Many customers say refunds were denied and reservations were canceled or changed, leaving them with extra costs. Multiple reviews mention surprise charges and price increases during or after booking. A small number of reviewers say the site makes it easy to search and offers a wide range of places to stay.
Examples from available reviews (Nov 2021 – Feb 2026).
Booking stated refundable but refund was denied after cancellation.
“Booking page stated the booking was fully refundable until 2 days before our stay.”
Reservation wasn't pushed to the hotel, forcing emergency costly rebooking.
“hotels.com never pushed over the reservation.”
Hotels.com charged $140.18 more than the hotel's billed rate.
“Hotels.com charged us $140.18 more for our stay than the actual hotel did.”
Brilliant site, easy to use with many accommodation choices and rewards.
“Brilliant site,easy to use,plenty of choice of different kinds of accommodation,great prices,I love the key rewards,I won’t use any other site”
Customers repeatedly describe problems with cancellations and refunds. They report double bookings, reservations canceled by the company, and agents who refuse refunds after initially saying they would be issued. Several complaints mention long waits and support staff who don’t take ownership.
Multiple reviews mention fees that weren’t disclosed, prices that jump at checkout, and charges higher than what the hotel billed. Some customers say price-match requests were rejected over small differences, such as bed type. A few reviewers also say the loyalty rewards feel less worthwhile.
Many reviewers say booking and cancellation steps are hard to navigate or don’t go through. One reviewer calls the site easy to use with lots of choices, but that kind of praise is rare compared with the usability complaints. Several people also describe duplicate charges and booking mistakes linked to the platform.
Customers report properties that don’t match the photos, dirty rooms, and hotels undergoing construction. A small number mention health concerns after being placed in rooms near construction. Multiple complaints also describe arriving to find the hotel desk closed or the reservation missing, leaving the property inaccessible.
Many reviewers say it’s hard to reach a live person and that replies feel automated or copy-pasted. They also mention missing phone contact details, callbacks that never happen, and loyalty or account problems that stay unresolved. Loyalty stamps and reward transfers come up repeatedly as issues that never get cleared up.
Most reviews focus on financial loss and service breakdowns. A smaller group reports smooth bookings, mainly pointing to usability and choice, which stands in sharp contrast to the negative outcomes. Many critical accounts also stress slow resolutions and ongoing financial impact.
For each review, the core experience based on original source reviews.
Sources: Trustpilot (20) · Reviews (20) · consumeraffairs.com (10) · Reviews (1) · Quotes shortened · As of: February 2026
Booking stated refundable but refund was denied after cancellation.
“Booking page stated the booking was fully refundable until 2 days before our stay.”
Requested a price match but was denied over bed type.
“the bed type was not the same”
Website made cancelling a hotel stay nearly impossible.
“It was almost impossible to cancel my hotel stay through the hotels.com website.”
Charged undisclosed extra fees and could not obtain a refund for $153.
“Got robbed for 153 dollars from this site.”
Placed in a hotel under construction despite health concerns; no help provided.
“They put Me in a hotel that had construction and I have leukemia”
Customer service was slow and unhelpful for simple questions.
“It took hours before I could get a human who would address what was a simple question.”
Travel insurance denied refund for inclement weather, costing $750.
“inclement weather and cancelled flights do not qualify for a refund.”
Arrived late to locked desk; hotel unclean and photos misleading.
“Pictures are not real, not clean.”
Booked wrong dates and could not change or refund without paying.
“they said i couldn't refund or make and changes without paying again.”
Company promised a refund then refused after an accidental cancellation.
“they denied me the refund and refused to honor the £20 voucher.”
Alleges company and affiliate lied and were not customer friendly.
“Stay away from HOTELS COM/EXPEDIA they are not customer friendly”
No booking confirmation, vanished rewards, and unhelpful automated support.
“There is no way to speak to an actual employee, no real support, and no immediate feedback or resolution when something goes wrong.”
Triple-booked and charged three times with no responsibility taken.
“paying for same room 3 times, same night.”
