We don’t want to double up in New York

QAGILL CHARLTON

READER CHAMPION

You wanted a twin-bedded room but for some reason Thomas Cook ignored your express wish

On Jan 2 my friend and I went into Thomas Cook in Shrewsbury to inquire about a trip to New York. The adviser came up with a package of flights and hotel that fitted the bill (we wanted to stay near Times Square).

We made it quite clear that as two friends in our 70s we did not wish to share a bed. The adviser rang our chosen hotel, the Paramount, in our presence which confirmed that twin-bedded rooms were available. She said she would put in a request for a twin room but that it was standard practice for the hotel to confirm the room allocation nearer the time.

We have now received the booking confirmation in the post which says: “Room booked 1 twin/double”. I queried this with the adviser and have now been told that the hotel had emailed to say that although a twin room had been requested, it could not be guaranteed.

My friend and I are both unhappy with this situation. Our concern is that once we arrive at the hotel it will be too late to do anything should we be given a double room after all.

Last autumn I toured the US Canyonlands and stayed in 10 different hotels. All had two double beds in the room. I thought this was standard practice in the US and therefore did not foresee a problem in New York.

Please could you advise us on how to handle this situation.

JEAN DENNISS

I asked Thomas Cook’s head office to find out what had gone on here. It spoke to your adviser who said she had given you the option of paying more for a confirmed twin room. You dispute this and say that there was no such discussion. The adviser continues to claim that the request for a twin room should come good.

I took a look at the Paramount’s website and discovered that its “Classic” and “Queen” rooms all have one double bed which does not look as if it can be separated into twin beds. The only category functioning as a twin-bedded room is its larger “Superior Double” which has two full-sized beds.

I phoned the Paramount’s reservations desk in New York to get to the bottom of the matter. A helpful agent found your booking and said you were confirmed in a Queen room with one bed. She said there was a request for a twin but that would only happen if there was a Superior Double available on the day. This was highly unlikely to happen, she said, because this was the hotel’s most popular room category.

I have established that you can pay an upgrade fee direct to the hotel to secure a guaranteed twin-bedded Superior Double room; phone 001 212 764 5500 and ask for in-house reservations. The upgrade will cost US$45.90 per night; a total of $321 (£257) for your week’s stay.

I would highly recommend that you do this. What I don’t understand – and which Thomas Cook has been unable to explain – is why its adviser booked you into a double bed in contravention of your express wishes, and why it did not suggest the upgrade I have procured when you queried the booking confirmation.

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