Unilaterally cancelling the booking of a hall for a marriage reception to make way for a function allegedly organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has proved costly for The Capitol, a four-star hotel situated on Raj Bhavan Road here.
The Additional District Consumer Forum-Bangalore has directed the hotel to pay Rs. 50,000 as compensation to the complainant, Jigar P. Shah, a resident of Seshadripuram.
The forum, comprising president S.S. Nagarale and member Balakrishna Masali, said the act of the hotel amounted to deficiency in service. It caused inconvenience, mental agony and tension not only to the complainant but also to his relatives and friends.
Mr. Shah booked the “Grand Ball Room” in the hotel on April 2 for a marriage reception on April 24 by making an advance payment of Rs. 1.08 lakh. However, he claimed that the Assistant Manager informed him on April 16 about the cancellation of the booking saying the hall was required “for a function of the BJP”. Mr. Shah claimed that the hotel returned the advance payment only after he lodged a complaint with the police.
Meanwhile, the hotel denied the allegation and accused the complainant of demanding additional facilities and cancelling the booking on his own.
However, the forum pointed out that one of the terms and conditions written on the banquet cash receipt given to the complaint was that “postponement or cancellation of function shall be entertained at any time for any reason, and in such case the host shall liable to pay for the entire cost of the function to the hotel.”
As this was the condition, the forum said, how the hotel had refunded the advance amount if the cancellation of the function was by the complainant himself and held that the hotel itself cancelled the booking.
