Heartbreak at the inn: Families drive several hours only to find Tobermory Resort closed

Imagine driving hours to your vacation destination, only to learn that the resortyou booked onlineisn't open. That's what happened to several people who tried to check into the TobermoryResortin Ontario's Bruce Peninsula this summer.

Manny Tiamzon planneda July weekend away with his family andbooked a room at the resort about 300 kilometres northwest of Toronto, on the tip of the beautiful Bruce Peninsula using Hotels.com. A few days before his trip, he receivedan email outlining his check-in.

"They were saying, 'We're looking forward to your stay here and it's supposed to be self-check-in, so there's a box where you can pick up your keys,'" said Tiamzon.

After a four-hour drive, Tiamzonsaidhe pulled into what looked like a deserted resort and he couldn't open the lock box.

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"Finally we found a guy there and asked him why we cannot get into the lock box for the key. He said, 'You cannot check-in because there is no water in the hotel,'" said Tiamzon.

Dozens of reviews call it a scam

Jaclyn Broughton's experiencewith theTobermory Resort was slightly different.

InJune, she booked a room forAugust directly through the resort's website.

"They charged my credit card that day and I got a confirmation email. Everything seemed fine" said Broughton.

About a week before her trip, she sent the resortan email, but didn't hear back. She called and left a message, but no one called back. Then, she Googled the resort and found dozens of reviews on Expedia and TripAdvisor withpeople calling it a scam.

She phonedpolice and Tobermory'sChamber of Commerce,and saidthey both told her they had received earlier complaints from patrons.

The police confirmed they receiveda few complaints about the Tobermory Resort, and representatives from nearby hotels told CBC Toronto that they would often get angry visitors looking for a last-minute room because they had been stranded.

Resort had numerous fire violations

Bruce Peninsulafire ChiefWilf Barnessaidhe has cited the resortfor numerous fire violations.

"We don't take ownership of the building, so we don't padlock it. We go on the assumption that people are going to be honest about [the violations] and close," said Barnes.

Tobermory Resort's vice-president of operations, Anthony Cutrona, saidthe facility was never fully closed for business. There were sections being renovated, but certain rooms were available after July.

"We have a dozen rooms in the main hotel that are open and operating."

But that's not what Bev Maybee experienced when she arrived in August after a seven-hour drive from Belleville, Ont., with her husband and his elderly parents.

'It didn't look safe'

Maybee saidthe resort looked dilapidated and "like a construction site."She called the resortand saidshe got through to someone who wasn't onsite. They told her that a room could be made available in a few hours.

"That's not good enough."She also said"it didn't look safe" to stay in.

Maybee frantically called other hotels and had to settle on one an hour away because "everything in the area was booked up."

Cutrona saidthe company is sorry and blames all the inconveniences on inadequate staff atthe resort duringJune and July. He saidbetter management has since been hired.

Who is responsible?

In a statement, Expediatold CBCToronto that "the property is responsible for updating its availability which would include any closures related to renovations."

During parts of the summer, Cutronasaid"Expediawas advised to cancel [certain] reservations. We opted to work withExpediato relocate those guests and we paid directly for those relocation rates."

ButMaybeedidn't receive a free relocation or a refund. BothTiamzonandBroughtondid, andwonder why Expedia and Hotels.com (a subsidiary of Expedia) allowed the TobermoryResort to operate when the reviews were terrible.

Although Expediasaidthe removal of listings is rare, it's "always on the lookout for properties that don't meet our expectations."After being contacted byCBCToronto in mid-August,Expediaremoved the listing for theTobermoryResort.

The Better Business Bureau has also issued a warning.

Despite the mess,Cutronasaidhe's offering any outstanding customersrefunds and hopes to rebuild the business.