Independent profile. Not owned, sponsored or endorsed by Hotels.com.
Hotels.com Reviews, Complaints & Contacts
Hotels.com is one of Expedia Group's three flagship consumer travel brands (alongside Expedia and Vrbo), focused on hotel and lodging bookings. It began in Dallas in 1991 as Hotel Reservations Network, a toll-free booking line, and today its U.S. customers earn rewards through Expedia Group's shared One Key program.
The BBB file for its Seattle headquarters is accredited with an A+ rating and lists 1,646 complaints in the last three years. 172 published complaint reports are linked to this profile. Most were filed between 2008 and 2012 and describe refunds that never came, cancellation fees, surprise charges and reservations the hotel could not find. Hotels.com warns that fake Hotels.com phone numbers circulate online, so contact it only through the official website or app.
Contacts
- Listed by BBBOfficial websitehotels.com ↗
Customer service & general contact
- VerifiedOfficial customer service page: chat, or phone after a few routing questionshotels.com/lp/b/getintouch ↗
Reference numbers (not support lines)
- Listed by BBBNumber listed on the BBB profile; for help with a booking, start at the official contact page(800) 246-8357 18 complaints mention this number
Locations
- Headquarters1111 Expedia Group Way W Seattle WA 98119
Is Hotels.com Legitimate?
BBB, ComplaintsBoard, Trustpilot
- Legal name
- Hotels.com, L.P. (brand owner; U.S. service provided by Expedia, Inc.)
- Founded
- 1991
- Business type
- Online hotel booking platform (Expedia Group brand)
- Website
- hotels.comSource: BBB business profile, checked 2026-11-02
- Headquarters
- Seattle, WASource: BBB business profile, headquarters, checked 2026-11-02
- Owned by
- Expedia Group, Inc.Source: Expedia Group Form 10-K for fiscal 2025, checked 2026-11-02
Ownership, BBB file, review sites and court cases
Hotels.com is owned by Expedia Group. Its U.S. terms name Expedia, Inc. as the service provider, while Hotels.com, L.P. owns the brand and trademarks. The Better Business Bureau file for the Seattle headquarters carries an A+ rating and BBB Accreditation, granted on April 28, 2025. BBB lists the business as started in 1991 and incorporated on August 23, 1999, with Robert J. Dzielak as Chief Legal Officer.
An A+ is a BBB grade, not an endorsement, and BBB says customer reviews do not count toward it. The same Seattle file shows 1,646 complaints filed in the last three years, 495 of them in the last 12 months, and a customer review average of 1.06 out of 5 from 380 reviews. On Trustpilot, where the company has claimed its profile, Hotels.com has a TrustScore of 3.8 from 22,609 reviews. ComplaintsBoard shows a reputation rating of 1.2 out of 5, a review average of 2.3 from 21 reviews, and 974 complaints. Each site uses its own scale and counts, so these numbers should not be combined.
The court cases listed on this page are tax, business and advertising disputes, plus two proposed class actions that are still allegations; none is a court finding of consumer fraud. In City of San Antonio v. Hotels.com, L.P., a jury verdict for Texas cities on hotel occupancy tax was vacated by the Fifth Circuit in 2017, which held that the tax applies only to the discounted room rate the company pays the hotel. A follow-on 2021 Supreme Court decision in the same litigation settled only who bears the appeal costs. In Buckeye Tree Lodge v. Expedia, brought by hotels, a federal judge ruled in 2020 that some "sold out" messages were literally false; the case settled in 2021 with no damages for the class of hotels, changes to how non-partner hotels are displayed, and payment of class counsel fees and awards to the named plaintiffs. A settlement is not an admission of liability. A proposed consumer class action in Israel and a proposed U.S. antitrust class action filed against Expedia Group in October 2026 both allege that the companies limited hotel price competition; neither has a ruling on the claims.
Independent Sources
Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.
Complaint Themes
Reviews & Complaints on USAComplaints
172 complaints on USAComplaints, including 1 published in the last three years.
