Hotel & holiday accommodation complaints – defects, price reductions and overbooking | Word/PDF/Excel

Is the hotel overbooked, the room dirty, or the holiday accommodation worse than promised? Here you will find editable Swedish document templates for making a complaint about defects in a separately booked hotel or holiday accommodation, requesting rectification, an individual price reduction or – where the conditions are met – a refund and compensation for substantiated additional costs. An Excel workbook with nine tabs helps you keep track of bookings, contacts, evidence, claims and actual payments.

Important: This product primarily applies to agreements for a single hotel room, cottage or other holiday accommodation between a private individual and a business, not a package tour where flights and accommodation have been sold as a package. Hotel bookings normally have no statutory right of withdrawal, and cancellation is primarily governed by the booking terms and conditions.

Files included in the package

How to complain about a hotel or holiday accommodation in five steps

1. Check the contracting party. See who you have an agreement with according to the booking confirmation and terms and conditions. If you booked through a platform, it may have a limited intermediary role; check both the hotel's and the platform's contact channels.
2. Document what was agreed. Save the room description, advertised standard, promised view/facilities, price, booking date, photographs and messages. Do not share full credit card details or sensitive personal information.
3. Complain as soon as possible. If you discover, for example, dirt, noise or missing equipment, you should primarily notify the business on site and give it an opportunity to rectify it. Do not wait until you have returned home.
4. Choose a claim based on what happened. Request rectification for a rectifiable defect, explore an individual price reduction for remaining deficiencies, or request an equivalent room and a possible refund in the event of overbooking. Additional costs must be specified and substantiated.
5. Follow up in writing. Document responses, actual refunds and relevant documents in Excel. Check ARN's current jurisdiction and amount/time limits for unresolved consumer disputes.

Legal guidance on separately booked hotel rooms

Defects and deficiencies: complain first and request rectification

The Swedish Consumer Agency states that you should complain to the business as soon as possible when you discover problems with the room or accommodation. If the room is uncleaned, it may be reasonable to first request cleaning. If the hotel cannot rectify the problem, another equivalent room or, depending on the circumstances, a price reduction may be appropriate. If you wait to point out a rectifiable defect until after you return home, you may lose the right to a price reduction because the business has not had a chance to rectify it.

Price reduction for remaining deficiencies or disturbances

The size of the price reduction should be assessed individually based on what you booked, how the stay was affected and how long the problem persisted. If, for example, cleaning or air conditioning was missing for certain nights, only the affected part of the stay may be relevant. A general fixed percentage according to the package travel rules should not be applied to a separate hotel booking. Known disturbances that the hotel clearly informed you about before the booking may affect what you can claim.

Overbooked hotel or missing booking at check-in

If the hotel has confirmed the room but cannot provide it due to overbooking, you should first request another equivalent room or accommodation. If this is not arranged within a reasonable time, a refund of the relevant booking and, depending on the circumstances, compensation for substantiated additional costs may be appropriate. If there is no booking, you need to be able to show that the accommodation has actually confirmed your purchase. If the hotel is closed and you cannot stay there as booked, the booking should be refunded.

Hotel booked via a platform – who is responsible?

There is no single answer that applies to all platforms. In many cases, the agreement is directly between the guest and the hotel or the host, while the booking platform acts as an intermediary. Check explicitly who the contracting party is and which part of the agreement each business is responsible for. If the platform itself caused a duplication or other booking error, you should document it and contact both.

Cancellation, refund and no automatic right of withdrawal

The Swedish Consumer Agency on hotel bookings is clear: there is normally no statutory right of withdrawal when booking a hotel or holiday accommodation. You can notify them that you wish to cancel, but it is not certain that you will be entitled to a refund. Check the terms and conditions that applied when you booked, any cancellation protection, and what you can prove. If you booked a package tour, it is instead important to assess the rules of the package travel act.

Can the hotel change the price afterwards?

