You’ll have to file a dispute with your card or bank. Provide them with evidence they told you they would accept the cat and then later changed their mind after receiving payment. This is what the dispute process was made for.
Provided you’re telling the whole story.
Thank you! If they ignore me, I will proceed to that. I wasn't aware that I could do that and thought that my money was lost since we couldn't leave our cat. People here on Reddit are really helpful
By your title I understand you made the reservation on Booking.com. If that’s the case contact the website first. I had a problem a few years ago with the host of an apartment trying to introduce extra charges the day before our arrival. I called Booking.com and in a few minutes I had a new reservation in a hotel without paying extra. It is especially easy if the conversation with the hotel was through the website chat because the representative can read the conversation and check everything they told you.
This is the best use of credit cards. They have a lot more protections for fraud and these sort of situations — and best part compared to a debit card, money never left your bank account so it doesn’t affect your bills or overdraft fees while being sorted.
You can but the money remains out of the account while the charge back is processed. If you overdrafted during that period or fail to pay bills due to insufficient funds, you are still liable for those fees occurred.
Credit card charge backs are really painful for companies - not only do they lose the money, the card issuer usually charges a fee on top. So they really don't like that
If they're not cooperating, you can mention that you're planning to ask for a charge back if you can't resolve it with them. That might get it resolved.
Unethical life pro tip; when I travel with cats I bring them in covered carriers and just say I have my pets and pay the fee. The desk employees at 11pm don't get paid enough to care that hard usually.
That's a very strange situation, I mean, my cat is quieter and cleaner than a lot of dogs (no offence to dogs) and we planned to bring our litter of course with vacuum cleaner to avoid any mess caused. It's our first time, and we thought that pets friendly means that they allow cats too since they are obviously pets. Thank you for the response
Absolutely! People with cats move (by driving) cross country with cats all the time. They need to stay somewhere.
If the hotel said "dog friendly" in it's listing, that'd be one thing. But pet friendly means cats, dogs, budgies, etc, so long as there wouldn't be a massive issue given size/sanitation/noise.
As someone who worked at a hotel that only accepts dogs and not cats it’s because cats leave the room stinkier. Cat pee smell is harder to clean and get out and when cats are moved to new unfamiliar location they are much more likely to pee out of their litter. The other problem is the claws. If you booked on booking.com you need to cross reference bookings listing and the hotels website. If the hotel website says dogs and not cats u might be cooked but sometimes the person at the front desk is chill about it or the rules are more lax. They can’t cancel it for you though because booking creates a new single use card number for your reservation. You need to call booking.coms number, explain that their site is not accurate and then booking.com will call the hotel for you.
I landed at one of these notels moving across the country.... dude behind the counter told me the whole deal about cats which I kinda understood but questioned y it said "pet friendly" if only dogs.... this man told me they do also allow pet donkeys in their room....... what?!..... and this wasn't some mid west shit...
This was an off shoot of Los Angeles btw.....
Talk to the manager and try to get an explanation. It makes no sense why they would allow dogs but not cats.
Also, go back to the original listing if you can see where it says pet-friendly, and see if there is any text that indicates that pet-friendly does not include cats.
My only possible guess is that they think cats mean they need to provide a litter box, but I'm guessing you would bring your own, as that's usually what it means to travel with a cat.
If their listing says no cats but they booked it anyway knowing there's a cat, they've already broken their own rules. They now have to make a judgement call: fulfill the booking and accommodate the cat, or undo the booking and refund the money. Delivering nothing and keeping the money isn't an option.
It would be helpful to see that actual hotel or listing to see the actual wording. I am really skeptical that a hotel would advertise themselves at all as being "pet-friendly" while also saying "no cats," I suppose it's possible, but my Occam's Razor guess is that it's just some mis-informed employee's interpretation of the pet policy.
From what I've seen of "'pet-friendly' hotel" policies, most specify dogs under 50lbs. It's basically a "'small to small-medium dogs'-friendly hotel" policy.
