Complaints

This profile includes complaints for HotelPlanner.com's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

close

Find a Location

HotelPlanner.com has 4 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

BBB accredited

Near

Country

USUnited States

Please enter a valid location.

Filter

• 

  HotelPlanner.com

  205 Datura St 10th Fl West Palm Beach, FL 33401-5658

  
• 

  Lucid Travel, LLC.

  205 Datura St Fl 10 West Palm Beach, FL 33401

• 

  HotelGuides.com, Inc.

  PO Box 13318 Charleston, SC 29422

• 

  Room 77, Inc.

  888 Villa St Mountain View, CA 94041

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/31/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Number was giving to me by my MOM who also got Scammed. Thought I was calling the ************ directly but unknowing got these scammers. I told the rep what city I was going to and that it was Garden inn he quickly raddled off the some numbers and I told him I was needing to book under a block of rooms that were being held. I told him the name that they were under and he said ***** and proceeded to book me under the wrong hotel. we almost had the reservation complete when I ask about cancellation and he said oh it is a lot more money and artificiality inflated the cost of the rooms to make me want to stay what he had already prebooked for me. I received the booking. about 10 min after I got the confrimation email I figured out that not only was I booked for the wrong hotel I was charged why more than if I had directly went to the hotel. The only reason I call was because of the block of rooms. other wise I would have done it online through hilton's site. Never once did he mention we was not with ****** even when I was asking about my Hilton honors he just ignored me and said that they had all my numbers and discounts and numbers which in fact was a lie. what a complete scam. Call to get a refund remember this is around 10 to 15min's after it was place and the reservation is for 3 months away. was given customer service which was extremely hard to understand. they said that they would have to review the transcript and that I would get an email which several hours later and nothing. also as for a manager but none was availible. at this point I still didn't know this was a third party. but after calling the hotel where I was booked they confirmed that it was a third party that this reservation was booked under. I want you to cancel the transaction and refund my money if the charge has gone through. still is pending right now. My Credit card has the transaction under review and will dispute the charge if you let it go through. Reservation# H6809892

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/02/2023

  Greetings,

   

  Your refund has been processed. Please be sure that you reach out to the hotel phone number found on their ****** page. Often people scroll online to find the best rates and call that phone number when in reality it is a 3rd party company.

   

  If you have any further questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly at **********************************************.

   

  Regards,

  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/28/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  ************* website is supposed to help a person find a hotel of choice for free. I was charged $52.47 for some kind of tax and also $162.00+ for another tax of the same kind I didnt understand. So I assume HotelPlanner.com did charge me to pay them as well as the hotel. Can I get back what HP charged which was free?*********************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/31/2023

  Greetings *****,

   

  When booking with a 3rd party company, there are a lot of moving parts. The hotel and the 3rd party negotiate a price and agree that price is not available to the public or ************. ************ is then responsible for charging any and all taxes and fees on behalf of the hotel and 3rd party. 

   

  As further explanation, please see our companies statement about taxes and fees.

  The tax charge on *************** transactions is a recovery of all applicable transaction taxes (e.g. sales and use, occupancy, room tax,excise tax, value added tax, etc.) that we collect from customers and pay our vendors (such as hotels, etc.) in connection with our customers purchasers. We are not the vendor collection and remitting such tax to the applicable tax authorities. The vendors bill ** for applicable taxes, and we remit such amounts directly to our vendors. We are not a co-vendor associated with the vendor with whom we book to reserve our customers travel arrangements.Taxability and the appropriate tax rate vary greatly by location. The actual amount paid to a vendor may vary from the tax recovery charge, depending upon the rates, taxability or other factors in effect at the time of the actual use of a given travel service by our customers. We do not incur the cost of sales tax from the vendors located in ******, ********, ************* and ******, as these states do not impose sales tax. Also, certain jurisdictions impose a hotel occupancy tax or other type of transaction tax upon the renting of a hotel room, an automobile, etc. The type of tax collected by a vendor will vary by service and location. We use third party distribution channels for individual reservations. 

   

  As a gesture of good will, we are willing to offer a voucher for $75.00 for a future booking.  The provided hotel credit can be used worldwide towards a hotel offered on our website. The hotel credit is in lieu of a refund and is valid for 1 year from date of issuance. Please understand that your acceptance of the hotel credit is in lieu of any claim.
  

