Not reliable, got ****med

I booked a hotel through booking.com on 22 October 2023 for three nights. The hotel name is WINK One Thibault Cape Town. Three days before checking in I requested to reschedule or move the booking because of unforeseen circumstances. I then contacted the hotel and spoke to the manager who said they can’t assist because I have booked through the app and I need to request through booking.com. I did that and they rejected my request three days earlier. I have lost R3500 and the hotel didn’t even bother to call and find out why am I not checking in.