‘They will not honor anything’: Man checks into RIU Hotel in New York City. Then a ‘computer glitch’ causes him to pay $700 for the night

When booking a hotel room, most people understand that the first price they see will not be the final one they pay. Fees and taxes usually add a decent chunk to the total, and there is not much you can do about it.

According to one man visiting New York City for an event, however, fees are not the only way a hotel stay can become more expensive than expected.

TikTok creator Travis (@travis.shops) called out RIU Hotels in a recent video, saying a “computer glitch” caused him to pay much more than the initial price.

What Went Wrong During This RIU Hotel Stay?

Travis says he checked into the RIU Hotel in New York City in the evening and planned to stay for two nights.

“I arrived, I got my room booked,” he says. “I was supposed to be there for two days.”

According to Travis, the hotel told him they could not book both nights at once because there was an error in the system. He says the first night came out to $375 plus taxes, putting the total over $400.

The issue, he says, was the second night.

“They said that they couldn’t book the second room because the error in the system was that it’s gonna charge me $2,000 if I book two nights,” he says.

So Travis says he asked whether he could simply come down in the morning and book the second night at the same rate.

“She told me, yes, you are going to get the same rate,” he recalls. “Don’t worry. Just come down in the morning and book it.”

But when morning came, Travis says the room was no longer available at that price.

“Guess what? I can’t book the room because it’s not available,” he says.

According to him, a different employee in the lobby told him there was nothing they could do.

“I was told last night by the individual who booked my room that the room was good to go,” Travis says he told the staff. “That it was impossible to book because I was staying there, and then I could add an additional night.”

Still, he says the hotel would not honor what he had been told the night before.

He Had to Pay Almost Twice The Rate

Travis says he was running out of time because he had to get to an event. Since he could not keep the same room, he was told to pack up his belongings, bring them downstairs, and store them with the concierge.

“So I had to go up, I had to pack everything and get everything down there,” he says. “And then I had to run across New York.”

Before leaving, Travis says he had to book another room at a much higher rate.

“Guess which rate? $647,” he says. “After taxes and fees and all that stuff, it’s over $700. So nearly twice the rate of what my first room was.”

After his event, Travis says he returned to the hotel and explained the situation to the receptionist and manager.

According to him, the response was not exactly helpful.

“Manager says, well, guess what? I wasn’t here,” Travis recalls. “That’s not my team. I don’t do night shift, so whatever they say doesn’t really go.”

Travis says the manager told him he would still be charged the higher rate.

“We don’t honor things. Sorry. That’s just not how it works,” he says.

He says there was another big event happening in the area, which meant nearby hotels were either fully booked or much more expensive.

“She knew that she had me by the throat because I literally had nowhere else to stay,” he says.

He advises tourists visiting New York City to avoid RIU Hotels.

“They will charge you double or triple the rate because their system automatically changes it,” he says. “And they have no authorization to do an override to honor what their employees told you.”

He identified the location as the RIU Hotel near Times Square in Manhattan.

Are Hotels Doing This On Purpose?

In the comments section, viewers were frustrated by the way hotel prices can jump when demand is high.

“So tired of hotels charging more just because there are events in town,” one user wrote.

Another commenter, who said they are a Hilton hotel general manager, questioned the hotel’s explanation.

“As a Hilton Hotel GM…I can assure you any rate anywhere can be adjusted,” they wrote. “Its a Hotel PMS system it is fully overideable.”

They also suggested there may have been another issue, like the same room type no longer being available. “Why else would they waste labor cleaning your room just to have to clean twice because they didnt leave you in the 1st room!” they added.

Others compared it to surge pricing, where prices rise when demand is high.

“They do this with Uber and now I think it’s moving to Walmart and stuff like that,” another commenter wrote, adding that hotels may be using an “error” as an excuse to charge more.

Was This a Computer Glitch or Surge Pricing?

Hotel prices changing from one day to the next is not unusual. Many hotels use dynamic pricing, which means rates can shift based on demand, availability, major events nearby, and how many rooms are left.

So, if there was a big event in New York City that weekend, it would not be strange for room prices to climb.

However, that doesn’t fully explain Travis’ complaint, who says RIU Hotels intentionally misled him so that they could charge him more at the last moment. He’s not the only one to claim hotel “system glitches” caused major fees.

For example, one Reddit user on r/AskHotels said they paid $459 for a four-night stay, only to later see several extra charges appear on their bank account, to the tune of $500. The hotel manager allegedly called them “authorizations,” but the user said the pending charges tied up their vacation money and nearly overdrew their account.

Another Reddit user on r/travel said they booked and paid for a hotel through Expedia, only for the hotel to later charge them nearly $400 more. According to the user, the receipt only listed the charge as a “room charge,” and both the hotel and Expedia allegedly rejected a refund.

@travis.shops @RIU Hotels & Resorts 145 W 47th St, New York, NY 10036 avoid this place. They will not honor a word they say. #NYC #avoid #badservice #badexperience #scammed ♬ original sound – Travis Shops

The Mary Sue has reached out to RIU Hotels and Travis via TikTok messages for comment.

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