Search Travel Market Report

mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
  • News
  • Tours & Packages
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Niche & Luxury
  • Well-Being Travel
  • Training & Events
  • Who We Are
    • Anne Marie Moebes
    • Brian Israel
    • Dan McCarthy
    • Denise Caiazzo
    • Dori Saltzman
    • Kelly Fontenelle

How a Bad OTA Booking Led to a Woman Spending the Night Outside LaGuardia

by Daniel McCarthy / October 25, 2022
Why You Should Use a Travel Agent

Photo: Casimiro PT / Shutterstock.com

Chalk it up as another reason to book through a real-life travel advisor. 

This week’s Tripped Up travel column in the New York Times featured the story of a pregnant woman who booked a Queens, New York hotel room through booking.com to attend a Manhattan wedding last month. 

The room seemed like a perfect fit. It was located in the Long Island City neighborhood with direct trains or quick car rides into Manhattan and not too far from LaGuardia, one of New York’s main hubs, and the airport she was flying in and out of, making it extremely convenient. 

Also, getting availability in late summer or early fall in New York, with the city busy with U.S. Open tennis traffic amid a tourism resurgence in the Big Apple, isn’t always an easy task. 

The issue came when the guest arrived at the hotel, she discovered it was no longer a hotel. Instead, she “found it had been converted into a homeless shelter.” She didn’t have a room and said she felt unsafe in a neighborhood foreign to her. 

“Alone and nearly five months pregnant, I felt very unsafe in the neighborhood and finally got an Uber so that I could wait at the airport as I contacted Booking.com,” she wrote. 

After trying to get new arrangements from the hotel, she ended up taking an Uber back to the airport late at night, a spot where she felt safe, and a trip that eventually ended up with her waiting outside, sitting in a wheelchair until the doors opened at 4 a.m. 

There are things in place when booking through an online portal that are supposed to alleviate guest worries. Mostly, OTAs and home rental companies like Airbnb allow others to review properties and warn potential future travelers about dangers or disasters that don’t generally show up on copywriting on those booking websites. 

The Tripped Up column says that much and does confirm that the hotel had some of the worst reviews in New York City and that previous travelers had the same experience as the woman.

However, that doesn’t necessarily excuse a website taking a reservation and then denying someone accommodations. The traveler should have done her due diligence, and if she wasn’t interested in research, a travel advisor would have done it for her. 

“It turns out you slipped through a particularly treacherous version of the biggest crack in 21st-century travel: our reliance on online travel agencies, or O.T.A.s, like Booking.com and TripAdvisor, and Expedia. Many travelers fail to realize these are mammoth middlemen who often have only superficial knowledge of the services they’re selling and inadequate systems to intervene if something goes wrong,” the column says. 

The OTAs have long made a killing on simply being a “middleman” and exempting themselves from blame when something like this happens, but there seem to be more and more stories popping up when OTAs are finally on the hook for unscrupulous behavior. Just this year, a major OTA’s CEO and COO were arrested in a COVID fraud case, Trivago was hit with massive fines from Australian Federal Courts because of “misleading” conduct, and CheapoAir was fined $2.6 million for “dishonest and predatory” behavior. 

The full piece can be read here (Paywall warning).

  40
  0
Related Articles
Hotels.com Guts Hotel Rewards Program
OTA Lastminute.com's CEO and COO Arrested in COVID Fraud Probe
Booking Travel Through Costco Might Be About to Get More Expensive
Trivago Hit With Massive Fine from Australian Federal Court Because of “Misleading” Conduct
Consumers Are More Likely to Skip Going to Concerts or the Movies than Forgo Travel
OTA Operator Fined $2.6 Million for ‘Dishonest and Predatory’ Behavior
How Personal Can an Online Agency Be? Aussie’s Luxury Escapes Counts the Ways
Three Online Booking Horror Stories That Show Why You Should Always Use a Travel Agent
Look-a-Like Travel Booking Websites Could Cost Consumers
Three Online Booking Horror Stories That Show the Value of a Good Travel Agent

