LAS VEGAS — A hotel just off the Las Vegas Strip has come under scrutiny after travelers reported misleading listings that obscured what they had booked.
The OYO Hotel in Las Vegas was listed under different names on booking sites with images that did not accurately display the property, according to travelers and local reporting. The hotel is located across the street from the MGM Grand parking lot and next to the construction site for the baseball stadium that will host the Las Vegas Athletics.
The property has drawn poor reviews from travelers, ranking 240 out of 260 hotels in Las Vegas on TripAdvisor and earning a 1.5-star rating on Yelp.
Traveler Ariana Patiño recounted her experience with the listings on TikTok.
A photo of her reservation
included in her TikTok posts showed that the "Palette Hotel" listing used the same address as OYO's parking lot. Patiño said that a hotel employee recognized the listing when she checked in and said it was a test to see which potential brand would "gain more traction."
"We went up to the receptionist, and I'm, like, 'We booked with Palette Las Vegas and she goes, 'Yep, that's us,'" Patiño said in an interview with ABC News.
According to her TikTok posts, she asked the check-in desk to cancel her reservation over what she called "false advertising." She said the cancellation policy would have required her to lose the money for the reservation plus a cancellation fee.
"I’m not losing all that money, so we had to stay there," Patiño said on social media.
Report: Listings appeared on booking sites
Las Vegas news outlet Vital Vegas reported that the listings appeared on Expedia, Booking.com, Travelocity, Orbitz and OYO's website. Those listings appear to have been removed.
Photos of the listings published by Vital Vegas appear to show digitally altered images of the hotel using Palette and Collection O branding. Palette and Collection O are hotel brands under PRISM, the India-based hotel company that operates OYO.
An OYO spokesperson acknowledged the listings in a statement to USA TODAY and said it offered upgraded accommodations and refunds to affected customers.
"As part of our broader dual-brand strategy for the different accommodation options at the property, we were evaluating how different blocks, or room categories could be positioned under different brands," the spokesperson said. "However, the listing went live while the related renovations and signage at the property were still being completed."
USA TODAY observed no exterior renovation work on Aug. 25 that would change the signs to match the listings.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Travelers say Las Vegas hotel listings masked what they booked
