Hotel Booking Confirmed, No Room Found: Gaode Maps Blames Service Provider for “Ghost Orders”

CNBC AI News – June 9th – A recent incident involving a hotel booking made through a popular navigation app in China has raised questions about platform accountability and customer service in the rapidly expanding online travel market.

A consumer reported a distressing experience: after successfully booking and paying for a room at an Atour Hotel in Hangzhou’s Yuhang District via the app, the customer was informed upon arrival that their reservation could not be found. The customer was left stranded, and eventually forced to seek alternative accommodation in the rain.

The booking, completed on the evening of June 7th, was for a room at the Atour Hotel branch on Wen’er West Road, with a payment of 389 yuan. Upon arriving at the hotel to check in, the customer was told that the reservation was not visible in the hotel’s system. Despite presenting the booking confirmation on the app, hotel staff were unable to locate the order.

The customer was compelled to find another hotel and incurred additional costs, including over 100 yuan in taxi fares. The incident was quickly escalated through a call to the app’s customer service. However, the customer service representatives allegedly referred the customer to the service provider, offering no immediate solution.

Adding to the customer’s frustration, the app’s system initially displayed the booking status as “checked in” even though the consumer was unable to access their booked room. This status was later changed to “cancelled” on June 9th.

On June 9th, the customer received a refund of the 389 yuan room fee and a supplementary compensation of 50 yuan from the app. However, the customer expressed dissatisfaction with the resolution, stating, “The customer service said this was the best solution and that if I didn’t accept, they’d keep the offer open.”

When approached by the press for comment on the situation and the root cause of the missing booking, customer service representatives provided an unhelpful response, stating they were not authorized to answer the question and would forward it to a specialist who would offer a response at a later time.

Later, a staff member contacted the consumer to verify their information, and communicated that they would reach out to the service provider. However, as of the time of this report, no further response has been delivered.