A man questioned Kerala's Vibe Munnar resort over a compulsory New Year's Eve gala dinner charge. The dispute sparked debate about upfront disclosures, refunds and hotel booking policies.Kerala resort threatens to cancel man's booking over mandatory gala dinner fee (Photos: @VedVery5/X)A techie from Goa called out a five-star resort in Kerala after it introduced a mandatory New Year's Eve gala dinner charge for his family’s stay, warning that his booking would be cancelled if he refused to pay the additional amount.Vedant G, an X user, shared a screenshot of the email he received from Vibe Munnar Resort and Spa, along with his account of the booking.
He said he had reserved the property in Munnar to celebrate New Year's with his family through a non-refundable booking, only to be informed later that the gala dinner was compulsory for guests staying on December 31.In his post, Vedant criticised the policy and questioned why guests were being asked to pay for an additional experience they had not originally signed up for. He argued that if the dinner was mandatory, the resort should have clearly disclosed the condition before customers made their reservations.The email from the resort stated that festive-season supplements applied to all guests staying at the property on New Year's Eve.
The charges were listed as Rs 4,599 per adult for the teetotaller package, Rs 2,299 for children aged between 6-12, Rs 6,599 per adult for the Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) package and Rs 8,599 per adult for the Extra Neutral Foreign Liquor (EMFL) package. The packages included food and soft beverages for teetotallers, food and Indian liquor under the IMFL option, and food and foreign liquor under the EMFL option.The resort further clarified that the supplements were “mandatory for all guests staying on the respective dates” and would be charged “over and above the room reservation amount.” It then asked Vedant to confirm whether he wished to proceed with the arrangement.
The email also made clear what would happen if he declined: “In case you do not wish to avail of the mandatory gala dinner, we regret to inform you that we will be unable to retain the reservation and the booking will have to be cancelled.”Reacting to the email, Vedant called the policy unfair, particularly because the booking was non-refundable. He questioned how guests were expected to accommodate such last-minute changes after making their travel plans.Take a look at the post here:The post prompted a discussion about hotel booking policies and whether such charges should be disclosed upfront.
One user pointed out that mandatory gala dinners were usually mentioned in a property's listing, but said the resort should offer a refund if the condition had not been disclosed at the time of booking.Another suggested that Vedant could explore a credit card chargeback if the resort refused to refund him, adding that he might have other options depending on how the payment had been processed.Not everyone, however, sided with the customer. One user argued that hotels were businesses and needed to make money, adding that the resort was not a charity.- Ends