Prepaid Paris Hotel Night I Can't Use

Did you purchase any trip insurance? They often have provisions for these things... Also, have you talked to the airline? The hotel? Otherwise... :-( Sorry.

Just curious, the airline just changed your return date without you requesting it, just changed it out of the blue? Tell them this is unacceptable and it is costing you money for prepaid items like hotels and anything else you can think of. Though it could happen I've never read anything like this before. I've heard of them changing times but the flight is still on the same day, and it sometimes causes flight connection problems.

And you just illustrated the problem with prepaying and locking up reservations. Check the refund policy and, if it says no refund, they may actually mean no refund.

Debra, I am shocked! There isn't any way on earth I would settle for cutting my time in Europe short...and especially with a prepaid hotel room. That airline would definitely hear from me and would be making changes immediately, of course without charging a change fee!

Agree with the others, work with the airline. If you have a non-refundable hotel fare, you are out of luck with them.

Something's up. A ticket is a contract - - an agreement to provide goods or services at a set price on/by a given date. If the airline changed it w/out your consent, they've breached and have to remedy. They know it. Tell them that you know that they know it. Their only reclama would be that it was: (1) not unilateral or (2) small print (e.g.; consolidation or charter). Both put the shoe on another foot and leave you holding the bag..

Ed - I'd think all airlines put in the ticket's small print that the flight is subject to a change in time for whatever reason. So any changes do not breach the contract. Airlines offer to accommodate passengers when they make such changes in order to get repeat business.

I agree about a change in time. I get umpteen notifcations about time changes from buying the tickets until departure, but I've never had anybody rob a whole day from me.

Thanks for all the ideas and information. This is my husband's reservation (full disclosure), and he says the airlines did offer him several options, and the one he chose means giving up this particular night, so I don't think we have much recourse there. But what we are wondering is, are there clearinghouses where an already-paid-for room can be sold to another traveler who could use it?

Aha, the truth comes out. Now you've got to try to work a deal with hotel - - the problem is that you're only a precious few weeks out. The question is did you actually prepay? Or did you just give them a credit card number to hold the room. If the latter is the case, most hotels only stiff you one night for a no-show, so if you've got several nights you might be able to drop one. I'm no expert on law anywhere, but French law on the subject is national (as opposed to being at state level in the US). Dollars to doughnuts it says that sublease (or assignment) is not allowed unless authorized by the basic lease. I can't imagine a hotel room would contain this provision. Also, if you read the fine print of any hotel rental agreement in France, you'll see a clause about the room being only for the use of the person renting the room. The chance of there being a clearing house that would fly in the face of the two preceeding paragraphs is about nil. Now watch: the next post will probably list seven. See what kind of deal you can work with the hotel. It's probably your only chance.