Erika Mann had secured a four-room unit at Montreal’s Holland Hotel via Booking.com for CA$4,300 (c. £2,320), only to be told weeks later that the rate was a mistake. To keep the reservation, she was informed she would need to pay the corrected “event price” of over CA$17,000 (£9,170) – four times the original cost, CBC reports.

The hotel cited a “synchronisation error”, claiming their automated system failed to switch to event pricing immediately after the race dates were confirmed. Booking.com initially supported the hotel, pointing to terms and conditions that allow them to void bookings containing “obvious errors”, such as luxury suites listed for a single dollar.

Ms Mann refused the platform’s alternative accommodation offers, which involved splitting her family into small, non-equivalent rooms. She described the customer service process as “Groundhog Day”, feeling powerless against the platform’s automated policies.

Digital rights expert David Fewer noted that while platforms must be protected against genuine decimal-point errors, consumers are increasingly vulnerable to retroactive surge pricing. “This is where I think consumers should get the benefit,” Mr Fewer argued, calling for stronger consumer protection statutes.

Following media intervention by CBC’s Go Public, Booking.com reversed its decision. Acknowledging that communication fell short, the company agreed to honour the original booking and cover the cost difference. While relieved, Ms Mann noted that customers should not require media backing to ensure fair treatment.