In principle, you should pay the price that you and the accommodation agreed upon. The business should not unilaterally increase an already agreed final price. For unclear post-charges, document 05 helps you request a written price breakdown, reference to the terms and conditions, and a review of amounts that lack clear support.

What happens if the host is a private individual?

Private rentals need to be assessed against the relevant agreement. The Swedish National Board for Complaints and Appeals generally reviews disputes between consumers and businesses, not between two private individuals. Therefore, do not use the product's business-specific complaint texts uncritically in a private dispute.

Nine Excel tabs for bookings, defects, costs and follow-up

The workbook contains Read me, Overview, Cases, Bookings, Incidents, Claims, Expenses, Refunds and Evidence. The overview summarizes the number of registered cases, booked/paid accommodation, claimed amounts, amounts accepted by the counterparty, expenses, actual refunds and administrative differences. Contacts can be documented in the incident timelines, claims and evidence register.

Tested calculation example: a claim of 200 SEK where the business accepted 100 SEK and actually refunded 50 SEK results in an administrative difference of 150 SEK between the claim and the received payment. This is not a confirmed right to an additional 150 SEK. Separate verifiable expenses are recorded in their own tab. Test values are cleared from the customer workbook and all 13 overview figures show zero when it is empty.

Frequently asked questions about complaining about hotels and holiday accommodation

How do I complain about a dirty or substandard hotel room?

Take photographs and contact the hotel directly during the stay. Describe what was agreed, what is lacking, and what you want the business to rectify, for example cleaning, repair, or another room.

Do I have to complain on site, or can I wait until I get home?

Complain as soon as possible, preferably on site. If the hotel is not given the opportunity to rectify a defect, you may lose the right to a price reduction for that defect. Save the date and proof of receipt.

How much price reduction can I claim for a bad hotel?

There is no general fixed percentage. The assessment depends on, among other things, what was promised, how large the defect is, how long it persisted, and what the hotel has done to rectify it. Excel does not determine the size of the price reduction.

What happens if the hotel is overbooked and I do not get my room?

Request an equivalent alternative. If the hotel cannot arrange a functional room within a reasonable time, a refund may be appropriate. Also document reasonable and substantiated additional costs, for example transport to new accommodation.

Do I have a right of withdrawal when I book a hotel online?

No, hotel and holiday accommodation bookings are normally not covered by a statutory right of withdrawal. Primarily, the booking and cancellation terms and conditions that applied when you booked determine whether you will receive a refund if you cancel.

Can the hotel increase the price after a confirmed booking?

You should normally pay the price you agreed upon at the time of booking. If the business wants to charge more, you should request a written explanation and the terms and conditions on which it is based.

Who is responsible when I book via a hotel platform?

Check the booking confirmation and terms and conditions. The agreement is often directly with the hotel or the host, but the intermediary's responsibility varies. If in doubt, contact both and ask them to clarify which party is responsible.

Can I use the templates when the hotel is part of a package tour?

Not without adaptation. Package tours may be covered by the package travel act and the organizer's responsibility for the agreed travel services. Instead, use the special package tour package if its applicability requirements are met.

Can I have ARN review a dispute about a privately rented cottage?

ARN generally reviews disputes between consumers and businesses, not pure disputes between two private individuals. Check the host's status and ARN's current amount and time limits.

Are the PDF files digitally fillable?

The PDF versions are searchable and printable on paper but are not interactive forms. Use the Word files to change and fill in information. The English guide does not translate all Swedish letters.

Official sources and review dates

The Swedish Consumer Agency – Problems with hotels or holiday accommodation · The Swedish Consumer Agency – Book hotels or holiday accommodation · The Swedish National Board for Complaints and Appeals (ARN).

Product version 1.0. AI-assisted legal source and scenario check November 6, 2026. No independent external legal review or authority certification. The documents are general contract and consumer templates, not individual legal advice. Claims and percentages in Excel do not determine any legal compensation. Digital download as a ZIP requires that the product is later linked to Digital Products and published. This product is created solely as a Shopify DRAFT.