Holiday Prices

Newone_2

need help with holiday pricing.

I am so angry and feeling ripped off!!! I really like my own spce and after a pretty hellish year helth wise have booked a holiday for next year, on my own, to relax ad have some me time in my favourite resort in greece. Managed to get an okay deal from a sympathetic assitant manager at the travel agents.

However, has anyone else found that you are penalised for wanting to travel on your own????!!!! One holiday i priced was for the same partments and for one person in a single room was £465, but the total for two, in a twin studio was only £390!!!

Do we all agree that something needs to be done about this? the prices of the majority of the deals i saw before booking were made up of under-occupancy supps that were THREE TIMES the holiday cost pp.

Stonk

Have I got this right?

It's normal to have under-occupancy supplements, for example where a twin room is being occupied by just one person, then that one person can expect to pay more per person than if there were 2 people going

But in this case it sounds like you could actually take a second person along with you, and the holiday company would pay you to do so?

If you're looking for volunteers ...

laurajayne

It appears that the OP has found a deal where single rooms are avaliable (and therefore not taking up a room that could be occupied by 2 people) and STILL getting charged more than 2 people in a twin.

I went on holiday on my own for my 21st, and it was the same then...that's if you could find somewhere that would take you!

I think it's ridiculous...why should I be penalised for not having a travelling companion?

Voyager2002

Yes, I have found examples where the price for a single person is more than 50 per cent of the price charged to a couple. Presumably this is because the hotel expects to make more on sales of food and drink to couples than to a "sad" singleton.

The solution is to buy "flight-only" and arrange accomodation there separately.

ethansmum

Its the same with families. We have 2 small children and a baby. when it came to book there were plenty of family rooms available for 2 adults and 2 children, but Thomas Cook was insisting that we needed 2 rooms because we have a baby. We managed to book a family room with first choice, but it really does annoy me when they try to get as much money out of you as possible.

TNG

Voyager2002 wrote:

Yes, I have found examples where the price for a single person is more than 50 per cent of the price charged to a couple. Presumably this is because the hotel expects to make more on sales of food and drink to couples than to a "sad" singleton.

The solution is to buy "flight-only" and arrange accomodation there separately.

I wouldn't blame the hotels. in my experience, every time I have looked at booking direct, the cost is per apartment. So it must be the travel companies that have 'under occupancy supplements'

I recently tried booking somewhere in Spain over tinternet. i couldn't believe it when it came back with 1300 for two weeks peak season. Then i realised i had not included the two kids. When I redid it for exactly the same resort, flight, options etc it came in at OVER 2300. They also had the bare faced cheek to say that it included a free child place!!!!!!! My ar5e!

Try it yourselves.....

To say that it winds me up is an understatement. Fact is from now, we have to go in the school holidays.....

Newone_2

laurajayne wrote:

It appears that the OP has found a deal where single rooms are avaliable (and therefore not taking up a room that could be occupied by 2 people) and STILL getting charged more than 2 people in a twin.

I went on holiday on my own for my 21st, and it was the same then...that's if you could find somewhere that would take you!

I think it's ridiculous...why should I be penalised for not having a travelling companion?

You're exectly right, the price i got given for one person was on a sibnlge room only basis, with no sink or kitchen facility, the "couple" price was for a twin bedded studio, wit hfridge, kitchen facility etc!!!!!!

This was the same at just about every large travel agent and internet holiday co i spoke to, worked out about same, if not more to book flight and accomodation separately. Then went to a small, local independant agents, who obviously won't make the profit the larger ones do, and she was fantastic, totally agreed that it was unreasonable to be charged so much and sorted me a double beeded studio, in batter rated partments, better position in the resort, has placed a large discount on car hire quote as well that try as i might i cannot come anywhere near to beating!!! (usually count myself quite good at this but failing miserably)

I wanted this holiday in the first place to spend some much needed recovery time and relaxation time after the health issues i have had for the last year and it just seemed that it was causing more stress!!!

Anyway, i've put in writing my thanks to the assistant manager who booked everything for me as i really think it needed recognising how far she had gone to help me. :A

Astaroth

Unless a hotel has single rooms then they will often charge more for single occupancy than double due to the fact that you are taking up the same amount of space in the hotel but wont be ordering as much food or drink.... is it fair? Guess the answer is that very little in business is fair and depending on which side of the fence you are sitting on will dictate exactly which things you think are unfair... for me it is unfair that kids get a cheaper flights when they take up a seat but people with kids complain when a 12 year old or such has to pay adult fair.

Stonk

Astaroth wrote:

Unless a hotel has single rooms then they will often charge more for single occupancy than double due to the fact that you are taking up the same amount of space in the hotel but wont be ordering as much food or drink.... is it fair? Guess the answer is that very little in business is fair and depending on which side of the fence you are sitting on will dictate exactly which things you think are unfair... for me it is unfair that kids get a cheaper flights when they take up a seat but people with kids complain when a 12 year old or such has to pay adult fair.

Under-occupancy charges are nothing to be surprised about. If a hotel charges per person, and a single person inhabits a double room, then expect the hotel to charge an under-occupancy fee because they might otherwise be putting 2 people in that room and getting twice the revenue. This is logical.

What the OP has found is a step further, into the realms of illogicality. Normally the under-occupancy charge per person is less than the room cost per person (e.g., 2 people in the room pay £50 each, or 1 person pays £50 + £30 for under-occupancy). The OP has a case where the under-occupancy charge per person appears to be than the room charge per person, and hence it would actually be cheaper for them to take along someone they weren't going to. The travel company would effectively be paying the extra person to take a holiday!

laurajayne

I fully understand that I'd be charged for taking up a room that could have 2 people in...but there are hotels that also have rooms that are for single people....and tend to be overlooking the bins....:rotfl:

PP, it still works out more expensive than those that share... which is why I don't bother!

Newone....I'll go on holiday with you

Poppy9

Travel companies make their money by charging under occupancy supplements for hotel rooms and apartments. Most prices are based on 4 adults sharing. They must be joking you couldn't get 2 adults to sleep on a bed settee!

I resent paying under occupancy charge when I travel with my family as we are not 4 adults. This year I have taken the plunge and become an independent traveller and saved ourselves a fortune.

Feb - we went to Florida. 3 flights £888, a fab 1 bed apartment with fully fitted kitchen (washer, dryer, dishwasher etc), dining room, spa bath etc £426 for 2 weeks, car hire £376 (Total cost £1700). If I had booked the same deal with a travel agent the min price I could get it for was £1900 with TCD and a crap compact car, inferior apartment and inferior flights, for the same apartment, flights etc via Virgin £2600.

Aug - Canaries. 3 flights £550, apartment £225 and airport transfers £20. Total cost £795. Via travel agent £1200 as we would have had a £300 under occupancy charge:eek:

I know it's daunting but give it a go. Book your flight then hunt down accommodation yourself. If you fancy accommodation from a travel co. brochure find their contact details on the web and contact them direct.