Massillon couple seeks honeymoon suite, given wedding day surprise instead

CANTON, Ohio - Jessica and Mike Zeno of Massillon were given a night at the McKinley Grand Hotel honeymoon suite in Canton as a wedding gift, but when they arrived, they found two double beds in their room and nothing but disappointment.

The honeymoon package was booked by family member Turra Gorman through Hotelsone.com, a third party online service.

"Jessica got married and I wanted her to have a wonderful elegant evening at the McKinley Grand," said Gorman. "It's advertised as an exceptional place."

The Zeno's told NewsChannel5 the hotel eventually provided a room with a queen bed, after they complained, but said their Aug. 25 wedding night had already been ruined.

"I was extremely disappointed," said Jessica Zeno. "It's the night of my life I'll never get back. You only have one wedding night, right?"

Gorman told NewsChannel5 she contacted the hotel and hotelsone.com in search of refund, but said the hotel referred her back to hotelsone.com.

"The hotel basically said they have the right to choose, to basically put them in any room they want, because I booked through a third party," said Gorman. "When I called hotelsone.com they didn't respond, so I had no luck trying to get a refund."

The NewsChannel5 Troubleshooter Unit contacted the McKinley Grand Hotel, and the customer service department at hotelsone.com, and instantly received a response.

The McKinley Grand Hotel gave the couple, and Turra Gorman a $136.80 refund, telling 5 On Your Side it was already in the process of taking care of the issue.

McKinley Grand Director of Sales and Marketing, Drema Roth, issued the following statement via email:

"In an effort to satisfy, when Mr. & Mrs. Zeno approached the Front Office Manager on Sunday morning, he was apologized to and was promised a refund of his money for the overnight guestroom."

"The guestroom reservation was actually booked through a third party booking engine, the Front Office Manager was off duty on Monday and Tuesday but did in fact contact the third party booking engine to complete the refund process on Wednesday."

Consumers should be aware when a hotel booking is made through a third party on-line source, a hotel has the right to provide accommodations based on room availability at the guaranteed price.

Gorman issued her own warning.

"Double check the hotel policy whenever you book with a third party website," said Gorman. "Double check and call the hotel directly, is there a chance when I get to the hotel, that the room is going to be changed into something that might not fit your needs."