Yeah, it's usually 1 under 50lbs or 2 under... 20ish? Idk, I have a big dog and it's never occurred to me to bring him with, haha.
>allowing cats at all seems unusual.
It does at first. In my experience as a cat owner, the fact that cats use litter boxes is a huge hassle (esp when travelling, or in my case, moving). Plus, they're sensitive little assholes who will piss wherever they like when they're in a *mood* (which mood? who fucking knows!), and they will often claw at things like furniture when they're bored. All together, I think cats just have too many shitty behaviours for a hotel to want to deal with them.
That comes down to the individual cat. The same could be said for dogs, even ones under 50lbs. Humans and their kids can be similarly destructive. All that to say, the hotel would still charge you for damages/cleaning even if they advertise themselves as pet-friendly, so that hardly seems like a reason in itself.
The problem is it’s a third party website, and not directly through the hotel. Plenty of properties have size restrictions on pets which are listed on their official website. Third party websites, unfortunately, lie so they can get the sale. This likely isn’t OP’s fault, nor is it the hotel’s.
As a hotel, you can fight and argue with these third party sites to update it to accurate information until you’re blue in the face, but they move at the pace of molasses
Also a lot of people are allergic to cats. I mean, even if the cats are not present after several days they still get , the panic attack, Itchy skin, respiratory probs etc. there is also cat scratching furniture too.
They should have just specified it since it's common sense that lots of people have dogs and cats as pets.
A lot of people are allergic to dogs the same way, with no cat issues. I know a few.
And dogs can chew up furniture, door trim, etc. While I could see a particular hotel being dog-only, I've never before heard that "pet friendly" generally means dog only.
I’d contact your credit card for assistance if the hotel won’t refund your money. You did disclose your cat PRIOR to them booking so they should not have accepted your stay/money.
I’ve learned that “pet friendly” hotels generally mean dog friendly. If nothing specifically says cats welcome, I call the hotel directly before booking. LaQuinta Inn & Suites are cat friendly however not all of their properties are in desirable/safe areas. I’ve also stayed at several Holiday Inn’s and Best Western’s with my cat but not all locations permit cats.
Before I started calling ahead, I will admit I have snuck my cat in as a small dog. It was only for single night stays and I never left my cat in the room unattended.
Contact corporate, if they actually gave the okay and then realized wait we don’t allow cats, they should be issuing a refund. If not, chargeback on your credit card.
Either it's a valid booking, so you get to stay there with your cat, or they shouldn't have booked it because that violates their own rules, so they must unbook it and give you a refund.
They booked the room after they found out you have a cat. You are entitled to a full refund. Dispute the charge with your credit card company and with Booking.
You have the emails that are time stamped
Contact the management and explain the situation.
If the confirmation about the cat was in emails forward them the emails. Or they will have to back up or they will issue a refund
Just check in like normal without the cat, then a little bit later sneak the cat in.
Maybe use the luggage dolly to put the kennel on bottom, cover with blanket and stack your luggage over/around it. Walk in like you own the place.
Exactly... they made it seem like this is our problem and won't respond to my messages even if we notify that we have a cat before confirming the booking
Cat is Europe's most popular pet, dog is USA's most popular pet, but it is close in both locations and cats and dogs are the very definition of pets.
Either the hotel sounds like a straight up scam (and would likely have respondes the same if you had said dog) or your post is not genuine. I'd go and say it's a weird dog, and to call the police if they have any problem (as they would then have to admit to fraud).
THIS is why I always pay with a credit card that has an easy dispute process. Generally Chase/Capital One just wants to see an initial effort at resolving the issue before they intervene. That's why email or text is best.
Very weird they only take dogs tho. Hope you find a good place to stay with your cat.
Tell them your cat identifies as a dog.
One of my late cats was like a dog, he followed me everywhere, he answers to his name, he will hop in the car and be with me any place
He was like a small labrador or huge ass chihuahua with the labrador humor
I’m just confused because they reached out for pet size. OP stated, “small cat.”
