I had a very disappointing experience booking Hilton Sydney through Hotels.com.
At checkout, I intended to select PayPal Pay in 4, but accidentally selected PayPal full payment. I cancelled it immediately while it was still processing, then completed the booking correctly using PayPal Pay in 4. Despite cancelling straight away, both payments were still taken, resulting in a double charge.
The situation was made worse because the Hotels.com app did not clearly show that the booking was for New Year’s Eve (NYE).
When I arrived at Hilton Sydney, staff asked me to cancel the booking first, saying they would rebook me. After I had already cancelled, I was then informed that I was required to book two separate rooms at approximately AUD 1,700 per room due to hotel policy, even though my daughters are only 12 and 14 years old.
I could not afford this cost, so I did not stay and did not use any hotel services.
I contacted Hotels.com immediately to request a refund, explaining that:
• The booking was cancelled at the hotel’s request
• I was charged twice due to a payment error
• I did not stay or use the room
However, Hilton refused to refund the first payment, citing a non-refundable policy, and Hotels.com later confirmed they could not assist because Hilton declined to waive the policy.
Being charged twice for a service I never used, after cancelling at the hotel’s request and then being presented with unaffordable conditions, reflects extremely poor customer care.