Front desk closed with no after-hours access and unhelpful agents.
“the front desk was closed and there was no after-hours/self check-in option or key access provided.”
Reservation wasn't pushed to the hotel, forcing emergency costly rebooking.
“hotels.com never pushed over the reservation.”
Company charged unexpectedly and attempted to keep funds after cancellation.
“They never charged me up front then one day they decided to and tried to keep my money even though I cancelled minutes later.”
Unable to contact Hotels.com due to no advertised phone number.
“if they don’t advertise a phone number to resolve problems then they’re not to be trusted, or don’t care about customer experience.”
Paid for flexible cancellation but Hotels.com refused to honor it.
“Hotels.com refused to honor it, blaming that the hotel changed its policy.”
Charged despite choosing reserve now pay later, then cancelled booking and kept money.
“they charged my account and when I tried to say I wanted reserve now pay later they cancelled the booking and took my money”
Incompetent customer support mishandled booking changes and delayed fixes extensively.
“The customer support is the worst you can think of, incompetent, no one take responsibilities and no one follows up anything.”
Brilliant site, easy to use with many accommodation choices and rewards.
“Brilliant site,easy to use,plenty of choice of different kinds of accommodation,great prices,I love the key rewards,I won’t use any other site”
Hotels.com canceled reservation without authorization and would not reinstate rate.
“Hotels.com proceeded to cancel my reservation entirely.”
Booking and receipt details were incorrect and property differed from photos.
“The apartment was NOTHING like the photos on your website.”
Customer service was poor and hard to understand, company labeled horrible.
“Customer service from some third world country where I kept asking to repeat because I could not understand them.”
System problems impeded cancellation attempts and raised suspicion.
“Now that I have to cancel a booking they're having system problems continuously on every call”
Purchased cancellation insurance required excessive medical proof for a refund.
“I am now having to track down physicians to provide evidence of the hospitalization and surgery.”
Customer service is nonexistent and the online system does not work.
“Their customer service is nonexistent. Their online doesn't work at all.”
Hotel cancelled reservation and Hotels.com refused to refund $150 or resolve.
“Hotels.com refuses to give my 150 dollars back”
Charged despite cancelling within free window and agent demanded extra fee.
“I cancelled a reservation within the stated free cancellation window, yet Hotels.com still charged me for the stay.”
Canceled a mistaken booking seconds after and refund was refused.
“I booked a room by mistake and canceled the room in a matter of seconds and they didn't want to refund the money”
Loyalty stamps were removed despite evidence of stay and booking shown used.
“Boka aldrig me dem.”
Hidden contract fees added per night and per room at checkout.
“The $62 is per night and per room;”
Changing occupancy on phone incurred an unexpected £90 charge.
“When I tried to change it on the phone the next day they wanted to charge me £90.”
Price increased at the exact moment of booking compared to other sites.
“The price jumped at the exact moment I tried to book, while the price on other sites stayed unchanged.”
Rewards stamps did not register and the account was then closed unexpectedly.
“We're sorry your account has been closed, we can't help you”
Prepaid booking led to hotel double-charging and unresolved refund.
“the hotel charged me again directly.”
Company acts as agent but then refuses refunds citing hotel policies.
“They are a scam . They act as the agents but then turn around and tell you they can’t give you a refund due to hotel policies”
Rewards transfer unresolved with repetitive automated responses and inaction.
“Is like calling us an idiot.”
This page combines submitted experiences with public reviews from platforms such as Google, Trustpilot, etc. Recurring points are summarized without changing the content of reviews.
Hotels.com is an online travel agency that lists hotels, motels, and vacation rentals worldwide. It offers a website and mobile apps to search rates, compare options, and book stays. Hotels.com takes online payments and sends booking confirmations for partner hotels and property managers. It runs a loyalty program, Hotels.com Rewards, that credits stays toward reward nights. Hotels.com pulls availability from direct hotel partners and third-party property managers, and uses filters, photos, and guest reviews to help travelers compare options.