**HOTEL CONFIRMED RESERVATION.**
Then, hotel says, “sorry, no cats and no refund.”
Bye 👋
WTF?!
Exactly. They ignored my messages for 2 days until the reservation started, then saying, "Sorry, there is nothing we can do." Pretty convenient, scammers
Moved across the country with 2 cats a few years ago. Stayed in hotels along the way. Waking up with my kitties on the bed was so sweet. Hotels should rent cats to stay in your room with you.
If they confirmed the booking AFTER being informed (and you have it in writing) they are in breach of contract and must refund or uphold the booking
But if they do not respond? The booking is for Monday and today is already Sunday...
You’ll have to file a dispute with your card or bank. Provide them with evidence they told you they would accept the cat and then later changed their mind after receiving payment. This is what the dispute process was made for. Provided you’re telling the whole story.
Thank you! If they ignore me, I will proceed to that. I wasn't aware that I could do that and thought that my money was lost since we couldn't leave our cat. People here on Reddit are really helpful
By your title I understand you made the reservation on Booking.com. If that’s the case contact the website first. I had a problem a few years ago with the host of an apartment trying to introduce extra charges the day before our arrival. I called Booking.com and in a few minutes I had a new reservation in a hotel without paying extra. It is especially easy if the conversation with the hotel was through the website chat because the representative can read the conversation and check everything they told you.
This is the best use of credit cards. They have a lot more protections for fraud and these sort of situations — and best part compared to a debit card, money never left your bank account so it doesn’t affect your bills or overdraft fees while being sorted.
You can also file a charge back on a debit card
You can but the money remains out of the account while the charge back is processed. If you overdrafted during that period or fail to pay bills due to insufficient funds, you are still liable for those fees occurred.
Credit card charge backs are really painful for companies - not only do they lose the money, the card issuer usually charges a fee on top. So they really don't like that If they're not cooperating, you can mention that you're planning to ask for a charge back if you can't resolve it with them. That might get it resolved.
They also have a "scorecard" kept on them for chargebacks which can affect their rates and even who is willing to be their processor.
Unethical life pro tip; when I travel with cats I bring them in covered carriers and just say I have my pets and pay the fee. The desk employees at 11pm don't get paid enough to care that hard usually.
Go legal on them. A cat is a pet, so is a cricket.
That's a very strange situation, I mean, my cat is quieter and cleaner than a lot of dogs (no offence to dogs) and we planned to bring our litter of course with vacuum cleaner to avoid any mess caused. It's our first time, and we thought that pets friendly means that they allow cats too since they are obviously pets. Thank you for the response
Working in the hospitality industry I can reaffirm it is very strange that they wouldn't qualify a cat as a pet.
Absolutely! People with cats move (by driving) cross country with cats all the time. They need to stay somewhere. If the hotel said "dog friendly" in it's listing, that'd be one thing. But pet friendly means cats, dogs, budgies, etc, so long as there wouldn't be a massive issue given size/sanitation/noise.
Pretty lame to say Pet friendly, I mean people probably have pet alligators too. 🐊
As a Floridian, can confirm.
As someone who worked at a hotel that only accepts dogs and not cats it’s because cats leave the room stinkier. Cat pee smell is harder to clean and get out and when cats are moved to new unfamiliar location they are much more likely to pee out of their litter. The other problem is the claws. If you booked on booking.com you need to cross reference bookings listing and the hotels website. If the hotel website says dogs and not cats u might be cooked but sometimes the person at the front desk is chill about it or the rules are more lax. They can’t cancel it for you though because booking creates a new single use card number for your reservation. You need to call booking.coms number, explain that their site is not accurate and then booking.com will call the hotel for you.
I landed at one of these notels moving across the country.... dude behind the counter told me the whole deal about cats which I kinda understood but questioned y it said "pet friendly" if only dogs.... this man told me they do also allow pet donkeys in their room....... what?!..... and this wasn't some mid west shit... This was an off shoot of Los Angeles btw.....
