The Golden Parnassus Resort and Spa is a hotel in Cancún, Mexico.

The Golden Parnassus drew national media attention in Canada when, on April 16, 2009, it used physical force to prevent a group of 28 Canadian customers from leaving its premises, claiming that their bills had not been paid. The hotel also threatened to call police.[1][2] Guests have reported having their luggage and passports taken away and being told they could not get them back unless they paid thousands of dollars.[3][4]

The customers had booked their stays at the hotel through Conquest Vacations, Inc., a Canadian company which suddenly shut its doors after reportedly not having paid its creditors for a month. The customers had used vouchers from Conquest as payment at check-in.[5]

The Toronto Star reports that customers of another resort who found themselves in a similar predicament were told by Mexico's Tourist Bureau in Toronto that hotels that had accepted vouchers from Conquest as payment at check-in were not entitled to demand payment a second time. The Star also quotes a representative of the Mexico Consumer Protection Bureau as saying that hotels may not legally retain customers' identification, such as passports.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Holidays turn into ugly ordeals for some who booked with failed travel firm, Canadian Press, accessed April 17, 2009
  2. ^ Canadians forced to pay Mexican hotels after Conquest collapse, CBC News, accessed on April 17, 2009
  3. ^ Tourists told to pay twice or face jail, Toronto Star, accessed on April 18, 2009
  4. ^ Local woman stranded in paradise returns home: Forced to pay resort after Conquest folds, The Barrie Examiner, accessed on April 17, 2009
  5. ^ Holidays turn into ugly ordeals for some who booked with failed travel firm, Canadian Press, accessed on April 17, 2009
  6. ^ Resorts tell Conquest travellers to pay up, Toronto Star, accessed on April 17, 2009

21°5′31″N 86°46′8″W / 21.09194°N 86.76889°W / 21.09194; -86.76889