San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed a lawsuit Wednesday against two hotel booking sites that have been allegedly scamming travelers into paying substantially higher prices for hotel rooms.
The defendants in the case are GuestReservations.com and BookOnline.com. In the suit, the city attorney’s office is alleging that these sites advertise online as if they are authentic hotel booking sites, but instead are trying to rip off tourists and trick them into paying more for hotel rooms.
The city is also suing Booking Holdings, the websites’ hotel room inventory supplier that allegedly assisted in the scam.
BookOnline.com, GuestReservations.com, and Booking Holdings could not be reached for a comment.
When using GuestReservations.com and BookOnline.com, travelers end up paying 35 to 85% more in markups, according to the city attorney’s office.
GuestReservations.com and BookOnline.com have received thousands of complaints across review websites.
“It’s time to stop the scam and help Californians get their money back,” said Chiu during a press conference at City Hall.
According to Chiu, when people end up using these sites and pay inflated rates for hotels, it hurts local businesses as tourists have less money to spend during their trips to the city.
“We’re asking a court to end these unlawful business practices, to secure restitution for Californians who are overcharged, and to impose civil penalties to ensure that companies don’t repeat misconduct,” Chiu added.
The city attorney’s office is asking anyone who is a victim of these scams or has more information to reach out to the office’s consumer complaint portal online at https://digital.forms.sf.gov/complaint, or call 415-554-3977.