Booking.com failed my family when we needed help most

Booking.com failed me and my children at the most critical point of our trip. Our original accommodation was cancelled at check-in time, leaving us stranded. When I contacted Booking.com’s helpline for urgent assistance, the calls kept dropping repeatedly. Despite multiple attempts, there was no effective support. Booking.com refused to find us alternative accommodation and also refused to provide an immediate refund so that I could secure another place for my family. Because of this failure, I was forced to urgently rebook accommodation myself. During this rebooking, my children were incorrectly excluded from the reservation. The second accommodation then refused to host my children in the same room arrangement, resulting in us being placed in two separate rooms on different floors. I kept on calling Booking.com to fix my booking. They did nothing. This was extremely unsafe and distressing as a parent. There was no breakfast booked for my children, and I had to pay extra each morning if I wanted them to eat. One of the rooms had to be paid for despite not being occupied, as I could not leave my children to sleep alone. This entire experience caused unnecessary financial loss, stress, and emotional distress for my family. A platform of Booking.com’s size should take responsibility when hosts cancel last minute and should provide real, immediate assistance — especially when children are involved. Unfortunately, that did not happen. I would strongly caution families against relying on Booking.com in critical situations.

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