On January 1, I booked a hotel room at Anantara Dubai Palm Resort for the following New Year's Eve so my family and I could watch the fireworks on the Palm. The Booking.com offer was for the room, and the website stated there were added local taxes, but that was all. Shortly after, we were advised that we also had to pay Dh5,000 to attend a gala dinner. Apparently this was a condition set by the hotel but this was of no interest to us, especially with an 11-year-old child. We told Booking.com that if that was the case we'd cancel the booking but were then informed that wasn't possible. Seemingly neither the hotel nor Booking.com is willing to budge or arrange a refund. Can you help? DS, Dubai
I contacted the media relations department for Booking.com, pointing out that it is unfair to add on an extra cost that is not part of the contract agreed at the time of booking. After a few days Booking.com replied to say that the “mandatory” requirement to pay for the gala dinner had been waived in this case. A spokesman said: “We are happy to hear that the issue was solved, the hotel has made a nice gesture and agreed to waive the mandatory gala dinner for this booking and the customer has been informed about this. We also have been in touch with the customer to inform him to read all hotel policies before making a booking as the information surrounding this was visible at the time of booking. As a matter of fact, we always advise customers to read hotel policies carefully to have the best experience and avoid surprises.” Having been sent the booking details, I did not see any mention of any costs other than local taxes, but the issue has been resolved to the satisfaction of all parties.
Keren Bobker is an independent financial adviser with Holborn Assets in Dubai, with over 20 years of experience. Contact her at keren@holbornassets.com Follow her on Twitter at @FinancialUAE
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek appropriate independent legal advice
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