   

  If you have any further questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly at **********************************************

   

  Regards,

  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/24/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We used this service to book a room in *********. The advertised price of the room was $229/night through the hotel planner website. After I booked I received the bill for $751. 72. The receipt said that fees and taxes were just over$146/night. Those were not seen when we booked. I called the hotel and they received $455.79 for the 2 nights, which means that this service charged almost 40% of the room cost each night for their fees. We did not see these totals advertised and would not have booked the room through them had we seen these exorbitant fees. I am wanting a refund for at least half of these fees.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/25/2023

  Greetings,

   

  When looking at your reservation, I can see this booking was done online. All prices, terms, and conditions are displayed and must be approved before confirming the booking. You can only complete the booking if you click the box that says you agree to all of the terms and conditions.

  As an explanation of the price, this is a 3rd party booking. The price that the hotel told you is less that ************ paid for this booking. Please see below for our companies "general" taxes and fees explanation.

  The tax charge on *************** transactions is a recovery of all applicable transaction taxes (e.g. sales and use, occupancy, room tax,excise tax, value added tax, etc.) that we collect from customers and pay our vendors (such as hotels, etc.) in connection with our customers purchasers. We are not the vendor collection and remitting such tax to the applicable tax authorities. The vendors bill ** for applicable taxes, and we remit such amounts directly to our vendors. We are not a co-vendor associated with the vendor with whom we book to reserve our customers travel arrangements.Taxability and the appropriate tax rate vary greatly by location. The actual amount paid to a vendor may vary from the tax recovery charge, depending upon the rates, taxability or other factors in effect at the time of the actual use of a given travel service by our customers. We do not incur the cost of sales tax from the vendors located in ******, ********, ************* and ******, as these states do not impose sales tax. Also, certain jurisdictions impose a hotel occupancy tax or other type of transaction tax upon the renting of a hotel room, an automobile, etc. The type of tax collected by a vendor will vary by service and location. We use third party distribution channels for individual reservations.

  As a gesture of good will, we are willing to offer a voucher for $100.00. The provided hotel credit can be used worldwide towards a hotel offered on our website. The hotel credit is in lieu of a refund and is valid for 1 year from date of issuance. Please understand that your acceptance of the hotel credit is in lieu of any claim.
  

   

  If you have any further questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly at **********************************************.

   

  Regards,

  *****************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/26/2023

   
  Complaint: 20101913
  
  I am rejecting this response because: when we went back on the website, the 'confirm' button where the actual fees were shown was only after we had already thought that we had already had the hotel and this was just a formality.  I will not use the credit because I will not use this site again and will also post a review of my experience.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/22/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I made a reservation using the company called hotel planner and when I canceled the reservation I was not rewarded my room rate of $170.00 dollars back. Ive contacted the customer service on four different dates and keep getting the same response, that they will elevate the issue to the next higher response system. My reservation number is H6521529, the check in date was the 9 April 2023 and I cancelled my reservation on the 8th of April 2023 and to the present date have not received any refund.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/25/2023

  Greetings,

   

  After listening to the call, I can confirm the booking agent was clear in stating your cancellation policy. It states; Each room in this reservation is subject to the following cancellation policy: This booking is subject to a ****** USD change or cancellation fee. There is no refund for no-shows, early checkouts, or cancellations after 04/09/2023, 10:00 AM (*******/*******). 

  Which means if you cancel, or change your reservation, that means there is a fee of $******. The refund that is due to you is $23.22. That refund has been processed. Please allow **** business days to see that reflected.

   

  If you do not see your refund, or you have any further questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly at **********************************************.

  
  Regards,

  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/21/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I made reservation with the above named company for 4 adults and 4 children. All ages were disclosed during my reservation of the children. Hotel cost was paid in full prior to arrival in *******. Company also states conversation is being recorded. The dates of stay was 4/7/23-4/12/23 reservation# H6097531 for *********************** and Guerzie Moinvil - 2 rooms On arrival, I was told that reservation stated 4 infants and three adults, despite my receipt from the above company. I was told we were not able to check in unless additional monies amounting to approx $3000us was paid. Despite many calls to the above be named company, stating hotel was wrong, we were told the supplier of the above named company was not sent the same information as we had on our email confirmation. Upon return I have called, sent numerous emails and receipts of what transpired and paid. I recd one phone call from an investigating supervisor who gathered information via phone again and promised to get back to me before end of that day. Until now, I have gotten nowhere. I have had to repeat the same story every phone call, and get a ridiculous email response to email indicating everyone is not aware of the issue at hand. Today I called the customer support number and was told there is no other way of contacting the company besides phone and email. I am reaching out for your help in resolving this issue and getting reimbursed.*************** **********

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/23/2023

  Greetings,

   

  Please accept our sincere apologies surrounding the complications at the hotel. When booking the reservation, we have no way of inputting children's ages. 

