China’s largest online travel retailer Ctrip has been accused by an unnamed hotel operator of faking reservations on the Japanese version of its overseas travel platform Trip.com. The operator of the spa hotel said it found that the platform showed the property was still available for reservations while its rooms were fully booked.
The issue reportedly resulted in the hotel dealing with orders for which there were no rooms. It speculated that Ctrip intentionally overbooked the property in a bid to charge extra fees for cancellations. TechNode could not verify the claim.
In a statement issued to TechNode, Ctrip apologized for the incident, saying it was a result “misaligned information” with its accommodation partners. It said it had reconfirmed 80% of the affected bookings, adding that those which had not been confirmed by Dec. 12 would be eligible for refunds or the company would provide alternatives.
In 2016, the company was called out after it issued a ticket to a Chinese passenger that was illegally exchanged for airlines’ mileage. In 2017, the Shanghai Insurance Regulatory Bureau issued a RMB 400,000 ($58,000) fine to Ctrip Insurance Agency for not giving any information about the companies underwriting insurance policies, while also not explicitly explaining the products’ details.
Japan is the second largest overseas destination for Chinese tourists, according to a report from Ctrip. Over 4 million Chinese nationals took trips to Japan in the first half of this year, with the total expected to reach 8 million by the end of the year. Ctrip has been strengthening its position in the Japanese market with the launch of its first credit card, as well as setting up a call center in Tokyo.