Hotel Askania in Prague

I am writing this review to share a frustrating experience regarding the hotel's reservation process. While I understand non-refundable policies, the communication breakdown here was severe. I booked a non-refundable stay and provided my card details. However, the hotel contacted me insisting that the card could not be used and that I must pay the full amount via direct bank transfer (SWIFT) before arrival. I had a terrible administrative experience here. The hotel insisted I pay via bank transfer, claiming my card couldn't be used. When the transfer failed, **I messaged them several times** on Email, WhatsApp, and Telegram asking for help, but they ignored me for **7 full days**. As I was traveling with children and the hotel had told me the payment hadn't gone through (and then went silent), I was forced to book a backup hotel to ensure we had a place to sleep. The hotel finally replied on the day of arrival. They **automatically charged the very same card they had previously said they couldn't use.** The hotel refused to refund or cancel the booking, stating that the reservation was always active. Their explanation for the week of silence was that they "receive a very high number of messages through various platforms, and sometimes it is not possible to respond to all of them immediately." and I should have called them by phone, despite their email and messaging apps being listed as official contact methods. Conclusion: This entire stressful situation was avoidable. Had they simply charged my card initially—or answered any of my messages during the week to say "Don't worry, we will charge the card"—I would have happily stayed. Instead, their misleading instructions and week-long silence forced me to pay for two hotels.