   

  As a gesture, we have fully refunded the additional amount that was paid to the hotel for the children's ages.

   

  If you should have any further questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly at **********************************************.

   

  Regards,

  *****************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/30/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Guerzie Moinvil

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/18/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I booked the hotel for the May 19-May 21 for a ******************* Comedic Show. The show got rescheduled to July 1. However, I will not be in the province, therefore, I am unable to attend. I sent a request asking for a refund as it was only two weeks after booking. They confirmed it is not refundable so they're unable to refund me or change the dates as I booked through "HotelPlanner". So, I than contacted the hotel asking the same questions. They allowed me to change the dates to June 25-June 27 for my 18 yr old brothers graduation, but not get a refund. However, he decided he will not attend his graduation therefore I will not be in the city that day and I will not be able to use the room. I decided to leave the country entirely due to the unforeseen circumstances. I called the hotel again today asking for a refund. The receptionist said I have to go back to Hotelplanner as their systems are down. I told her they won't refund me. She said, you have to go back to them first. I repeated, I did and they won't refund me. She said they don't have access. I said, they were able to change my dates, therefore, they have access. She said not right now as the systems are down. My late husband passed away last year and I need the money if it's not being used.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/18/2023

  Greetings ********,

   

  Unfortunately, after contacting the hotel again, they denied the cancellation. The front desk agent I spoke with informed me they are only able to change dates on nonrefundable bookings, canceling is out of the question.

   

  We sincerely apologize about this inconvenience. 

   

  If you have any further questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly at ********************************************** 

   

  Regards,

  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/16/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I booked a hotel room with HotelPlanner.com for a soccer tournament I had to go with this hotel beacuse of the tournament pay to play policy. We were then informed that she was not going to play in the tournament. I immediately called hotelplanner.com they said they would refund my money if the hotel would agree. I called the hotel they agreed to refund my money. I never stayed at the hotel and canceled right away. I just want my credit card bill to be reimbursed . I dont want hotel credit.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/18/2023

  Greetings,

   

  We received a notification that the booking amount has been disputed through your bank. Unfortunately, when a notice of a disputed charge is received, we are locked out of the refund process while the dispute is under review with the original merchant of record,
  
  This requires us to close your ticket pending the dispute investigation, which can take up to 90 days, and unfortunately, there is no manual override.
  
  If you have a letter from your bank/credit card holder stating the dispute is withdrawn, we can make the request for the dispute review to be closed early.
  
  This is what needs to be included in the dispute closed letter and emailed to *****************************
  
  MUST be a screenshot of a message in the banks online messaging portal or a photo of a letter on bank letterhead (Cannot be a forwarded email from a bank rep)
  MUST state cardholder dropped or withdrew the dispute
  MUST include the following info, which must match the charge info:

  
  Cardholder name
  Last four digits of card
  Amount of dispute
  
  If you can present this documentation, we can work to have your dispute closed earlier, but we cannot promise approval. Unfortunately, that is not our decision. We will contact you with a status update as soon as we hear back from the merchant of record for this booking.
  
  Thank you for your patience through this process

   

  Regards,

  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/13/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My husband went online and called to book a hotel for one night on the oceanfront. He specifically asked for a hotel on the beach. He was also charged that night on his credit card. He found out a couple of weeks later that the hotel was not on the actual beach but blocks away from the beach. He called to try to cancel and was given the run around. We called the actual hotel and they sent ** to reservations. Reservations told ** that we reserved through Expedia. Then they gave ** another number and told ** we reserved through hotel planner. We kept getting transferred about 5 times and each time was the same. They couldnt find the confirmation and couldnt handle the cancellation. So now we have a charge on our credit card for 352. For one night at a hotel we didnt want. I get an email today saying that our reservation doesnt qualify for a refund. I believe they are scammers. Ive never heard of a company that charges the amount of your stay right on the spot.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/18/2023

  Hello,

   

  I am actively working to make sure this is taken care of for you. Currently I am waiting on a response from the 3rd party agency regarding contacting the hotel for cancellation. 

   

  Please reach out to me on my personal email, ******************************** for updates.