MOST VIEWED

  1. Two of Germany’s Busiest Airports Will Be Closed on Monday
  2. Why Travel Advisors Need to Learn to Say No to New Business
  3. U.S. Passport Renewal Waiting Time Could Soon Get Even Worse
  4. U.S. State Department Warns of 4-Month Delays for Passport Renewal
  5. Government of Canada Updates Its Mexico Travel Advisory
  6. Royal Caribbean Eliminates Sky Pad Experience

MOST EMAILED

  1. U.S. State Department Warns of 4-Month Delays for Passport Renewal
  2. U.S. Passport Renewal Waiting Time Could Soon Get Even Worse
  3. Why Travel Advisors Need to Learn to Say No to New Business
  4. U.S. Passport Renewal Processing Time Now 8 to 11 Weeks
  5. European Union Delays Launch of ETIAS Until At Least 2024
  6. Travelers Believe That Working With Advisors Is Only Way to Get a True Luxury Experience
TMR THIS WEEK
Sponsored by ALG Vacations®
//services.travelsavers.com/AMGService.svc/REST/GetImage?ImageID=dbb24e9c-8fcc-ed11-b00b-005056a8720b&Width=350&Height&250

9 Tips for Making Spring Break More Memorable

Spring Break has sprung and Americans are traveling in record-high numbers again

Read More...
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth coverage, analysis of industry news, trends and issues that affect how you do business. Subscribe now for free.

Subscribe to TMR

Top Stories
Charter-only Transcend Cruises Charters Ex-Crystal River Ship from Riverside Cruises
Charter-only Transcend Cruises Charters Ex-Crystal River Ship from Riverside Cruises

"Retail river cruise demand is at an all-time high, the charter customer has fewer options, and we are happy to deliver a new solution." 

Read...
TICO appoints Dorian Werda as Registrar
TICO appoints Dorian Werda as Registrar

She is responsible for overseeing all regulatory functions for Ontario's travel agencies. 

Read...
Tahiti Tourisme Brings Back North American "Receptions" Road Show
Tahiti Tourisme Brings Back North American "Receptions" Road Show

Tahiti Receptions are returning to eight cities across Canada and the U.S. for the first time since 2018. 

Read...
Ontarians Still Concerned About Travel Delays & Cancellations
Ontarians Still Concerned About Travel Delays & Cancellations

Nearly two in three Ontarians are still concerned about having their travel plans delayed or cancelled. 

Read...
Ask an Advisor: Why Would a Client Pay My Fee Instead of Going Somewhere Else?
Ask an Advisor: Why Would a Client Pay My Fee Instead of Going Somewhere Else?

“Why would someone pay my fee when they can go to 20 other agents in my area who are not charging a fee?”

Read...
What Advisors Should Know About AutoCamp Luxury Camping
What Advisors Should Know About AutoCamp Luxury Camping

AutoCamp offers luxury camping in Airstreams, tents, cabins, and suites with nature and modern design.

Read...
TMR OUTLOOKS & WHITE PAPERS
river cruise 2022
group outlook 2022
lux cruise outlook
CP White Paper
Multi-Gen Outlook
River Cruise Outlook 2019
View All
Advertiser's Voice
https://img.youtube.com/vi/eeYJNcTKI9Q/0.jpg
Check-In Episode 32: We Are in Boom Time for Travel. How Long Will It Last?
About Travel Market Report Mission Staff Advisory Board Advertise
TMR Resources Webinars Calendar of Events Outlook/Whitepapers Previous Sponsored Articles Previous This Week Articles
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
News |Tours & Packages |Cruise |Hotels & Resorts |Destinations |Retail Strategies |Niche & Luxury |Well-Being Travel |Training & Events |Who We Are
© 2005 - 2023 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | 243 South Street, Oyster Bay, NY, 11771 USA | Telephone (516) 730-3097| Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy