( Tribune Media Services ) -- Kristin Budden 's hotel promises her a refund for her nonrefundable hotel room after a hurricane strikes . But months later , there 's no sign of the money and the hotel has gone into radio silence . Should she kiss the money goodbye ? A guest 's hotel promised her a refund , but she has n't received anything . Q : I think that you may be my only hope ! My father and I were supposed to meet in San Antonio before a conference . Lucky for us , the weekend that we were to be in San Antonio was the same weekend Hurricane Ike plowed through Texas . After experiencing Gustav just two weeks prior in Baton Rouge , I was not very keen on going for round two . My flight was canceled , anyway . We had made reservations at the Holiday Inn on the Riverwalk for the weekend . The rate was pre-paid and nonrefundable , which at the time of booking was fine . However , when we saw where the hurricane was headed , we called to cancel our reservations independently . After some discussion about the storm , the hotel told us both independently that , due to the extreme circumstances , we would receive refunds . I have an e-mail from the hotel regarding my `` refund . '' Despite numerous e-mails to the hotel over many months , we 've received nothing . Any assistance that you can offer me would be greatly appreciated . -- Kristin Budden , Baton Rouge , Louisiana . A : I think Holiday Inn owes you a refund . Not because of the hurricane , or because it was the right thing to do ( although both are true ) but because a hotel representative promised one in writing . If you had disputed the hotel charge on your credit card -- which would have been one of your options -- then the e-mail from your hotel is almost like money in the bank . During a dispute , a hotel may counter that by citing its nonrefundability policy , but from your credit card 's perspective , a written statement from the property that it agrees to override its rule is compelling evidence in your favor . Many resorts offer hurricane guarantees that give guests a no-questions-asked refund when a storm is on the way . Holiday Inn was n't one of those hotels as far as I can tell , but the commonly accepted practice in the travel industry is to not hold a customer accountable for a trip that ca n't be taken because of circumstances beyond his or her control . ( Remember , we let travel companies off the hook when they ca n't operate a plane because of bad weather or a hotel shuts down during a flood -- it 's only fair that they should do the same thing for us . ) It looks as if you limited your correspondence to the hotel . In a situation like this , it 's useful to begin with a brief , polite e-mail to the corporate guest-relations section on its Web site . Many hotels pass these complaints along to the hotel and may fine it if the grievances are n't resolved quickly . However , dealing with the hotel directly puts it under no such pressure and it may feel as if it can ignore your repeated requests . Next time you reserve a room during hurricane season , consider one that 's refundable . And if not , then at least consider taking out a travel insurance policy that would cover you if a hurricane hit your hotel . I contacted Holiday Inn on your behalf and it promised you a full refund . Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine . E-mail him at celliott @ ngs.org . Copyright 2009 CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT , DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES , INC .
A Holiday Inn refused to give a guest a refund due to an electrical storm . The hotel said via email it would make an exception to its nonrefundable rate . The guest tried for months to get her money back . The Troubleshooter contacted the hotel and it promised to pay the refund .