Hotels.com review: cancelation policy

While on a business trip I became quite ill and was hospitalized for nearly a week. I called hotels.com to cancel the reservations for the next leg of the trip I had made with them and paid in advance. The rooms were successfully canceled but hotels.com still billed my credit card for the full amount. According to hotels.com it was up to the hotel itself (Sky Hotels in Westwood, CA) to authorize not only the cancellation but also the billing of room charges. I called the Sky Hotel only to be treated rudely on the phone by the front desk clerk who refused to remove the charges from my credit card. I called the credit card company (American Express) to let them know of the dispute and they withheld payment until they were able to resolve the situation. Sky Hotels will not refund or credit my card even though I made the cancellation over 72 hours in advance. I will never give hotels.com my business nor, obviously, Sky Hotels.