Travel firm Agoda urged to improve business after booking troubles
The Japan Tourism Agency has urged the Japanese arm of online travel agency Agoda Company Pte to improve its business practices due to booking problems, a source familiar with the matter said Monday.
In March, the agency asked Agoda International Japan to address problems including repeated cases of travelers arriving at hotels to find no record of their paid bookings. In some instances, the reservation details provided to hotels were incorrect.
The following month, the company submitted a list of measures to the agency outlining how it would address the booking issues, but some hotel operators in Japan said the problems were still occurring as of June.
Based in Singapore, Agoda, a subsidiary of the world's leading online travel service provider, Booking Holdings Inc., provides services in 39 languages and employs staff in 27 markets, according to the company.
If the company fails to implement drastic measures, the Japanese government may impose administrative penalties, the source said.
Toyoko Inn Co, which operates a major hotel chain in Japan, warned travelers on its website on June 16 about booking issues involving Agoda and its partner firms. It cited cases of incorrect room types and reservation dates, as well as instances where rooms were listed on Agoda at significantly higher prices than those set by the hotels.
Toyoko Inn said various issues have arisen from the resale of rooms by Agoda's partner companies and that travelers must contact those firms directly to resolve problems, including reservation cancellations.
The hotel operator issued the warning after failing to resolve the booking issues through discussions with Agoda.
"Our customer care team swiftly and appropriately responds to solve problems whenever trouble arises," the Tokyo-based Agoda International Japan said.
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