EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 A woman who planned to travel to El Paso for a BTS concert in May said her hotel reservation was canceled and that she later saw the same property offering rooms for a much higher price.<\/p>\n
Sasha Thomas, who is from Dallas, said she booked a room last month at the La Quinta Inn by Wyndham El Paso East Lomaland through Hotels.com for May 1 through 3. She said she reserved two nights for about $500.<\/p>\n
Earlier this week, Thomas said she learned her reservation had been canceled. <\/p>\n
In an email from the hotel, it stated: \u201cLa Quinta Inn by Wyndham El Paso East Lomaland will be closed from May 1st to May 7 for essential maintenance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas said she later found the hotel still had availability for those dates, but at a higher cost. A check online found a room for May 1 through 3 listed for more than $1,100.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it’s a real problem, and I think it’s a moral problem to gouge like that, and maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if they hadn’t lied in the letter,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n
The El Paso Hotel Lodging Association said price increases around major events are typically tied to demand, though it is not common. <\/p>\n
RECOMMENDED: Ticketmaster releases additional BTS tickets at face value amid high demand<\/a><\/p>\n Vice President Marianne Ayub said, \u201cSo it’s really based on your revenue manager who is looking at the upcoming bookings and how to protect the demand.\u201d Ayub added, \u201cOnce they see an influx of higher reservations, then that’s when we went as an industry, that’s when they increase pricing.\u201d<\/p>\n Thomas said the experience has made her reconsider booking with the hotel in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone should be held accountable. Not all of us should be inconvenienced because they didn\u2019t do their job well,\u201d she said. \u201cIt’s just really poor Customer service, I would say it definitely makes me think twice about booking La Quinta because if a reservation isn’t honored.\u201d She added, \u201cI don’t trust them again, you know, not going to be trusting the quinta for sure and maybe even the window.\u201d<\/p>\n Thomas said she filed a complaint with the Texas attorney general\u2019s office, citing possible price gouging. The attorney general\u2019s office did not respond to a request for comment. The office\u2019s website says it has the authority to prosecute businesses that engage in price gouging after a disaster has been declared by the governor or president.<\/p>\n Despite the issue with the reservation, Thomas said she still plans to attend the concert. \u201cAnd we’re going to enjoy ourselves so we’re not going to let it ruin everything,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n See what the state qualifies as price gouging on their website. <\/a><\/p>\n KFOX14\/KDBC reached out to Expedia Group, and they provided the following statement:<\/p>\n We are still looking into this situation and will follow up when we have more to share. We appreciate your understanding.<\/p>\n