TravelDaily China recently received a tip-off from Mr. A, a hotel investor:
One of his seaside hotels had ceased operations and been delisted from online platforms before the Chinese New Year. Yet, during the Spring Festival, numerous consumers were still able to book the hotel on Amap, a leading provider of digital map content, navigation, and location-based solutions in China.
They followed the listed address only to find the hotel shut, leading to a flood of angry phone calls that nearly overwhelmed Mr. A.
However, Mr. A had never listed his hotel on Amap. After handling these frustrated consumers, he called Amap in anger, demanding to know when and how his hotel had been authorized for booking on their platform.
Amap’s reply left him stunned:
"We work with service providers. Whether they have obtained the hotel’s authorization is something you need to verify with them directly."
Yet, when Mr. A asked for the service provider’s contact details, Amap refused to provide them.
To uncover the mystery, he decided to book his own hotel on Amap. That’s when he discovered the service provider responsible—"Yuxing," a so-called “preferred service provider.”However, despite the title, there was no way to contact them.
Amap does not source hotels directly but partners with service providers. While major OTAs are among them, Amap’s booking platform also features various obscure providers that most consumers rarely hear of. Regardless of their actual business background, all are labeled as “preferred service providers.”
Canceling a booking on Amap requires approval from three parties: the hotel, Amap, and the service provider. Consumers often face obstacles at every step, yet the final decision ultimately lies with the service provider—who is often unreachable. Customers can only seek assistance from Amap’s customer service, with no direct way to resolve the issue.
This convoluted and fragile service chain becomes a source of frustration for both users and hoteliers, often leaving both sides dissatisfied when unexpected issues arise.
