FabHotel JR Residency

I was left stranded in Pondicherry despite having a confirmed booking and paying an advance of ₹650. When I arrived, I was told the hotel was full and my reservation had been cancelled, with no notice to me. FabHotel still told Booking.com that it was active, even though there was no room for me. I had booked FabHotel Martini’s Residency, Pondicherry through Booking.com, where the policy said no advance payment was needed. A FabHotel staff member contacted me directly asking for ₹650. Since it was a weekend and I didn't want to risk losing my accommodation, I paid. I only got a receipt confirmation message afterward, and nobody answered my follow-up questions. The hotel showed me its messages with the Fab group, which clearly showed the booking was already cancelled, even though they had still collected my advance. It looked to me like FabHotel's commission-based tie-up model leaves guests with little accountability. Taking advance money after a booking is cancelled and misrepresenting its status to a booking platform is highly unethical. Afterward, I checked Google ratings more carefully and found several reviews describing the same pattern of advance payments, cancellations without notice, and stranded guests. That makes my experience seem far from isolated, which is deeply concerning. I contacted Booking.com customer care and escalated the issue, but got no effective resolution. I'm posting this across platforms to warn other travellers. An experience like this can ruin a holiday, especially for families, solo travellers, or anyone arriving late at night. Please be extremely cautious, don't rely only on ratings or third-party confirmations, and avoid paying advances outside official payment channels.