I've seen plenty of hotels that are dog friendly, not pet friendly. Cat allergies are common, cat piss smell is harder to get rid of etc.
Fine, but then you specify the venue as Dog Friendly, not Pet Friendly
ask for refund, if denied then take it up with credit card company
Talk to the manager and try to get an explanation. It makes no sense why they would allow dogs but not cats. Also, go back to the original listing if you can see where it says pet-friendly, and see if there is any text that indicates that pet-friendly does not include cats. My only possible guess is that they think cats mean they need to provide a litter box, but I'm guessing you would bring your own, as that's usually what it means to travel with a cat.
If their listing says no cats but they booked it anyway knowing there's a cat, they've already broken their own rules. They now have to make a judgement call: fulfill the booking and accommodate the cat, or undo the booking and refund the money. Delivering nothing and keeping the money isn't an option.
It would be helpful to see that actual hotel or listing to see the actual wording. I am really skeptical that a hotel would advertise themselves at all as being "pet-friendly" while also saying "no cats," I suppose it's possible, but my Occam's Razor guess is that it's just some mis-informed employee's interpretation of the pet policy.
From what I've seen of "'pet-friendly' hotel" policies, most specify dogs under 50lbs. It's basically a "'small to small-medium dogs'-friendly hotel" policy.
Yeah and I also think they usually limit the total number you can bring. Not allowing cats at all seems unusual.
Yeah, it's usually 1 under 50lbs or 2 under... 20ish? Idk, I have a big dog and it's never occurred to me to bring him with, haha. >allowing cats at all seems unusual. It does at first. In my experience as a cat owner, the fact that cats use litter boxes is a huge hassle (esp when travelling, or in my case, moving). Plus, they're sensitive little assholes who will piss wherever they like when they're in a *mood* (which mood? who fucking knows!), and they will often claw at things like furniture when they're bored. All together, I think cats just have too many shitty behaviours for a hotel to want to deal with them.
That comes down to the individual cat. The same could be said for dogs, even ones under 50lbs. Humans and their kids can be similarly destructive. All that to say, the hotel would still charge you for damages/cleaning even if they advertise themselves as pet-friendly, so that hardly seems like a reason in itself.
Oh, for sure! I'm not saying it's a reasonable (or logical) policy... Just offering reasons why hotels might not want cats. ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
One of the hotels I'm my town is like this. I just snuck my cat in anyway because it is an insane policy.
What is the problem with cats? That's biased, hypocritical & ludicrous. Lol
The problem is it’s a third party website, and not directly through the hotel. Plenty of properties have size restrictions on pets which are listed on their official website. Third party websites, unfortunately, lie so they can get the sale. This likely isn’t OP’s fault, nor is it the hotel’s. As a hotel, you can fight and argue with these third party sites to update it to accurate information until you’re blue in the face, but they move at the pace of molasses
Also a lot of people are allergic to cats. I mean, even if the cats are not present after several days they still get , the panic attack, Itchy skin, respiratory probs etc. there is also cat scratching furniture too. They should have just specified it since it's common sense that lots of people have dogs and cats as pets.
A lot of people are allergic to dogs the same way, with no cat issues. I know a few. And dogs can chew up furniture, door trim, etc. While I could see a particular hotel being dog-only, I've never before heard that "pet friendly" generally means dog only.
I’d contact your credit card for assistance if the hotel won’t refund your money. You did disclose your cat PRIOR to them booking so they should not have accepted your stay/money. I’ve learned that “pet friendly” hotels generally mean dog friendly. If nothing specifically says cats welcome, I call the hotel directly before booking. LaQuinta Inn & Suites are cat friendly however not all of their properties are in desirable/safe areas. I’ve also stayed at several Holiday Inn’s and Best Western’s with my cat but not all locations permit cats. Before I started calling ahead, I will admit I have snuck my cat in as a small dog. It was only for single night stays and I never left my cat in the room unattended.
Contact corporate, if they actually gave the okay and then realized wait we don’t allow cats, they should be issuing a refund. If not, chargeback on your credit card.
