Booking.com Overlooks Medical Emergency in Refund Request

I created a non-refundable reservation through Booking.com for Velinov Boutique Hotel in Bulgaria for the dates January 17–20, 2026, and paid $350 USD by credit card. However, well before the reservation dates, on December 29, 2025, my son and I were involved in a serious traffic accident. Our vehicle was declared a total loss by the insurance company, and we have official accident reports and a hospital report for my son. Due to both physical and psychological reasons, we are not in a condition to travel, and since we no longer have a vehicle, traveling to the hotel has become practically impossible.

Because of this extraordinary and unforeseeable situation, I repeatedly contacted both the hotel and Booking.com through the Booking app to request cancellation and a refund. Despite sending accident photos, the official accident report, my son’s hospital report, and the total-loss report for the vehicle via email, my request was rejected, and afterward I received no further response. Ignoring such a clear case of force majeure and the official documents we provided has been extremely disappointing to me, both on a human level and in terms of customer service.

Due to the traffic accident we experienced, my son’s medical condition, and the fact that our vehicle is no longer usable—circumstances entirely beyond our control—we are unable to complete this stay. For this reason, I request that the $350 USD reservation amount I paid be exceptionally refunded to me after considering the official documents I submitted.