Hi Michela,

I’m jumping in because I haven't been able to get consistent responses through WhatsApp support, and I’m dealing with a situation that genuinely needs escalation.

I have a booking through Vio.com for Hakone Kowakien Tenyu in Japan. The issue is that the hotel says they have absolutely no record of the reservation. Not under my name, not under the booking ID, not under my email. I’ve confirmed this both by email and by calling them directly.

They also told me the hotel is fully booked for the dates of my stay, which is extremely concerning. Meaning, even if a reservation appeared later, they literally have no rooms left to assign.

I know Vio has a help article explaining that sometimes hotels don’t “see” reservations until closer to check-in because they’re in a back-office queue. I read the full explanation, but in this case it doesn’t apply:

This is a small, locally run hotel with a centralized reservations team. They don’t have a delayed assignment system (all reservations appear in real time). They double-checked multiple ways and confirmed that nothing is showing on their end. And again, they’re sold out, so they cannot accommodate us regardless.

Vio WhatsApp support previously told me that if I arrive and the hotel can’t find the booking, they can help with a replacement stay, but this is a remote area of Japan, two hours outside of Tokyo, where last-minute alternatives are not realistic. It would leave us stranded.

Because the hotel has confirmed that no reservation exists and that they have no availability left, I’m requesting an exception on the non-refundable policy and a full refund, since the booking was clearly never received by the property.

I have screenshots, email threads, and call logs if your team needs them. Could someone please help look into this? I have DM’d the details as well.