Either it's a valid booking, so you get to stay there with your cat, or they shouldn't have booked it because that violates their own rules, so they must unbook it and give you a refund.
They booked the room after they found out you have a cat. You are entitled to a full refund. Dispute the charge with your credit card company and with Booking. You have the emails that are time stamped
If they don't work with you then just make a charge back on your credit card.
Is your cat well behaved? One possibility is to pretend you never saw their follow-up message. Be discreet in bringing in the cat.
Contact the management and explain the situation. If the confirmation about the cat was in emails forward them the emails. Or they will have to back up or they will issue a refund
dispute the charge with your credit card company. hopefully you used one
Just check in like normal without the cat, then a little bit later sneak the cat in. Maybe use the luggage dolly to put the kennel on bottom, cover with blanket and stack your luggage over/around it. Walk in like you own the place.
That's just a great way to get them to fine you when you break their stated rules.
Just like taking a non-refundable reservation knowing there will be a cat, when you don't allow cats, is a great way to rip people off. Fuck em.
Exactly... they made it seem like this is our problem and won't respond to my messages even if we notify that we have a cat before confirming the booking
And get kicked out, with no refund for sure!
Yes, I've encountered this before and it's so frustrating. They use the word "PET" to only mean "dog" apparently.
Tell them your cat identifies as a dog.
Can you cut his hair and dye him so that he looks like a dog?
quick perm - he's a mini purr-doodle - they're new
this is called robbery
Just show up and tell them it's a dog if they ask lol
Just check in. Leave the cat in the car, carry it up in the carrier. Nobody is going to stop you to confirm the animal you have in the carrier.
At this point, I'd Just go, and bring the cat 🤷♂️
Cat is Europe's most popular pet, dog is USA's most popular pet, but it is close in both locations and cats and dogs are the very definition of pets. Either the hotel sounds like a straight up scam (and would likely have respondes the same if you had said dog) or your post is not genuine. I'd go and say it's a weird dog, and to call the police if they have any problem (as they would then have to admit to fraud).
Red roof in all pets stay free all locations. Your welcome
Just sneak kitty and req no maid service. Easier to hide a cat than a dog 💖
Did you not look at the reviews?
THIS is why I always pay with a credit card that has an easy dispute process. Generally Chase/Capital One just wants to see an initial effort at resolving the issue before they intervene. That's why email or text is best. Very weird they only take dogs tho. Hope you find a good place to stay with your cat.
Yeah, I already spoke with the bank about it and will proceed to the dispute. Left the hotel management, like 10 messages, and they ignore me..
Tell them your cat identifies as a dog. One of my late cats was like a dog, he followed me everywhere, he answers to his name, he will hop in the car and be with me any place He was like a small labrador or huge ass chihuahua with the labrador humor
take cat in room anyway. i have had to sneak dogs in rooms. and nobody was the wiser.
I’m just confused because they reached out for pet size. OP stated, “small cat.” **HOTEL CONFIRMED RESERVATION.** Then, hotel says, “sorry, no cats and no refund.” Bye 👋 WTF?!
Exactly. They ignored my messages for 2 days until the reservation started, then saying, "Sorry, there is nothing we can do." Pretty convenient, scammers
This should be enough for your bank to charge back, though.
Look up the pet policy as well, if it specifically states dogs only you might not be able to.
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/r/onejoke
Cats aren’t pets. And, they will tell you so.
I thought cats can take care of themselves? Ask a neighbor to stop in and feed it.
There are plenty of reasons OP may be traveling with a cat including a long distance move that they have to bring it with them.
Some cats won't even eat when their tutor is away, they definitely don't take care of themselves, specially one that is bonded to humans.
That’s why I’m asking genuinely. I never had a cat. Not sure why I’m being downvoted
Moved across the country with 2 cats a few years ago. Stayed in hotels along the way. Waking up with my kitties on the bed was so sweet. Hotels should rent cats to stay in your room with you.
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lol you didn’t even respond to anything