The American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) is warning travellers that search engines are taking bookers to sites that look like the hotel’s direct or “official” site but are in fact clever copies of them.

Customers who the book find out when they get to their chosen hotel that they have in fact booked through a third party, paying an additional 25% booking fee. Some find that they have also paid for things they didn’t need, like an extra bed in the room, or disabled access, and others, who have tried to cancel have found it impossible to get their money back.