A Haryana consumer commission has held a hotel in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, guilty of deficiency in service and unfair trade practice for denying accommodation despite a confirmed booking of four rooms. It directed the hotel to pay Rs 25,000 as punitive damages.A bench of president Gulab Singh and member O P Tuteja of the Fatehabad District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission also ordered a refund of Rs 6,966 if not already done by the online travel booking portal.“Considering the material on record, there is no ground to disbelieve the complainant because the evidence of the complainant goes unrebutted, and it has been proved that the hotel, despite the booking of a room by the complainant in its property at Vrindavan from March 26, 2022 to March 27, 2022, failed to provide accommodation to the complainant; apart from monetary loss, it caused mental agony, harassment, and humiliation to the complainant,” the commission said on October 7.It noted that, apart from deficiency in service, the hotel also committed unfair trade practice and is liable to be dealt with accordingly to compensate the complainant in appropriate terms.Man denied hotel check-inThe complainant booked four hotel rooms near the ISKCON Temple in Vrindavan through an online booking platform from March 26-27, 2022 by paying Rs 6,966. He received the confirmation of the booking via email.Also Read | Bouncers deployed, lights switched off at wedding: Hotel told to pay Rs 3.20 LakhThe complainant alleged that when he reached the hotel along with his family members and friends, the hotel refused to provide the rooms despite showing a confirmation slip. He claimed that he tried to contact the online booking platform’s toll-free numbers, but they did not give any satisfactory reply.Thereafter, in April, he sent an email to the online travel booking platform to request a refund of the booking amount. According to him, on the same day he got a response that the deposited amount is not enough to be refunded.Story continues below this adAlleging deficiency in service and unfair trade practice, the complainant filed a consumer complaint seeking refund, compensation, and litigation costs.No control over third-party hotels: PortalThe online travel booking platform argued that it acted only as a facilitator for hotel bookings and had no control over the services provided by third-party hotels. It submitted that it had confirmed the complainant’s booking and, after he reported being denied accommodation, initiated a refund of Rs 6,966 on March 27, 2022, along with a future travel voucher worth Rs 4,000.It maintained that it had fulfilled its obligations under its user agreement and terms of service and had not committed any deficiency in service. It sought dismissal of the complaint against it. The hotel did not appear before the commission and was proceeded against ex parte.‘Suffered humiliation, harassment’The commission observed that the complainant had booked four rooms at a hotel in Vrindavan through an online travel booking platform for March 26–27, 2022, and paid Rs 6,966. However, the hotel denied him accommodation despite the confirmed booking.Story continues below this ad“When the hotel did not provide accommodation to the complainant as per the booking schedule, the complainant suffered humiliation and harassment, as the complainant is a resident of Tehsil Tohana, District Fatehabad, a far-away place from Vrindavan where the hotel property is situated, which constrained the complainant to hire some other accommodation, and the complainant cannot be compensated in exact monetary terms and to teach a lesson to the hotel, so that in future it should not commit deficiency in service qua similarly situated customers,” it said.Regarding the travel booking platform, the commission observed that its role was limited to facilitating the booking. It noted that the platform had initiated a refund of Rs 6,966 and provided a future travel voucher worth Rs 4,000 after the hotel denied accommodation. Since the platform had fulfilled its obligations as a booking facilitator, the commission found no deficiency in service on its part and dismissed the complaint against it.TakeawayThe judgment highlights the responsibility of hotels to honour confirmed bookings and provide promised accommodation. It also underscores that consumer commissions can award punitive damages for deficiency in service and unfair trade practices, while distinguishing the liability of booking platforms that facilitate reservations and refunds.Consumers facing similar grievances may contact the consumer helpline in their respective states (Haryana helpline: 1800-180-2087) or dial the National Consumer Helpline at 1915 for assistance.Story continues below this adDon’t miss out on these stories:Hotel ordered to pay Rs 51,000 after customer finds rooms ‘unhygienic’ ahead of son’s weddingPromised luxury stays, offered ‘low-category’ hotels: Chandigarh man wins Rs 1.10 lakhHotel charges man Rs 20 extra on water bottles, ordered to pay Rs 12,020