Bungled booking hits marriage party, Chennai hotel to pay Rs 45,000
The complainant Sajid Ali booked 25 rooms at The King's hotel, Egmore, for three days in February 2024 to host the guests for his son’s wedding, and he had paid Rs 15,000 as advance in October 2023.
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CHENNAI: Chennai North District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered a city hotel to pay Rs 45,000 to a Madras High Court advocate as compensation for denying him rooms even after he booked and paid in advance.
The complainant Sajid Ali booked 25 rooms at The King's hotel, Egmore, for three days in February 2024 to host the guests for his son’s wedding, and he had paid Rs 15,000 as advance in October 2023. The hotel management asked Sajid to visit the rooms seven days before check-in to ensure he is happy with their facilities.
He visited the hotel on January 26, 2024, only to be informed the rooms had been assigned to other guests on his booked dates. They offered him a refund of the advance payment and asked him to look for another hotel.
Sajid filed a case with Chennai North District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. The hotel management claimed that as per their terms and conditions, an advance payment of 50% of the total bill amount has to be made while booking to confirm it. They also claimed to have made several requests to Sajid to pay half of the total bill amount of Rs 82,500.
The consumer commission headed by president D Gopinath, members Kavitha Kannan and V Ramamurthy concluded that the hotel’s action of allotting rooms even after receiving an advance amount three months prior to the booked dates amounts to deficiency in service and unfair trade practices.
The hotel is directed to refund Rs 15,000 collected towards advance and Rs 25,000 as compensation towards deficiency in service, unfair trade practice, causing mental agony, pain and suffering. The hotel has also been directed to pay Rs 5,000 towards litigation costs.