LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Many of you search for vacation deals on popular third-party websites, and one tourist says her story of “What happened in Vegas” and account of her hotel stay has gone viral on social media.
FOX5 has learned several agencies in Clark County and Nevada are looking into her complaints, and after days of pressing for answers, the OYO gave us their explanation of what they say happened.
Ariana Patino tells FOX5 that she booked a stay through Booking.com at the “Palette Hotel,” and the website showed various digital images. When she got there, she saw the “OYO” hotel, off Tropicana Avenue.
“We are huge Karol G fans, and there was a concert in Vegas… We pulled up Booking.com. We ended up going with Palette Las Vegas. The pictures looked really nice,” Patino said.
Ariana Patino says digital images on Booking.com were appealing for a weekend stay: the webpages show a property called “the Palette Hotel.”
Patino showed us an email from Booking.com, which lists a reservation from August 6 through 9.
When she drove to Las Vegas, she says she got a surprise—outside and inside.
“We get to Vegas, and we pull up to the address. We cannot see any signage for Palette Las Vegas. I was confused, because I’m like, I’m at OYO. The images showed a really nice, clean hotel. It showed Palette Las Vegas in big on the outside of the hotel. It was the opposite of that.”
“There’s a dim light upon entry, and there’s no other ceiling light. The little wall radiator didn’t cool down the room very well. There were three working outlets. My feet ended up being dirty from the carpet. The bedding smelt musty,” Patino said, and said she tried to cancel her stay at the front desk—with no luck.
“When I checked in, I was like, ‘well, can we cancel based on false advertising?’ And the check-in lady was like, ‘Based on the cancellation policy, we can’t cancel, and it’s non-refundable, and there’s a $200 cancellation fee.’ So we ended up staying. We were there anyway,” she said.
Patino posted her story on TikTok and hundreds of thousands of people have seen it; influencers shared it too.
She also submitted a complaint to Booking.com; she says she got a follow-up email from customer service, promising to contact the property.
This Thursday, Patino was finally given $415 in credit, then opted for a refund by the website.
Booking.com sent us a statement:
“Thanks for reaching out. We’re aware of concerns about this listing and are investigating the matter with our internal teams. Listings on our platform go through checks, and dedicated teams and technical tools monitor for suspicious activity. We’re also reviewing the customer’s experience and the support provided in this case. We understand how upsetting it can be when an accommodation does not match expectations, and we’ll take appropriate action based on our findings.”
The day after FOX5 reached out, the palette disappeared from Booking.com. After several emails and calls to the hotel, Jaclyn Schultz went inside OYO Las Vegas to get answers;
The general manager directed her to parent company Prism based in India.
A representative for OYO sent FOX5 a statement:
“As part of our broader dual-brand strategy for the different accommodation options at the property, we were evaluating how different blocks, or room categories, could be positioned under different brands. However, the listing went live while the related renovations and signage at the property were still being completed.
We urgently reviewed how this happened and have taken immediate steps to correct the affected listings and ensure that they are made available only once the relevant renovations are complete.
We are also reaching out directly to impacted guests to explain the situation and provide clarity. Where appropriate, we will offer guests access to the relevant upgraded accommodation options at no additional charge, as well as the option of a refund should they prefer.
We sincerely regret the confusion and inconvenience caused. Our priority is to do the right thing by our guests and ensure they are treated fairly and appropriately.”
Patino had already filed a complaint with Nevada’s Consumer Affairs agency, and a spokesperson says they’re looking into the complaint.
The Better Business Bureau of Southern Nevada started its own inquiry; Patino also filed complaints with the BBB against OYO and Booking.com.
“I couldn’t find anything for Palette Las Vegas other than what was listed on a few of these third-party sites. The address itself, advertised at 117 East Tropicana, is an invalid address. It does not exist,” said Operations director Rhonda Mettler, who notes a common scenario up and down the Strip: hotels may change names and brands, but they’ll typically legally register those names under a “DBA”—doing business as—or, as Clark County calls it, a Fictitious Firm Name.”
“I checked licensing for OYO. I checked for fictitious name filings, DBAs through the county. There is nothing filed for Palette Las Vegas,” she said.
Clark County officials said their business licensing division would also investigate. A statement from a spokesperson provided this update:
“Clark County Business License investigators were in contact with the Oyo Hotel regarding these listings. The property acknowledged the listings were done through a marketing initiative and have since been delisted and are unable to be booked. The resort was reminded that any changes need to be communicated to Business License first for proper oversight and approval.”
Rhonda reached out to the OYO to get answers. “They’re getting redirected to OYO, so they technically have a room. It’s not what they expected. That’s not who they booked with, or who they thought they booked with, which, to me, that, that is a bait-and-switch scenario,” Mettler said.
Though Mettler says there are good third-party sites for vacations out there, she cautions that before you book a hotel stay, do your homework: look up the hotel or resort’s actual website to get a better idea of rooms and amenities.
FOX5 could not find a website for the Palette Hotel.
“If you book your stay through a third-party site, you pay through that third-party site, and then you run into a problem, then you can file a complaint, but it would have to be against that third-party site and not the hotel, because technically you didn’t do business with the hotel,” Mettler said.
Mettler is still working to get answers for her own questions. She also says people often think you’re getting a discount by booking on a third-party site– but you often pay hidden fees; that’s another reason why she recommends booking directly through a hotel website.
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