Alabama Gulf Coast Vacation Packages

Good

We enjoyed much of our stay at The Island, but unfortunately our experience on the final day completely changed my impression of the hotel. The issue involved a room upgrade. We specifically confirmed through Expedia that there would be no additional upgrade fee, and Expedia’s notes from their communication with the hotel reflected that as well. Despite that, we were later charged an upgrade fee. What was most frustrating wasn’t even the billing mistake itself — mistakes happen. It was the way the situation was handled once we brought it to the hotel’s attention. The front-office manager took very little accountability and was not helpful in trying to resolve the discrepancy. Instead of acknowledging that we had been given conflicting information and working with us toward a reasonable solution, we were essentially left to deal with it ourselves through Expedia. As a guest, I shouldn’t have to investigate conversations between a hotel and a third-party booking company to determine why I was charged something I was explicitly told I would not be charged. If a hotel representative provides information about a fee, the hotel should stand behind that information or at minimum make a genuine effort to correct the situation. It was a really disappointing ending to an otherwise enjoyable trip. Better communication, transparency, and accountability from management would have gone a long way.