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Alberta family faces hotel heartbreak over jacked-up Calgary Stampede booking

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  • Опубліковано 14 сер 2024
  • A family from Cold Lake is questioning Calgary’s “western hospitality” after their hotel booking was unexpectedly and suddenly changed to a much higher rate.
    Leanne Varughese booked a room at the Holiday Inn Express Calgary South on April 25. She told Global News her family had never been to the Calgary Stampede and were meeting up with some friends from Eastern Canada.
    “I got the confirmation email that my reservation had been confirmed,” she said. “I was set for two nights.”
    “Last week, Thursday, I got a voicemail stating that rate was no longer valid,” she recounted.
    “That it didn’t apply" for the time that I was going to be in Calgary.
    The voicemail went on to state that the “government rate” which Varughese had booked under was not what the hotel charged during the big event.
    Instead, she would be charged $430 a night.
    The company that owns Holiday Inn Express reached out to Global News for more information about this specific case so it can look into what happened.
    Tomasia DaSilva has the story.
    For more info, please go to globalnews.ca/...
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    #GlobalNews #calgarystampede #hotel

КОМЕНТАРІ • 70

  • @MarkCanadian
    @MarkCanadian Місяць тому +37

    Greed, greed and more greed. $430 a night is absurd. Robbery actually.

  • @RobBread1
    @RobBread1 Місяць тому +20

    The price is absurd. Boycott that hotel chain.

    • @marknalberta
      @marknalberta Місяць тому +2

      Oh come on the lady works for the government she can afford it. If she wasn't black and a government employee you never would have heard about this

    • @CookiesCritterCare
      @CookiesCritterCare Місяць тому +1

      Dont be racist ​@@marknalberta

  • @angelarose8545
    @angelarose8545 Місяць тому +30

    The family booked their room back in April, confirmed by the hotel. The hotel should honor the booking. If anything the hotel should have had the Stampede Blackout Date added to their computer long, long ago. The hotel made the mistake not the family. It would be good public relations for them.

  • @bigpurplepops
    @bigpurplepops Місяць тому +11

    "Cancel your reservation free of charge" is disgusting.
    Trying to make it sound like a privilege to have a company dishonour their agreed pricing is blatantly unethical, and borderline illegal.

  • @Wapitimodels
    @Wapitimodels Місяць тому +15

    Why was this family not informed immediately when reserving these rooms, the person who took the reservation would have know there was a Stampede blackout, this is definitely dishonest and kinda fraudulent im thinking. The quick switch-a-roo . Boycott this hotel chain untill this family gets a Apology and honors the deal they originally made. Shame on you Holiday Inn... shame shame

  • @jonfklein
    @jonfklein Місяць тому +7

    I agree with her. She has a confirmed booking from Holiday Inn for those nights. I would demand they honor it, even if they screwed up and charged her the wrong rate. If they didn't accept that I would have contacted the head office and possibly filed a complaint with the Office of Consumer Affairs Canada. I don't think she needed to get Global News involved though.

  • @joetran8798
    @joetran8798 Місяць тому +5

    Holiday Inn should honour the booking. It's not the family's fault that HI didn't input any blackout periods into the system. Alternatively, assuming they still have the email, take the hotel to court for the difference + legal fees (if they use a lawyer) + inconvenience.

  • @CookiesCritterCare
    @CookiesCritterCare Місяць тому +3

    They sold you the room at the lower rate. That's their mess up and their loss

  • @MrChancebandit
    @MrChancebandit Місяць тому +3

    430 a night ....wont every stay at holiday inn

  • @greggreg2263
    @greggreg2263 Місяць тому +13

    $430 a night they can stay at my house and I’ll sleep in the car🦾

  • @Resologist
    @Resologist Місяць тому +4

    NOTHING STRANGE ABOUT IT! Global News should talk to people who have worked in hotels and seen management decide to jack up rates or purposely overbook reservations. It's pure greed. Best way to deal with such dishonesty would be to revoke the hotel's business license. Don't expect anyone in government to do a thing about it. Competition Bureau? They don't care!

  • @bcanuck
    @bcanuck Місяць тому +2

    Government rate is likely for military or government workers is it not? Why would anyone expect holiday stays to be billed the same?

  • @casper80801
    @casper80801 Місяць тому +3

    Definitely the hotels fault. Worked for a similar chain for years where this was common practice. Don’t be surprised if it gets canceled and rebooked with someone willing to pay triple.