- Rewards Nights Cannot Be Combined Between US and Asia Bookings
- Date Change Raised Rate From $75.59 to $125.99 Per Night
- $75 Food and Beverage Credit Denied at MGM Signature Check-In
- Rewards Account Mishandled and Deactivated, No Credit for Nights
- Customer Service Promised Refund for Reservation Missing From Account
Show 15 more on this page
- No VAT Invoice for UK Business Bookings and Prices Higher Than Rivals
- The So-Called Price Match Guarantee Is Deceiving
- Hotel Charged Undisclosed $15 Nightly Service Fee
- Booking Site Pre-Filled Wrong Date and Refused to Change It
- Price Match Guarantee Denied After Hyatt Offered Same Room for $69
- Would Not Change Hotel Date After Hurricane Sandy, Agent Gave Fake Reference
- Promised $100 Visa Card, Given Future-Use Coupon Instead
- Charged $215 Regular Rate Instead of Advertised $160 Special Rate
- Hotel Booked 26 km Outside Barcelona and Misleading Refund Advice
- Booked Hotel Had No Vacancy, Sent to Lesser Hotel Without Refund
- Agent Promised Resort Perks to Book, Hotel Could Not Confirm
- Undisclosed Parking Fee, Lost Reservation and No Price Match
- Charged $70 a Night While Hotel Rate Was $52, No Credit Given
- Not Best Price, Not Current Price, No Customer Support
- Hotel sold out. No help! No response!
What Hotels.com complaints on this site describe
Most Hotels.com complaints here were filed between 2008 and 2012, so they describe the company as it operated then, years before Expedia Group moved Hotels.com onto its shared technology platform in 2023. They mostly fall into the groups on this page. Each is what complainants allege; none is a finding against the company.
- Cancellation fees and refunds that never arrived: being charged after a timely cancellation, losing a full night for correcting a wrong date or hotel minutes after booking, or a promised refund that did not show up.
- Charged more than quoted, or more than the hotel's own rate: a phone quote that did not match the confirmation, a Hotels.com price above the hotel's desk rate, currency surprises and service fees the complainant says were not disclosed.
- Confirmed booking not found or not honored at the hotel: arriving with a Hotels.com confirmation at a hotel that had no record of it, was sold out, or said it had not been paid.
- Price Match Guarantee claims refused: a lower rate found for the same room, with the claim declined over coupons, "below market value" wording or paperwork. Travel-news sites report that Expedia and Hotels.com ended the Hotel Price Guarantee for new bookings on July 28, 2026.
- Unexplained or duplicate card charges: unrecognized "IAN Travel Services" or "TravelNow" entries on card statements and double billing for one stay.
- Promotions and rewards not delivered: free-night credits, gift cards, prepaid cards and, in 2011 and 2012, a free Kindle e-reader offer that complainants say never arrived.
A few complainants also say they dialed a number shown next to a hotel listing, thought they were phoning the hotel itself, and booked with Hotels.com instead.
Had an experience with Hotels.com? Tell other people what happened.
Submit a ComplaintWhat to do if you have a problem with a Hotels.com booking
Hotels.com's "Get in touch" page offers chat and phone support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, but it does not print a phone number up front: it asks a few questions first and then routes you to the right agent and number. Start every support request there, in the Hotels.com app, or in the Help Center.
Hotels.com warns that "fake hotels.com phone numbers are circulating online, often through misleading search engine ads and even whole pages." Treat any number found through a search ad or a third-party page with suspicion.
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Hotels.com says it will never ask for your password or one-time passcode, will never ask for a wire transfer, asks for card details only at checkout, and will never ask you to buy a gift card to pay for a trip.
Practical steps:
- Save the confirmation email and itinerary number as soon as you book, and screenshot the price, cancellation policy and any fees shown at checkout.
- If something seems wrong, call the hotel on a number you look up yourself and ask whether the reservation is in its own system.
- Put any refund or cancellation request in writing through the official chat or Help Center so you have a record, and note the date and the agent's reference.
- Before disputing a charge, check who took the money (see the related section): a U.S. Pay Now booking is normally charged by Travelscape, LLC, while a Pay Later booking is normally charged by the hotel. Older statements may show "IAN Travel Services" or "TravelNow" instead of Hotels.com.
- If the company that charged you does not fix a wrong or duplicate charge, dispute it with your card issuer in writing. Under the federal Fair Credit Billing Act, a credit card billing-error dispute must reach the issuer within 60 days of the date the first statement showing the charge was sent. For an unauthorized or incorrect debit card charge, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (Regulation E) gives you 60 days from the date your bank sent the statement showing it; report it sooner to limit your losses.
- You can file a complaint with the BBB or with the attorney general's consumer protection office in your state or in Washington State, where Expedia Group is based.
- If you paid a fake "Hotels.com" number or website, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and contact your card issuer at once.
Who charged your card, and how to escalate formally
Hotels.com's U.S. Terms of Service (revised March 26, 2026) say that for Pay Now bookings in the United States the payment is taken by Travelscape, LLC, an Expedia Group company, while for Pay Later bookings the hotel itself typically charges your card at the time of your stay. The same terms state that refunds go back to the original payment method and are made by the party that took the payment, and that there is no automatic right to cancel or change a booking unless the hotel's own rules allow it.
