South Carolina man seeks answers after hotel cancels his stay in WNY during the eclipse
BUFFALO N.Y. (WIVB) – It was about to be a travel nightmare for a South Carolina man who’s planning a trip to Buffalo for the solar eclipse. Days after he booked his stay, the hotel canceled the reservation and rebooking a room was going to cost him hundreds of dollars more.
He reached out the News 4 for help.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’ve booked tours and all sorts of other events to be able to see the eclipse at Niagara Falls,” Robert Taylor said. “I’ve already got money tied up in this trip.”
Taylor is from Greenville, S.C. and wants to travel to WNY with his mom to watch the solar eclipse.
“You budget for this. I’m trying to take my mom to see it and she’s getting elderly. That’s the main reason we booked this. She asked if we could go,” he said.
On March 18 he booked a room at the Manga-owned Aloft Buffalo Airport on Genesee Street for April 6-10. He paid $636.78.
A few days after his reservation was confirmed he noticed it was canceled.
“I immediately looked on their website to look at what rooms they have available and that’s when I noticed all the rooms were now almost three times more than what I had booked the room for,” he said.
Taylor tried contacting the hotel for an explanation. After not having much luck getting through to someone, he reached out to corporate at the Marriott Bonvoy.
“I got a hold of someone and they informed me, after clicking into the system and looking at what was in the system, it says was that the reservation was canceled and that it was done by the hotel,” he said. “I would have to contact the hotel about why it was canceled.”
He was finally told his reservation was canceled because of an overbooking and there was a glitch in the system.
“I was like ok none of this makes sense or adds up to me. I just want to speak to someone for clarity,” Taylor said.
News 4 called the hotel and after being placed on hold was told no one can comment. About an hour later Taylor received an email that his original reservation was once again confirmed, at the original price.
“It’s kind of a shame it had to come to this but I’m glad they did the right thing,” he said “Hopefully we can all move forward.”
Despite all the stress with booking his stay, Taylor says he’s looking forward to the eclipse, spending time with his mom and visiting Western New York.
“It just kind of gives you the peace of mind, I hope, that we’ll be able to continue the trip,” he said.
Latest Local News
Pro soccer in Buffalo by 2026? New group acquires rights for men’s and women’s pro teams, plans new stadium
Niagara Falls man sentenced on child pornography charge
Grocery store manager in Erie County accused of selling drugs while working
Former Niagara County legislator gets community service for tire slashing
Buffalo Teachers Federation presents BPS with school safety solutions
Sarah Minkewicz is an Emmy-nominated reporter and Buffalo native who has been a part of the News 4 team since 2019. Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahMinkewicz and click here to see more of her work.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo.
