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
Capital was recovered by a fraud recovery service according to reviewer.
“CAPITAL recovered (fraud shield recovery inc good =job)”
Hotel cancelled and Hotels.com failed to secure refund, paying for two hotels.
“They did not manage to do this, so I ended up paying for both hotels”
Value of free night rewards diminished, reducing loyalty incentive.
“The value of my free night diminished.”
Company switched reservation dates unilaterally and refused correction or refund.
“This company will switch you date of reservation unilaterally”
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.”
Platform enables dynamic pricing and often provides lower-quality rooms.
“rooms booked through these sites are provided second rate rooms”
Cancellation costs were not disclosed prior and revocation was impossible.
“Cancelation cost not provided prior to cancelation.”
Automated, copy-paste responses and no ownership left complaint unresolved.
“I was promised call backs — they didn’t happen.”
Refused to provide a VAT invoice even though they were the vendor.
“Refused to provide a vat invoice, even though ghey are the vendor.”
Hotels.com really stinks!!! While the prices are quite reasonable and their booking process is relatively straightforward, we had a horrible experience.
We had booked through this website for a 2 night stay, only to arrive at the hotel and find we had been double booked by Hotels.com. It was absolutely horrendous trying to get through to anyone on the phone to sort the mess out, then only offered a room miles away from where we needed to be which we could not take. I was very upset by this experience and will never book through hotels.com again. I do not recommend anyone else does either.
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.