Let the consumer beware! I made a reservation directly with the Hilton Whistler for two nights to be paid for a sponsoring conference and one night on my own. I was not asked for nor did I provide my credit card for a guarantee. I was not informed that there was any kind of cancellation penalty. The email confirmation I received one week prior to check in did not mention any cancellation penalty. When I checked in the front desk asked for an imprint of my credit to cover any incidentals I might purchase at the hotel which I provided. Upon checking into my room I was very surprised that the kitchen garbage can was full and had obviously not been emptied for some time. On the second night I informed the front desk that I had decided I would not need the room on Saturday night. Imagine my surprise when all of a sudden, differing cancellation penalties suddenly appeared - $48.00 if you book on line - 14 days for organizations, 7 days for your group. I told the assistant manager that I did not authorize any charges. I spoke to Tom Lefkovits, manager of the hotel who informed me this was "standard policy". I disputed the charge through Visa and was told that the onus is on the consumer not the hotel. Once they had my credit card, they could put through any charges they feel are deserved. Worse was the shoddy treatment that I received from management. Our organization has hosted this conference in Whistler for a number of years. You would think that the Hilton would want to insure repeat business by working to smooth out this issue. They were not the least bit interested which tells me that individual customers will be treated even worse. I will definitely be pushing our group to take our business elsewhere and I suggest that others do the same.
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