Can I get a refund for my stay at the No-Tell Motel?

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By Christopher Elliott

Gladys Martin’s hotel room is uninhabitable, but the property wants to charge her for it, anyway. Is there any way to undo this mistake?

Question

Traveling through Pennsylvania on a college tour with our daughter, my husband and I booked two nights at a Super 8 through Hotels.com. Arriving late at the hotel, we were disappointed to encounter questionable clientele. A couple behind us was looking for a short stay. The hotel attendant was behind a double-panel glass window.

I asked to see the room before signing any paperwork and the attendant declined. He simply gave me a form to fill out with my name and address. Given the late hour and no other viable options, we decided to spend the night at the hotel. We planned to check out the next morning as soon as possible.

Super 8 nightmare

Although the room had been recently renovated, the carpet was filthy. Our shoes stuck to the carpet. The air conditioner was set at 45 degrees, and it took more than three hours for the room to heat up to 74 degrees. The walls were thin enough that we could hear every move of our neighbor upstairs and of our neighbors around us.

The room was supposed to be smoke free, yet the bedspread on one bed had cigarette burns and the room smelled like cigarette smoke. We did not have enough towels for three people and the bathroom had not been cleaned, as evidenced the next morning by our find of a handful of long red hairs stuck to the wall of the shower.

The next morning, a hotel attendant informed me that Super 8 had nothing to do with our transaction, and that if I ever were to be issued a refund, I’d have to go through Hotels.com. I have called Hotels.com and asked for a refund, but so far, I’ve gotten nowhere. Can you help? — Gladys Martin, Berea, Ohio

Answer

Are you sure you were booked at a Super 8? It sounds like you tried to check in at the No-Tell Motel, instead.

Hotels.com shouldn’t have sold you a room like that. But even a cursory online search would have revealed that this Super 8 was horrible. Sure, the Super 8 chain is a budget brand, but this one was — and I quote the recent write-ups — “just gross.” One reviewer advised everyone to “stay away” and the hotel received an aggregate rating that would embarrass anyone associated with the Super 8 brand. In other words, you had ample warning. (Here’s our guide to finding the best hotel.)

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Under the terms of your reservation, your room was completely nonrefundable by the time you checked in, so technically Super 8 was right for refusing your refund — both to you and to Hotels.com. But who cares about technicalities? Super 8’s promise to be the “best in quality” means you should have expected more from your lodging experience. (Related: How can you avoid a bad hotel room?

By the way, if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, here are a few tips. When the air conditioner is turned down to 45 degrees, open a window. It will take only a few minutes to warm things up. If the rug is sticky and the shower is dirty and the bedspreads smell like smoke, ask for another room. And most of all, when dealing with a refund request, put everything in writing. Calling Super 8 was just an exercise in futility. (Related: So you canceled your hotel reservation, prove it!)

My advocacy team and I contacted Hotels.com, which sold you the room, and it helped you secure a $150 refund from Super 8. Hotels.com also sent you a $20 voucher as an apology.

Should Super 8 have refunded Gladys Martin's room?

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Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can't. He's the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes three nationally syndicated columns. He also publishes the Elliott Report, a news site for consumers, and Elliott Confidential, a critically acclaimed newsletter about customer service. If you have a consumer problem you can't solve, contact him directly through his advocacy website. You can also follow him on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter. He is based in Panamá City.

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