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Check the merchant name on your statement before deciding whom to chase. See the current U.S. Terms of Service.
If customer service does not resolve a U.S. dispute, the terms set out a formal route:
- Send a written, signed Notice of Dispute by certified mail to: Legal Department/Dispute Resolution Provision, Expedia, Inc., 1111 Expedia Group Way West, Seattle, WA 98119.
- The company then has 60 days to try to resolve it informally.
- After that you may start binding arbitration with the American Arbitration Association (AAA), or bring the claim in small claims court instead. The terms require claims to be brought individually, not as a class action.
These conditions come from the U.S. version of the terms; the terms shown to you depend on the country site you booked on, and the version in force when you booked governs your booking.
Court & Public Records
City of San Antonio v. Hotels.com, L.P. (hotel occupancy tax class action)
JudgmentSan Antonio sued in May 2006 in federal court in Texas on behalf of a class of Texas cities (173 remained in the class after two opted out). It alleged that Hotels.com and other online travel companies underpaid hotel occupancy taxes by paying tax on the discounted room rate they paid hotels rather than on the higher retail price travelers paid. After a jury trial the district court entered a judgment for the cities, amended to about $84 million.
On November 29, 2017 the Fifth Circuit held that the tax applies only to the discounted room rate the company pays the hotel, not to the retail markup or service fee, and vacated the judgment and rendered judgment for the online travel companies. This was a dispute with tax authorities, not a consumer fraud finding.
San Antonio v. Hotels.com, L.P. (appeal costs)
JudgmentIn a unanimous opinion by Justice Alito, the Court held that a district court cannot change how the court of appeals allocated those appellate costs, and affirmed the Fifth Circuit (959 F.3d 159), leaving the companies' costs award in place.
Case details: San Antonio v. Hotels.com, L.P. (appeal costs)Show less
A follow-on dispute over who pays the costs of the occupancy-tax appeal. The online travel companies sought more than $2.3 million, mostly premiums they paid for the bonds that secured the judgment during the appeal.
Buckeye Tree Lodge and Sequoia Village Inn, LLC v. Expedia, Inc. et al.
SettledA settlement is not an admission of liability.
Case details: Buckeye Tree Lodge and Sequoia Village Inn, LLC v. Expedia, Inc. et al.Show less
Independent hotels sued Expedia, Inc., Hotels.com, L.P., Hotels.com GP, LLC and Orbitz in August 2016 under the Lanham Act (false advertising). They alleged the sites showed hotels the companies had no booking relationship with as "sold out" or "unavailable" to steer travelers to properties that paid a commission. In 2019 Judge Vince Chhabria certified a class of hotels for injunctive relief only, with no money damages. In a September 2020 summary-judgment ruling he found that messages such as "We are sold out" were literally false when shown for hotels the sites never had rooms to sell, and left other issues for trial. The parties then settled, and the court entered judgment approving the class settlement on April 9, 2021. Under the settlement the defendants committed to measures that keep non-participating hotels from being shown as unavailable, and agreed to pay $2.1 million in class counsel fees and costs and $12,500 to each of the four named plaintiffs. Other class members, all of them hotels, received no money; travelers were not part of the class.
Ze'ev v. Expedia, Inc., Hotels.com et al. (putative class action)
FiledThese are allegations; no court has made a finding against the companies.
Case details: Ze'ev v. Expedia, Inc., Hotels.com et al. (putative class action)Show less
According to Expedia Group's annual report for 2025 (Form 10-K), a putative class action was filed in or around January 2018 against several online travel companies, including Expedia, Inc. and Hotels.com. The plaintiff alleges they violated Israeli consumer law by limiting hotel price competition. The plaintiff has moved for class certification and the defendants oppose it; the report describes no ruling on that motion.
Andrews et al. v. Expedia Group, Inc. (proposed antitrust class action)
FiledNo class has been certified and the court has made no ruling on the claims; these are allegations only.
Case details: Andrews et al. v. Expedia Group, Inc. (proposed antitrust class action)Show less
Three hotel guests filed a proposed nationwide class action against Expedia Group, Inc. under the federal antitrust laws (Sherman Act). They allege that Expedia's hotel contracts and ranking tools discourage hotels from offering lower prices on other booking sites or their own websites, raising room prices for travelers. The named defendant is Expedia Group, Inc.; the complaint covers its brands, including Hotels.com. The proposed classes are consumers who bought U.S. hotel stays listed on Expedia-owned sites and consumers who booked directly with hotels, from October 2, 2022. An Expedia spokesperson called the allegations meritless.
