To Whom It May Concern at Expedia,
I write this letter with an urgent and heavy heart regarding a traumatic and inhumane incident that occurred during our recent stay at Cape Sienna Gourmet Hotels & Villas in Phuket, Thailand, an experience that endangered our safety, violated our basic rights, and left us emotionally distressed.
On the day of our scheduled departure, my fiancรฉ and I were detained against our will by the hotel manager over a disputed payment of $180 USD, a charge I attempted to settle using my Discover Bank Debit Card. The hotel refused the card and, to our utter shock, failed to provide any prior notice that Discover was not an accepted form of payment. As American travelers unaware of this restriction, we were not only caught off guard but offered no alternatives or understanding. Instead, we were subjected to intimidation, humiliation, and complete disregard for our wellbeing.
The manager refused every single payment alternative we proposed: Zelle, CashApp, PayPal, Venmo, and more, despite our desperate efforts to resolve the situation. We even attempted to withdraw cash from an ATM, only to discover it too did not support Discover cards. Rather than assisting or de-escalating the situation, the manager escalated it drastically.
We were surrounded by armed guards, multiple hotel staff members, and even our pre-scheduled airport transfer driver, all summoned to form an intimidating line as we were held in place. Our flight was scheduled to depart in less