A Typo?? $.93 a night and 1.13?

[dturner]

It seems that when you call, depending on who you talk with, we are getting different answers to basically the same question. Will the rate be honored or not? Just spoke to Joe in Guest Relations and he was going to contact the hotel and get back to me with an answer. As I told him, I have a confirmed reservation at that rate and that it should be honored, whether or not it will be is the big question. Will let you know what the answer is.

Dan

I'm anxious to hear what your told also!!!!

 

[kydisneykid]

Joe just called me back, they are going to turn it over to the area rep for that hotel and get back to me with an answer. He said he tried to call the hotel directly but no one was answering the phone there and it will be a couple of days before they get back with me. I just hope they honor the reservations of those of us that were able to make them. As someone stated earlier when an airline does this they honor the airfares, so I would think they should have to honor these as well.

 

[05ChristmasSurprise]

how are you finding availability?
Just searching day by day?

 

[kydisneykid]

Thay have pulled it since I made my reservations.

 

[disneyfan551]

Oh, I forgot to say...HERE'S A BIG DISNEY 5 TO THE OP!!! WAY TO GO!!! :thewave: :thewave: :thewave: :thewave:

 

[Lewisc]

The hotel is going to figure out how many rooms were given away and then check with their legal department before they have a final decision. Calling now is a complete waste of time.

Obvious pricing mistakes don't have to be honored. Airlines are subject to federal regulations and what airlines do with a pricing mistake may not apply to other industries.

It's a shame the typo wasn't something like $19.93. That's similar to a promotional rate that was previoulsy run at some DTD hotels and would be harder for the hotel to get out of.

 

[DMRick]

How much fun is this? Our local chanel just said it will be honored! Guess this is similar to the really cheap airfares a couple weeks ago. I didn't book it, but it was tempting, to see it so inexpensive LOL! It appears to be turning into quite the advertising coup for the hotel. Sometimes I wonder..is this REALLY a mistake or a way to get a lot of free advertising.

 

[gopack]

Did anyone receive an email confirmation? I printed out the confirmation page but did not recieve an email confirmation.

 

[anna1111]

I did receive a confirmation by email, about 5 min. after making the reservation.

 

[disneyagain]

I actually booked it at work for the night before and night after our cruise...I currently hold a reservation at Lake Buena Vista Suites for the night before at the $88 rate through Dreams Unlimited....I think I'll hold onto that for a little bit to see what's going to happen....I printed the confirm here, but the e-mail confirm is going to my home e-mail address.

Since there are 2 adults and 3 kids, I booked 2 rooms for 11/2 and 2 rooms for 11/6 for a grand total of $4.38 (including tax). Don't forget kids eat free at Holiday Inn We actually won't be there for any meals (maybe 11/3 am before we head over to DCL we'll have breakfast...But I really like IHOP!) But on 11/6 we plan on spending the whole day at the parks and we have to head to the airport by 6:15 on Monday morning....

Let's hope for a little pixie dust that they allow us to keep these great rates!

 

[dturner]

I also received a confirmation via email about 5 minutes after I booked.

 

[DMRick]

This is the same hotel that had those really cheap rates a few years ago when they were under a different name (was it the Marriott?). We stayed there then. I think it was $20.01 in 2001 and $20.02 in 2002. It has been under refurbishment since they took over from the other hotel. It needed it..while it was a nice hotel (we love the restaurant on the ground floor for breakfast), it had a funny smell is some of the rooms. I thought the refurb was scheduled before the hurricane. We've seen them working on it a few times on our past trips. We had a great view of DTD and got to see the couple of minutes of fireworks each night. We'd stay again. Nice and convenient.

 

[maryliz]

This is the same hotel that had those really cheap rates a few years ago when they were under a different name (was it the Marriott?). We stayed there then. I think it was $20.01 in 2001 and $20.02 in 2002. It has been under refurbishment since they took over from the other hotel. It needed it..while it was a nice hotel (we love the restaurant on the ground floor for breakfast), it had a funny smell is some of the rooms. I thought the refurb was scheduled before the hurricane. We've seen them working on it a few times on our past trips. We had a great view of DTD and got to see the couple of minutes of fireworks each night. We'd stay again. Nice and convenient.

We stayed here at the Courtyard by Marriott in 2003 for $20.03/night. And it included popcorn, tortilla chips and softdrinks/beer/wine every afternoon between 4-6PM. We only did this the day we checked in, but it was a nice amenity. They were refurbing in Jan when we went by, and the Holiday Inn sign was already up. Funny smell .... when we checked in, I could have sworn that our room had been smoked in, but my DH said he didn't think it was smoke, maybe just something they had used to clean the carpets or something. The funny smell "came and went" throughout our stay. Glad to know now that I wasn't imagining things!

