Consumer Alert: Never do this when you're making a hotel reservation

One of our readers bent a few facts — and paid a high price

A quick reminder as the summer travel season begins: Always tell the truth.

I'm reminded of Ryan's case, which recently landed on my desk. He'd made a reservation for his family at an all-inclusive hotel in Mexico. But when he arrived, the hotel forced him to pay an additional $1,424 for his room.

The reason? He had listed his two kids as infants, which don't count as paying guests. But they were 9 and 15.

Ryan said it was a misunderstanding and that Hotels.com had botched his reservation. (I'm not going to reveal Ryan's last name, and you'll see why in a minute.)

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