Italian Hotel Mistakenly Offers 1-Cent Weekend
A four star hotel near Venice offered the ultimate low-cost vacation by mistake. It was a romantic weekend in the Italian lagoon city for 1 Euro cent. Not surprisingly, the Crowne Plaza in Quarto D’Altino which is 15.5 miles from Venice received bookings for the equivalent of 1,400 room nights on the night the rate was posted on its site.
The hotel first thought that the offer was posted by a hacker but it turned out to be human error at the Atlanta, Georgia offices of Intercontinental Hotels Group and this is acknowledged by the hotel’s mother company. The offer was supposed to be for a two-night stay at half price, because a night at the 151-room hotel would normally cost between $128 and $214. The 1-cent rate was up only Sunday night, but that was long enough for travelers to book dates running from October until next year. The hotel stands to lose 90,000 Euro or $129,000 and this is according to the hotel manager.
Monica Smith, media relations manager for the hotel group in the U.S. said Friday that some 228 guests made reservations for the equivalent of 1,400 room nights while the error was on the hotel’s site and that the reservations would be honored. According to the media relations manager for the hotel group in the U.S. although there was a pricing error, the hotel has committed to honoring the 1-cent rate for guests who have a valid confirmation, but the rooms booked at the low rate are non-transferable.