Maybe DMRick is right ... maybe it was deliberate to get some free advertising! Whatever it was, congrats to those who got the rates for the dates they wanted ... more $$$ to spend on souvies/character meals, etc.


MaryLiz

 

[heathriel]

Well, My DH and I are staying at the BWV, but I made a reservation for my S-I-L (she was unreachable at the time, and we didn't know how long it would last) and my DS made a reservation for herself during the same time, so we can hopefully have a nice little impromptu family reunion that we wouldn't have otherwise had.

I'm sure that whatever decision there is to be made by Intercontinental Hotel Group will be made pretty quickly, so my sister will know whether or not to start planning for a trip (she and her DH never go ANYWHERE, so this would be a big deal). My SIL is another story, as she's a flight attendant and won't know until the last minute if she can go or not - but my MIL can go instead (or in addition to).

I hope they honor it; Disney is so much more fun with family, even if you only see them for dinner.

 

[MSC]

From the Wall Street Journal:

Pricing mistakes are a growing headache for travel companies since consumers are increasingly able and willing use the Internet to quickly spot and snap up low prices. As a result, it is getting easier for them to take advantage of pricing slip-ups that happen often when prices are updated in real time before the company can correct the mistake . For instance, in less than a half-day, about 1,000 mispriced US Airways tickets were bought before the airline caught on.

Companies aren't always obligated to honor deals like these. Legal experts say that, under contract law, a buyer enters a deal with a seller as soon as a seller makes an offer and the buyer accepts it. However, if the offer really isn't to be believed -- in other words, if a reasonable person would recognize that it was clearly a mistake -- then a court could rule that there was no offer, and therefore no contract.

Still, in several recent cases, the companies went ahead and honored part or all of the deal, even though the prices were a mistake . This month, for instance, London's luxurious Lanesborough Hotel mistakenly sold rooms online for £35, or about $67, instead of £350. The Lanesborough, a Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. property, gave people who had booked one reservation each at the low rate , up to a three-night maximum -- but excluded perks like airport car transfers.

* * *
While companies aren't necessarily obliged to honor deals if they are clearly a mistake , in the current climate of declining airfares and deep-discount pricing, it is possible that some judges in a court of law might uphold a consumer's claim to some rock-bottom deals, according to Elizabeth Warren, who specializes in contracts at Harvard Law School. A retailer "can say he's selling it all off -- and if the customer has reason to believe him, then the sale holds," she says.

Still, Michael Geist, a professor at the University of Ottawa focusing on Internet and electronic-commerce law, points to recent cases to show that most companies can get out of honoring errors by writing provisions into the fine print.

The Department of Transportation, which regulates airlines, says if the facts show that the posting is a clear mistake and is corrected quickly, the carrier won't be held to it. Consumers can file complaints at airconsumer@dot.gov.

The Federal Trade Commission, which oversees hotels , weighs in only on systematic problems, says Eileen Harrington, associate director of marketing practices. Consumers who feel duped by a hotel can go to small-claims court.

For what it's worth.

 

[momof2inPA]

Bummer, I wish I wouldn't have missed this deal. Congrats to those who were able to take advantage of it.

 

[DiszyDean]

I think the key statement is that hotels/airlines can refuse to honor such deals. However, as was also mentioned, typically a couple of conditions have to take place...

1. If provisions on the website or on the confirmation allows them to cancel any "mistake rates" which may be posted...which doesnt seem to be the case.

2. If the rate is a clear mistake ( which is the case here ) and is corrected quickly ( which is obviously not the case ).

I think the hotel should probably chalk this up to a lesson learned and take all the free publicity they can get for honoring the mistake rates. Just think how many more people will be going to their website looking for these mistakes in the future. And even if they dont find one, they may decide to get a room...I am sure Holiday Inn is counting on it...

 

[spectrum-turbo]

Oh Man, I was getting excited for a few moments. I thought just maybe a summer trip to see our favorite mouse was in the works. Oh well, we will have to hold out until October. There are worse things in life!!

 

[back2disney]

I've been following this thread all morning, very interesting.
I already have ressies at the pop on-site very low rate, so I wouldn't take the H.INN even if it was free. I thought about adding one later though to invite a guest, but by then the offer was gone.
Does anyone know of any other business that had to be refurbsished because of the hurricanes. I expect them to make similiar offers in the near future as hurricane season approaches..

 

[momof2inPA]

There is another hotel on I-drive that's been closed since the hurricane. What's the name, anyone remember?