Jasmine Moelans
Google
I thought I had booked a duo massage at this hotel to celebrate both my sister’s and my birthday – but unfortunately, that turned out not to be the case, which was really disappointing.
I had exchanged several emails with the hotel in advance to discuss treatment options. At one point, I asked them to confirm whether a duo massage – meaning two people receiving a treatment at the same time – was possible, as I couldn’t find that option on their website. I received a reply that it was indeed possible, and I was asked to confirm if a specific date and time (day X at X time) would work for us. I replied less than 10 minutes later, saying that the proposed time was perfect. Based on that exchange, I assumed the massage was booked.
When we arrived at the hotel on the day of the massage, I went to the reception to let them know we were there for our duo treatment. The receptionist told me there was no booking in the system. I showed her the email exchange, to which she responded, “Did you receive a confirmation email? If not, the massage wasn’t booked.”
I was honestly quite taken aback – how was I supposed to know that I needed to receive a separate confirmation email, especially after confirming their proposed time?
She then offered to rebook us for the following day – one treatment at 6pm, the other at 7pm. I asked whether we could have the massages together, since that was what I had tried to book in the first place, but she said duo massages weren’t even something the hotel offered – which directly contradicted what I had been told over email.
She then asked if I still wanted to go ahead with the new booking and whether I wanted to pay upfront. I was honestly flabbergasted. I politely declined and left.
I understand that mistakes happen – I’ve worked in hospitality myself – but what really got to me was being made to feel like the mistake was mine. There was no apology for the mix-up, no real acknowledgment of the confusion, and no effort to take ownership for the miscommunication. The disappointment wasn’t just about the massage, but about how the situation was handled. A simple “I’m really sorry for the miscommunication – let me see what we can do to make it up to you” could’ve gone a long way.