Hotels.com Overview
Hotels.com, L.P. is the lodging-focused brand inside Expedia Group's B2C segment, alongside Expedia and Vrbo; Expedia Group calls them its three core consumer brands. According to Expedia Group's annual report for 2025, in 2023 the company moved the Hotels.com and Vrbo websites onto the same technology as Expedia and launched One Key, a single loyalty program for Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo, first in the U.S.; it reached the U.K. in 2024. One Key members earn rewards as OneKeyCash.
The brand started in Dallas in 1991, when David Litman and Robert Diener founded Hotel Reservations Network (HRN), a toll-free hotel-booking phone line. USA Networks bought it in 2001, the same year it took control of Expedia; in 2002 HRN bought the Hotels.com domain and renamed itself, and in 2005 it became part of the newly separated Expedia, Inc., according to Wikipedia's history of the company.
More company historyShow less
172 published complaint reports are linked to this profile. They span 2002 to 2026, but almost all were filed before 2014, most of them between 2008 and 2012. Some older complaints describe card charges labeled "IAN Travel Services" or "TravelNow.com" rather than Hotels.com.
Company Relationships
- Owned byExpedia Group, Inc.
- Formerly known asHotel Reservations Network
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hotels.com owned by Expedia?
Hotels.com belongs to Expedia Group: its annual report for 2025 names Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo as the group's three core consumer brands. Hotels.com, L.P. owns the Hotels.com brand and trademarks; the U.S. Terms of Service name Expedia, Inc. as the company providing the service, and Travelscape, LLC as the company that takes payment for U.S. Pay Now bookings. In 2023 Expedia Group moved the Hotels.com website onto the same technology platform as Expedia.
Is a Hotels.com phone number from a search ad safe to call?
Be cautious. Hotels.com's "Get in touch" page warns that "fake hotels.com phone numbers are circulating online, often through misleading search engine ads and even whole pages." The official page does not show a number up front; it asks a few questions and then routes you to the right agent and number. Start every support request from hotels.com or the Hotels.com app, and never give a password, one-time passcode, gift card or wire transfer to anyone claiming to be Hotels.com. If you already paid a fake number, call your card issuer and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
What happened to Hotels.com Rewards?
In the U.S., Hotels.com Rewards was folded in 2023 into One Key, a single loyalty program shared by Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo, in which members earn OneKeyCash; One Key reached the U.K. in 2024, according to Expedia Group's annual report for 2025. From July 28, 2026, travel-news coverage reports, One Key earning moved to tier-based rates and the Hotel Price Guarantee ended, while OneKeyCash already earned keeps its value. Other country sites may run different programs, so check the rewards terms on the site you book on.
Did Hotels.com lose the Texas hotel-tax lawsuit?
Not in the end. In City of San Antonio v. Hotels.com, L.P., a jury verdict first went against the online travel companies, and the amended judgment reached about $84 million. On November 29, 2017 the Fifth Circuit vacated that judgment and ruled for the companies, holding that the occupancy tax applies only to the discounted room rate they pay hotels, not to the higher retail price travelers pay. A 2021 Supreme Court decision in the same litigation, docket 20-334, dealt only with who pays the appeal costs, not with the tax itself.
Does Hotels.com still have a Price Match Guarantee?
Not for new bookings. Travel-news sites including Upgraded Points and AwardWallet report that Expedia and Hotels.com ended the Hotel Price Guarantee on July 28, 2026, as part of a wider One Key overhaul. Before that, approved price-match claims were paid in OneKeyCash rather than refunded to your card. If you booked before July 28, 2026 and found a lower price, check the official Price Guarantee page or ask customer service whether your booking still qualifies.
How do I formally dispute a Hotels.com charge in the U.S.?
Start with Hotels.com customer service through the official site or app, and keep a written record. If that fails, the U.S. Terms of Service (revised March 26, 2026) say you must send a signed, written Notice of Dispute by certified mail to Legal Department/Dispute Resolution Provision, Expedia, Inc., 1111 Expedia Group Way West, Seattle, WA 98119. The company then has 60 days to resolve it informally; after that you can file for AAA arbitration or go to small claims court. A chargeback through your card issuer is a separate route: for credit cards, the Fair Credit Billing Act requires your written dispute to reach the issuer within 60 days of the first statement showing the charge.
Related Complaints
Names this company in a role other than the primary subject — not necessarily current or complete.
Sources (5)
Hotels.com (own site)
- Hotels.com U.S. Terms of Service hotels.com
Public records
- Expedia Group Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 sec.gov
- U.S. Supreme Court, San Antonio v. Hotels.com, L.P., No. 20-334 law.cornell.edu
Review sites
Other
- Wikipedia: Hotels.com history en.wikipedia.org