Almost every accommodation provider will provide example photographs of suites. Unless every suite is exactly the same for every room type, they will vary.
With our own business we have a limited number of suites, each unique with different room types/photographs. We take care to show exactly what each suite looks like…and even include a layout plan to ensure that guests are fully informed about the location and suite layout.
Many larger accommodation providers may have scores of same suite types (such as twin, double, queen, family) which may vary and it isn’t possible to show photographs or provide detail descriptions of each and every suite. A simple example would be that some rooms may have ocean views, some mountain views, some street views and some no views. An accommodation provider may provide photos of ocean and mountain views as examples for the room type, but one could experience only a ocean view or mountain view or a different view to that shown. Likewise with layouts, furniture or decorations.
One of the major limitations of the booking platforms is they limit the ability of accommodation providers to provide details of accommodation provided (most don’t allow free text). Attributes are selected from a standard feature list of what amenities exist plus a limited number of example photographs.
A few years ago we stayed in a ‘famous castle’ in Ireland. The photos of our class of room set expectations. We did not expect all the rooms to be identical but roughly similar amenities and sizes +/- . It is not like castles were ever built as hotel accommodation but one expects an honest representation of the range one should expect.
From the castle’s own web site the room we were assigned was about 1/2 the size of the most modest room shown on their photos with nowhere to put luggage ‘out of the way’, a single hard chair at a cramped desk fully occupied by the coffee tray, and a bathroom as cramped as we ever experienced. Their photos all showed spacious rooms, nice wardrobes, reasonable bathrooms, butler tables for the coffee service, dressing tables or desks, and some even fireplaces, for each class of room/price point.
We were livid but the castle was not concerned. So sad too bad, and it is now late. Fortunately our tour operator was concerned and there was also an issue where a family had prebooked a room for parents with 2 teens yet got a room with one bed and a rollout offered for their teens to share; on pressure to the castle manager they were moved into a coach house (cottage) and we were moved into their ‘as expected by us’ room so it worked out. Without the tour company involved I doubt, from the attitude of the castle management on the day, anything would have been done for either of us.
I thus can empathise with @artpepper having met with an internationally well known accommodation that operated at what I felt was 180degrees from the high standards of your own property.
I think anyone who has travelled extensively has stayed in rooms which didn’t meet anticipations…or in some circumstances exceeded anticipations. We have had both.
I agree that Expedia should have been contacted to seek a resolution, rather taking one’s own course of action…and then hoping thereafter for a preferred resolution in one’s favour. I wouldn’t have organised alternative accommodation until resolution was confirmed either by the provider and/or the booking platform.
Other outcomes which may have been able to be negotiated or acceptable could have been a change of rooms, a free service etc. Leaving removes opportunity to find an acceptable resolution to all involved.
What happened in hindsight wasn’t a wise choice - but can understand why it may have been done at the time (to avoid conflict, strange/foreign environment with potential language barriers, opportunity for one to find better outcome to meet ones needs independent of others etc). Unfortunately making a decision to leave early and then expecting a refund without agreement from Expedia and/or provider has proven to be the incorrect decision in this case. It might be a very expensive lesson.
