Hotel Reservation Problem With Booking.com
I have a booking through Booking.com for August 13–19, 2025, at Hotel Vicky2 on the island of Lesbos, Greece. The hotel fee was €600, which I paid with my virtual credit card. €300 had already been charged to my card, and the system notified me that the remaining amount would be charged on August 11, 2025. However, on that date, my reservation was canceled by either the hotel or Booking.com due to insufficient credit on my virtual card. The hotel never informed me that the payment had failed, and I only discovered the cancellation on the morning of August 12. I immediately wrote to the hotel via Booking.com, explaining that I was unaware of the failed payment and that I would pay immediately. The hotel responded that the room had been booked by someone else and my reservation was canceled. Despite me not requesting the cancellation, an additional €285 was charged to my account as a cancellation fee, and I was told only €15 would be refunded. The hotel is both renting my room to someone else and charging me €285, which is nothing short of fraud. It appears the hotel canceled my reservation without informing me of the failed payment and re-booked the room at a higher price. I am now in a difficult situation, as it is a holiday week in Lesbos and I cannot find a hotel. All my plans have been ruined. I am filing a complaint against Booking.com and the hotel on Xolvie for the wrongful cancellation of my reservation and demanding a full refund of the €300 that was charged to me.