  • @justinehall6884
    @justinehall6884 Місяць тому +1

    As a former front desk customer service agent in a couple of hotels holiday inn (2007) being one of them a couple of things went wrong here…
    1. Blackout dates are set 1&2 years in advance and stampede info was posted in the back office so we were aware of rates and offerings during that time period all year round.
    2. Since these are set prior and way before April of the same year, there was clearly an oversight in the online booking system parameters for those dates that is the error of either IHG or the hotel location for not getting that information in and confirming sooner for the website managers
    3. As blackout dates affect and override all rates (even working crews with standing dates and shift turnovers) the hotel will generally have in the company rate agreement an elevated price for that period of time.
    All that said, the error in rate offering is in my opinion the fault of the hotel/parent company and the too good to be true rate offering should have been confirmed via telephone call with the hotel location front desk manager by the customer at the time of booking. The fair move here would be for both parties to agree to a rate in the middle.

  • @violetraton8731
    @violetraton8731 Місяць тому +5

    We paid $300 night in Squamish last month

  • @stephenwlodarczyk175
    @stephenwlodarczyk175 Місяць тому +2

    Criminal. We book in advance for savings. If we went to the bank tomorrow and said we want to discuss a new mortgage rate. It’s not without penalty fees.

  • @matthewporter1376
    @matthewporter1376 Місяць тому +3

    Why and how did a family get a government rate for a holiday stay? And 430 a night? Better be a unicorn that tucks them in

    • @cityboyis2
      @cityboyis2 24 дні тому

      you do know that government is still a corporation and hotels offer discounts to businesses including government and even for government workers during non business travels. It's not a crime to get a discount.

    • @matthewporter1376
      @matthewporter1376 24 дні тому

      @@cityboyis2 430 bucks a night is the only crime 😳

  • @charlesward9486
    @charlesward9486 Місяць тому +5

    Kinda pricy for a holiday inn! I wonder if they're going to get the bedbugs for free!

  • @alohashamanarts
    @alohashamanarts Місяць тому +7

    Why the change? Gouging!

  • @kensellar
    @kensellar Місяць тому +3

    Hotels are crooks.

  • @Mary-annLazurko
    @Mary-annLazurko Місяць тому +1

    This happened to our granddaughter and her family last year. They went all the way to Olds to get a decent rate. You would think the accommodation industry would make enough during Stampede, they wouldn't have to gouge everyone.😢

  • @Headinavise
    @Headinavise Місяць тому +2

    Get use to it. The New Canada. Hope you like crowds and high prices.

  • @EyeSee4.8
    @EyeSee4.8 Місяць тому +2

    Thats not right.

  • @bmint
    @bmint Місяць тому +1

    If you prebook. During stampede..
    You have that precooked rate..
    That is the agreement..
    They will not fair well in this argument!
    This hotel is proving itself to be trash..
    Why would I pay that much to stay in a trashy place..
    They may even try to ding you for previous damage..
    This is shady business practice and very bad!

  • @robm9581
    @robm9581 Місяць тому +1

    thats standard everywhere now; hard to find a rm anywhere for under $175; even the family owned motels are $100 + and they are usually only in back water places

    • @hrobinson9701
      @hrobinson9701 Місяць тому +1

      It may be standard but that should have been communicated to the family back in April, when they booked the rooms using a discount code that is conveniently "not valid" during the time of the family's stay.

  • @SteveFlys
    @SteveFlys Місяць тому +1

    It's wrong, sure. But every single city hosting a major event does this. Hotel in Paris for Olympics? One in Sunshine Florida for the stanley cup? Any major singer+concert. All the same, all greed. It's shameful, but it's been happening everywhere for decades.

  • @JamesC-g3u
    @JamesC-g3u Місяць тому

    One of the other news sites stated that the government rate is for when doing government business, and this is not government business but personal. Someone forgot to mention that. Strange

  • @jesseoreilly1792
    @jesseoreilly1792 14 днів тому

    It's called price gouging. Plain and simple.

  • @trevordennis
    @trevordennis Місяць тому

    $430 a night is high for sure, but not unexpected for a major event. The issue here is that they booked it for $130 and then told this family they were going to change it at the last minute. The hotel should have lived with their mistake instead of getting all this bad PR for a measly $600 difference in their profits.

