4-Star Venice Hotel Honors Pricing Mistake: 1 Euro for 2 Nights

by Scott Wu | August 17, 2009 at 12:19 pm

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The 4-star Crowne Plaza Hotel near Venice made a pricing mistake on their website. The Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) decided to honor the price mistake, offering 1 euro for 2 nights at the luxurious 4-star hotel, which would normally cost $92 to $170.

The mistake was first discovered and posted to a travel forum, and before the hotel discovered the mistake, 228 guests had already booked at the discounted rate.

The company says the mistake was made at the offices of IHG in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States.

"Although a pricing error, IHG is committed to honouring the 1-cent rate for guests who have a valid confirmation," the hotel group's Monica Smith said.

The wrong pricing for 1,400 room nights could cost the company up to 90,000 euros (£77,800).

In contrast, electronics retailer Best Buy made a pricing mistake on their website advertising a 52-inch HDTV for $9.99 instead of $1799, but decided not to honor the deals. Consumers are outraged by Best Buy's decision, but there federal laws only protect consumers from deliberate misinformation, not price errors.

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