Are guest reviews fake? Beware of 3 major pitfalls when booking hotels online

With the advancement of online services, booking travel accommodations online is no longer a challenge. Simply enter your destination and dates, and with a few clicks, you can find the most suitable hotels and best prices for your travel destination. However, this consumption model has also led to several disputes around the world. This week, the Hong Kong Consumer Council published three cases of online hotel booking disputes, reminding the public to be cautious before making a reservation.

1. “Pay Later” Billing Sparks Disputes

Online booking platforms offer a “pay later” option that allows guests to book without paying a deposit upfront and to cancel or modify their bookings according to changes in their itinerary, without worrying about losing their money. However, according to a complaint case, a Hong Kong resident planning to travel to Japan booked a hotel through an online booking site using the “pay later” option. The site informed the customer that “the room rate will be charged based on the exchange rate on the payment date.”

However, when the final bill arrived, the complainant believed that although the exchange rate on the payment date was actually lower than when the booking was made, the charged amount was higher than the price originally displayed on the website. In response, the booking site explained that exchange rates vary among different banks or credit card companies, making it difficult to provide a specific source of exchange rates for customers to verify. In the end, the company promised to refund the extra amount charged by the credit card company as a goodwill gesture.

2. Outsourced Management Leaves Travelers Helpless

A Hong Kong resident booked a hotel in South Korea through an online booking platform but was denied check-in upon arrival. The hotel claimed there was no record of the booking. When the customer asked family members to contact the Hong Kong-based booking site for help, they were told that “only the person who made the booking can be assisted,” leaving the customer to endure sub-zero temperatures outside and even prompting local police to get involved.

It turned out that although the booking site was registered in Hong Kong, it had outsourced the responsibility to a local third-party company, which had made the oversight. After the incident, the booking platform handled the consumer dispute inefficiently and only later issued a full refund of the booking fee and covered the cost of staying at another hotel as an apology. The Hong Kong Consumer Council advised travelers to confirm their booking records directly with the hotel before departure.

3. Dubious Hotel Reviews — Beware of Fake Positive Feedback

Cases of online hotel booking disputes in Hong Kong also highlighted the practice of removing negative reviews by some booking sites. A Hong Kong resident mentioned that before traveling to Taiwan, they booked a hotel in Taiwan on a booking site that was rated “three stars.” However, upon arrival, not only was the location hidden down a back alley and hard to find, but guests also had to carry their own luggage up a narrow and dirty staircase, leaving them extremely disappointed with the hotel’s environment.

After returning to Hong Kong, the consumer immediately wrote a review about the hotel on the booking site, only to find that negative comments were quickly deleted, and the page was filled with overly positive reviews. Further complaints to the Taiwan Tourism Bureau revealed that the hotel did not have the required lodging business registration certificate. Eventually, the booking site agreed to issue a full refund on the grounds of maintaining good customer relations, bringing the consumer dispute to an end.