  • @bmint
    @bmint Місяць тому

    That’s not too good to be true..
    Don’t say that!
    This is disgusting!

  • @nonasmith2405
    @nonasmith2405 Місяць тому +2

    Yes it's terrible

  • @domjong6329
    @domjong6329 Місяць тому

    Welcome to the Alberta advantage everyone!

  • @buckmclean8391
    @buckmclean8391 Місяць тому

    As I have said for years...NEVER spend a single vacation dollar in canada. It's a better deal to go to many other countries and actually see something interesting. $ goes further elsewhere.

  • @cdbuiles
    @cdbuiles Місяць тому +1

    report failed to mentioned the hotel was being kind enough to let this family cancel the booking “free of charge”.

  • @corneydasilva5831
    @corneydasilva5831 Місяць тому

    Greed. Simply in US they are valid once you pay the money in advance. It's this a third world hotel???!!!

  • @KevinT-ps2me
    @KevinT-ps2me Місяць тому

    Biggest waste of money and time.. don’t go

  • @jozefciszewski2074
    @jozefciszewski2074 Місяць тому +1

    They should sue the bloody hotel,what a shame.

  • @jamesmcnaughton6884
    @jamesmcnaughton6884 Місяць тому

    Hope they keep the room booked until the last minute and then cancel

  • @CashMacGregor
    @CashMacGregor Місяць тому

    cancel free of charge. how generous.

  • @Wcanada3177
    @Wcanada3177 Місяць тому

    Happening all the time now.

  • @professionalboycottservice7872
    @professionalboycottservice7872 Місяць тому

    Don't come to Stampede. Boycott! They closed a medical clinic over a stupid parade!

  • @timothiehill606
    @timothiehill606 Місяць тому

    What the hotel did is wrong , HOWEVER
    by keeping the reservation. The family inadvertently Makes a statement through their actions . 1:52 it’s ok for the hotel to gouge during peak times , sure make a story about it but why agree to pay more if you are getting a government rate ? What is a government rate ? I’ve never heard of that but if they. “Need “ a government rate how can they. Afford full price ? Anyone else see that or am I crazy 😂

  • @joelmcneney5366
    @joelmcneney5366 Місяць тому +3

    Just claim racism

    • @cityboyis2
      @cityboyis2 24 дні тому

      you should claim stupidity

  • @rgen28
    @rgen28 Місяць тому +1

    Blame the government

  • @gaetanomagnifico1836
    @gaetanomagnifico1836 Місяць тому

    Bread and circus pay up or shut up.

  • @TheRealDrinkGuy
    @TheRealDrinkGuy Місяць тому +1

    Womp womp

  • @CNDcovert
    @CNDcovert Місяць тому

    hear me out. wouldn't everyone just prebook hotels prior to an event if they honored it? all this does is ensure you cannot book ahead of time during these periods for regular price.

    • @flawbertrobert
      @flawbertrobert Місяць тому +3

      The Calgary stampede isnt a surprise event. The hotel KNOWS it is coming. Their prices should have been the higher rate, if that was what they wanted to charge. Offering and accepting a low rate and then reneging that 2 weeks before the event is just a bait and switch and shouldn't be an accepted business practice.

    • @CNDcovert
      @CNDcovert Місяць тому

      @@flawbertrobert thats my point. this person may or may not be compensated because of the publicity, but I can assure you this isn't the first nor the last a hotel has done such things. there is no legal obligation to honor the rate, just greedy companies capitalizing, just like there's no legal obligation if she decided to cancel her reservation. imagine she found a cheaper hotel and canceled with this and they went to the news and cried that she should honor the reservation.

    • @marknalberta
      @marknalberta Місяць тому

      It's like how things are more expensive at Christmas but that's why you prebook. At the same time it's her government discount code that isn't working.

  • @johntitorii6676
    @johntitorii6676 Місяць тому

    Propaganda

  • @shanw239
    @shanw239 Місяць тому

    Karen’s offended by something … surprise 😅

  • @Kim-lg8qv
    @Kim-lg8qv Місяць тому +2

    Entitled people

  • @MrBuddy-r8w
    @MrBuddy-r8w Місяць тому

    Capitolism at it's finest.

    • @bcanuck
      @bcanuck Місяць тому

      Socialism is when people move into your house as you no longer own it.