Hotels.com Didn’t Warn About Cyprus Border Issue, I Booked in Greek Side and Lost Money

I booked a hotel in Cyprus through the Hotels.com app, but since it was my first time visiting, I wasn’t familiar with the geography. Without realizing, I accidentally booked a property located in the Greek Cypriot region, where Turkish citizens are not permitted to enter through the northern border.

After discovering this, I immediately requested a refund, as it was a legal entry issue, not a personal change of plans. However, the hotel refused to issue a refund, and Hotels.com did nothing to support my claim.

Nowhere on the booking page did it clearly state that the property was located in the Greek-administered South. Such a critical detail—especially for travelers subject to border restrictions—should have been clearly highlighted.

I also tried to contact Hotels.com customer service, but it’s nearly impossible to reach a real person, and no one took accountability for the issue.

This is a serious platform failure. I’m now out the full amount I paid due to insufficient location transparency on Hotels.com. I demand that the full amount be refunded and that the platform update its listings to include regional entry restrictions for travelers. I will never use Hotels.com again unless this is resolved.