Casalina Ecolodge — Hotel in Magdalena

On January 24, 2023 I made a reservation for two nights at CasaLina (feb 19-Feb 21). I contacted Senda Reservations on February 12 to cancel the reservation. They had already charged my credit card for the full amount and told me that I could not cancel the reservation. They offered to put my room up for "sale" for those dates, and if they rented it out, they would notify me and "if it is sold, a bond is issued for the value paid or the money is requested". I responded that I did not want to lose the money for my reservation, so if they did not rent it out, I would stay for the two nights of my reservation. I emailed them days before my arrival to Palomino and they said it had still not been rented. They also said to email them (No date/deadline provided) to rebook the room if they didn't rent it. I waited to hear from them until very early in the morning on Feb 19. I said since I did not hear from them, that must mean it was not rented out, so I would be there at 5pm to check in to my room. When I arrived at 5pm, nobody at the hotel had any idea about my reservation. I sat around while getting questioned back and forth by reception and on the phone with someone in reservations for almost an hour. They did not believe my story and instead asked me to take screenshots of ALL of my emails with reservations to prove I had a reservation (Rather than allowing me to simply forward the email chain - they also said they couldn't access the emails...why? I have NO idea". So I send them all of the screenshots, get an apology from the receptionist, and a confirmation that a manager would contact me the next day. No call the next day, nor the day after. I contacted reception again. She said my refund was processed and I will receive it in 15-20 days. I still wanted to speak to a manager to explain things and try to get them to improve their business practices. Nearly a week later, after I continued daily asking reception for a call from management, someone called to listen to my story and review everything. Although Luz Maria apologized for the error, and told me that my request for a refund and a free night for the inconvenience were very reasonable, she had to ask a manager above her to confirm this. 2 days later I get an email from reservations saying they would give me a voucher instead of a refund. WHAT?? I replied that they had already confirmed a refund for me. The next day, they responded and said management approved of a refund but it would take "a few days" for me to receive it. They offered a complimentary night at CasaLina on one specific date. I had already left Palomino, so I asked if I could use it at another date. Their response was that "this is all that we can offer you". I asked why and who made that decision, and requested AGAIN to speak to a manager. No response. I responded days later telling them I would have to post reviews about them so future clients wouldn't suffer the same fate. Weeks passed after and no manager ever called back. And no refund appeared at my bank. Finally after continued messages sent to Luz Maria, she gave me the email for Oliver Blanco, the owner of the Senda Hotel Chain. I sent him a polite, but detailed description and screenshots of the whole story, and asked how he thought I should be treated. He confirmed on 3/30/23 that he was sorry and that he would personally make sure I got my refund. That's it. I responded by asking him to review their policies and communication channels and to tell me how they could improve, and how he thinks I should be treated. No response. 6 days later, I emailed him again to ask why I still don't have my refund. No reply. The following day, today, I have had ENOUGH of all of this negligence and false promises. I will be disputing the transaction with my bank.||||In summary, Senda and CasaLina's approach to communication with me was erratic, inconsistent, and inefficient. Their approach to reservations and cancellations is bizarre at best. Unless you continually push and push and push, they will ignore you and simply hope you go away. Even the owner, Oliver Blanco, barely apologized to me, did not provide compensation, made a false promise about my refund (again), and never responded back to me. The place and the location look nice, but if you have to make any changes or cancellations to your reservation, kiss your money goodbye or be prepared for an arduous journey to get it back. NEVER...

I had a reservation for 2 nights, everything confirmed by email, including full payment prior to arrival. I arrived and NOBODY was prepared - apparently my room was rented out to someone else and none of the staff knew about my reservation. I stood around for nearly an hour while they scrambled trying to figure it out. The receptionist called Senda’s reservation admin - their response was that they wanted proof of my reservation. Absolutely absurd. They had no email address for me to forward all of my correspondences, and instead they asked me to send screenshots of all of the emails from my phone. They sent me on my way with no answer about a refund or any compensation. I had to continually call and message them until finally two days later they called and said they would refund my money…in 15-20 business days!! I also asked multiple times to speak with management about the inconvenience of the whole thing. A week has passed and I have yet to receive a phone call from anyone. I Can honestly say this was the least organized and worst handling of a hotel reservation I have ever seen. I would never do business at any Senda Hotel again.

3/3/23 Update: After insisting every day for a week to speak with a manager, FINALLY I received a call from “Luz”. She listened to my story and agreed that Senda failed in communicating with me properly. She agreed also that my simple request for a complementary night at a senda hotel was reasonable. She said she would speak with the owner and call me the following day. She did not call me the next day. Two days later she left a message for me saying the owner would not provide this for me. Despite Luz and several staff members agreeing with me that they made mistakes, and that my criticism and request was reasonable, I received nothing. Luz then proceeded to backpedal by reversing the blame back on me. It is apparent to me that Senda is dishonest and ingenuous, and doesn’t really care to rectify problems...

I had a reservation for 2 nights, everything confirmed by email, including full payment prior to arrival. I arrived and NOBODY was prepared - apparently my room was rented out to someone else and none of the staff knew about my reservation. I stood around for nearly an hour while they scrambled trying to figure it out. The receptionist called Senda’s reservation admin - their response was that they wanted proof of my reservation. Absolutely absurd. They had no email address for me to forward all of my correspondences, and instead they asked me to send screenshots of all of the emails from my phone. They sent me on my way with no answer about a refund or any compensation. I had to continually call and message them until finally two days later they called and said they would refund my money…in 15-20 business days!! I also asked multiple times to speak with management about the inconvenience of the whole thing. A week has passed and I have yet to receive a phone call from anyone. I Can honestly say this was the least organized and worst handling of a hotel reservation I have ever seen. I would never do business at any Senda...