   

  Regards,

  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/12/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On May 10, I called what I thought was Marriott and somehow was linked up to Hotel Planner. They do not identify who they are so I assumed it was Marriott. The agent told me that a particular hotel in ********* had a rating of 4.5 out of 5. I thought to myself that I didnt know this hotel was under the Marriott umbrella. I mentioned that I dont really like those hotels but she said this is a very nice hotel with that great rating, and it is at a good price. I said I would look up the hotel on line to check it out. She said I could do that and she would hold on, and that we would need to book it now because there was only one room available for that night. I felt pressured to get this reservation made so as not to miss out on a great price at a high rated hotel. After making the reservation, I looked it up online and saw that it had a rating of about a 2. I read the reviews and they were horrible- cockroaches everywhere, dirty, unsavory people hanging around in the halls, etc. I called back the number I had originally called and I explained all of this wanting to cancel and be refunded the money because the agent lied and was deceptive. The agent I talked to at that point tried to call the hotel to get this accomplished. She could not reach them, so she started a ticket on the issue. I received an email later stating they called the hotel but the hotel would not waive the penalty for the cancellation. I called the hotel and spoke to the manager on duty, his name is *****, and he said no one called there. I sent several messages back and forth with Hotel Planner and told them that ***** said to just call him and he will authorize the refund, no problem. I have called Hotel Planner several times, emailed several times, and I am getting a total run around. I would like my refund for the reservation since the hotel said they would authorize it, no problem. Just call Trace and get this resolved! My Itinerary number is H6701262. All supporting docs. are noted there.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/18/2023

  Greetings,

  Please accept our sincere apologize about your experience with ************.

  Your full refund has been processed. Please allow **** business days to see that refund reflected on your account.

   

  If you have any further questions, please reach out to **********************************************.

   

  Regards,

  *****************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/20/2023

   
  Complaint: 20053049
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The company has not provided a full refund. The sent me a letter with a voucher which can be used for another hotel stay within 1 year. I do not want a voucher. I want a refund to my credit card. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/23/2023

  Greetings,

   

  As previously stated on BBB, and via email, a full refund has been processed.

   

  If you should have further questions, please reach out to me at my email.

   

  Regards,

  *****************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/26/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/12/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I called the area code 509 phone number on ****** that was associated with the Holiday Inn Express in ******, **********. The phone was answered "Hello, Holiday Inn ******, how can I help you?". I made a reservation stating I was an EWU (***************************** in ******) parent and had called numerous times to reserve with a discount. The operator said "oh, yes I can see you've stayed with ** before". I made the reservation and was shocked at the steep price, but figured it was graduation weekend. Again, I confirmed this was the rate for ****** ********** Holiday Inn and operator confirmed. When we got to the hotel, I inquired about the high price. The front desk said "you booked through a third party". I stated I had not, that I called the front desk and showed them the phone record. She said that they had received a number of complaints about their phone being "redirected" by third party booking agencies and there was nothing she could do, but did confirm that I was overcharged by $200. Further, the hotel "upcharged" me upon arrival because this third party scammer booked the wrong room. Research after our stay shows numerous complaints about this booking agency in ******* rerouting calls to them through ****** searches. All communication was through text (attached as part of this complaint) from a ******* phone number. The front desk in ****** confirmed they do not send information via text.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/18/2023

  Hello,

   

  We received a notification that the booking amount has been disputed through your bank. Unfortunately, when a notice of a disputed charge is received, we are locked out of the refund process while the dispute is under review with the original merchant of record,
  
  This requires us to close your ticket pending the dispute investigation, which can take up to 90 days, and unfortunately, there is no manual override.
  
  If you have a letter from your bank/credit card holder stating the dispute is withdrawn, we can make the request for the dispute review to be closed early.
  
  This is what needs to be included in the dispute closed letter and emailed to *****************************
  
  MUST be a screenshot of a message in the banks online messaging portal or a photo of a letter on bank letterhead (Cannot be a forwarded email from a bank rep)
  MUST state cardholder dropped or withdrew the dispute
  MUST include the following info, which must match the charge info:

  
  Cardholder name
  Last four digits of card
  Amount of dispute
  
  If you can present this documentation, we can work to have your dispute closed earlier, but we cannot promise approval. Unfortunately, that is not our decision. We will contact you with a status update as soon as we hear back from the merchant of record for this booking.
  
  Thank you for your patience through this process.

   

  Regards,

  *****************************