Booking.com Lets Athens Hotel Charge €422.50 Despite Free Cancellation Policy

I made a reservation through Booking.com at the Eternity Hotel in Athens for December 19–21, 2025, for three people. The listing clearly stated that I had free cancellation until December 4 and that no charge would be made to my credit card before the stay. However, on December 5, 2025, I received a visa refusal from the consulate, and since there were still 14 days left before the stay, I attempted to cancel the reservation on the same day.

At that exact point, the hotel charged my credit card for the full amount in advance and refused to refund the €422.50 payment. When I contacted Booking.com customer service, they confirmed that charging the card before the stay was incorrect, but stated that I had to resolve the issue directly with the hotel and withdrew from the process. My reservation details are Approval number: 5536****48 and PIN: 2848.

Booking.com, which earns commission from this reservation and is one of the largest travel agencies in the world, leaving full responsibility to the hotel despite a clear violation, and abandoning the customer in this situation, has caused serious hardship. When reviewing the hotel’s online reviews, it is clear that similar complaints have occurred before, yet no effective intervention by Booking.com has taken place.

I demand a refund of the €422.50 that was unfairly charged to my credit card in violation of the promised terms, and I request that Booking.com take an active role in resolving this issue instead of leaving the matter solely to the hotel.