A group of friends celebrating a hen do in Ibiza were left ‘homeless’ after their rental apartment disappeared from Booking.com.
Flavia Zsofia Hannus, 23, had reserved a three-bedroom flat for a three-night bachelorette trip with six friends near the famous Ushuaïa Club.
However, just days before they were due to arrive on the popular party island, the property stopped responding to messages and then vanished from the platform.
The group were initially suspicious when they were sent a separate payment link outside of the site, but Booking.com told them it was legitimate and they went ahead with the payment.
Everything seemed to be fine until the holidaymakers tried to arrange a late check-in for their 11pm arrival and the host failed to respond for more than 48 hours.
Flavia Zsofia Hannus, 23, reserved an apartment in Ibiza on Booking.com for a hen party getaway
But just days before the group of six were due to arrive on the party island, the apartment disappeared from the platform
Flavia, from Hungary, said: ‘We contacted Booking.com to ask if they could reach the property. They told us not to worry, although they also couldn’t get in touch with the host.’
But after some digging, she realised the apartment was no longer even listed on the platform.
‘We then searched for our booking reference and noticed that the property had completely removed itself from Booking.com,’ she said.
‘Our reservation itself hadn’t been cancelled, but the entire listing had disappeared from the platform.’
The group were due to fly on a Sunday, but by the afternoon of their arrival day they still had no check-in instructions.
Worried they would end up without any accommodation, Flavia spent around two-and-a-half hours on the phone with different Booking.com agents trying to find somewhere for the group to stay.
She said: ‘We didn’t want to end up stranded on a foreign island on a Sunday night without accommodation.’
Flavia was initially suspicious when she was asked to pay via an external link, but claims Booking.com told her it was okay
The travel platform eventually offered alternative accommodation – but Flavia claims the options were on the opposite side of the island and meant the group had to completely change their plans.
It also had to be paid for upfront, leaving the group worried they would be left out of pocket as they had already forked out £1,800 for their original booking.
Paying for the replacement accommodation also meant a chunk of money was taken out of their hen do budget.
Flavia said: ‘Since we were travelling during peak season in Ibiza with a group of seven people, the replacement accommodation was very expensive.
‘Having to pay for accommodation a second time significantly reduced the budget we had planned for the bachelorette party.’
Only the bride, her sister and one other friend knew about the accommodation issues, with the group deciding not to tell everyone else until they got to the airport.
Flavia explained they feared some members of the group might not board the flight if they knew there was a chance they would arrive without anywhere to sleep.
She said: ‘The whole situation was extremely stressful and frustrating. We had to keep pushing Booking.com before they even started offering us alternative accommodation.’
The booking platform eventually found somewhere else for the group to stay but they had to pay upfront after already losing £1,800 on their original apartment
Despite eventually finding somewhere else to stay, Flavia said the uncertainty affected the start of their trip.
She said: ‘We had specifically chosen the apartment because it was within walking distance of the venue where we planned to spend our first evening.
‘Instead, we spent the first day resting and trying to recover from the stress and exhaustion.’
Although the group managed to enjoy the rest of their Ibiza trip, Flavia said the worry over refunds and extra costs stuck with them throughout.
She added: ‘The bride also found it difficult to fully relax and enjoy herself because the uncertainty was always in the back of our minds.
‘We didn’t know whether we would get our money back for the original accommodation, whether the additional costs would be reimbursed, or whether we would receive any compensation at all.’
A Booking.com spokesman said: ‘At Booking.com, ensuring that our platform is safe and trustworthy for our customers is a top priority.
‘We check every listing for suspicious activity using advanced technology and expert teams.
‘On the rare occasion there is an issue, we investigate and can remove properties from the platform, just as we have done in this case.’
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