I booked a place that promised free WiFi and a gym, but when I got there the WiFi router was broken and the gym area was closed for renovation. They didn't mention any of this before I checked in. Do I have any recourse to get a partial refund or should I just eat the cost?
Hotels are legally required to provide the services they advertise, so you're not wrong to push back, but going straight to demanding a refund might backfire - most places will negotiate if you're reasonable about it. Contact the hotel management (not front desk) and explain that you booked specifically for those amenities and weren't notified beforehand. Ask for a partial refund or a credit toward a future stay; if they won't budge, then escalate to the booking platform or your credit card company, since you paid for services you didn't receive. The key is documenting everything - screenshots of the original listing, photos of the broken router or closed gym - because that's what actually gets results.
You absolutely have recourse here - those are advertised amenities you paid for, and the hotel failing to provide them or notify you beforehand is on them. Contact the hotel directly first and ask for a partial refund, explaining that you booked specifically for those features. If they won't budge, dispute the charge with your credit card company or leave a detailed review on the booking platform mentioning they didn't disclose the outages beforehand, which usually gets their attention fast. Most places will cave pretty quickly rather than deal with chargebacks and bad publicity.
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