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility

Wheelchair accessible Accessible bathroom

[thereuare]

Other than trying to escalate above the supervisor level that you spoke with i'm not sure what else you can do or how else to pursue this. I would also start looking into other options as a back-up plan (in the same destination OR elsewhere if you're able to cancel/rebank your airline miles)

[catty.q]

Thanks for your input.I was able to get to upper management and they reinstated the All Inclusive Plan.It was a long arduous task but I finally found out how to make contact with someone who really understood the impact it had on our holiday.

[thereuare]

Sorry it was an ordeal to get it taken care of, but glad to see it was ultimately resolved to your satisfaction.

HOTWIRE customer service is actually pretty good and when it's not something subjective (like what star rating a hotel should be) they have a good history of standing behind their product.

Have a great trip.