booked with Hotel Connect? They've ceased trading

thatguy1

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2011/06/28/37504/hotelconnect+ceases+trading.html

Accommodation-only supplier HotelConnect has ceased trading with around 6,000 forward bookings through trade partners and 400 through its consumer facing website.

An Abta spokesman has confirmed to Travel Weekly that provisional liquidators have been approached after the company was declared insolvent.


There is a message on the home page http://www.hotelconnect.co.uk/

It is with great regret that we advise that HotelConnect Ltd has ceased trading with effect from today

If you have a future booking it should still be held at the hotel but it will need to be paid for again directly to the hotel.

It is advisable to reconfirm your booking directly with the hotel whose comtact details will be on the documents your received at the time of booking.

Steps are bring taken to place the company into liquidation.

glitzy

we have booked our hotel in orlando through hotel connect - happy days!!!

HXDave

If booking through a travel agent, you may be ok, as some have different payment structures in place. However for those that booked direct with them, i would suggest contacting the appropriate hotel first. Whilst it's certain that they may have a record of your booking, you never know, and hotelconnect may have already paid them. If this is the case, then you should be OK. If not, then it's checking your card cover & possibly insurance.

Regards

HXDave

glitzy

cheers for that - have booked through hotel connect direct, did get an email with a number to call abta claims, so fingers crossed paid by credit card

Alan_Bowen

It appears that ABTA may be protecting bookings made with Hotel Connect direct by consumers but did not bond bookings made through travel agents. It does make you ask exactly what ABTA is worth these days as 90% of the bookings were apparently through agent. Some agents are insisting customers pay again, a few decent ones are paying for their customers, and some sold supllier failure insurance which may help

glitzy

i have to claim through my credit card, abta will not consider my claim at this time - i have had conflicting info, abta email states claim back 2nd payment paid direct to hotel, abta advisor states claim back 1st payment made to hotel connect - i suppose i should just listen to my credit card company - it is going to cost £600 now instead of £480!!!

apt

Glitzy, if the cost has gone up you should request that the credit card provides the accommodation you booked via hotelconnect rather than claim a refund. That way, the credit card company, which is jointly liable for your booking, will bear the increase in cost.

luci

You should put in a claim for consequential losses, ie the difference in price from then to now. They are not legally obliged to pay it, but I got mine from Capital One when FlyGlobespan went bust.

josephinep

Just when things couldn't get any worse some customers are reporting that money is being taken from their card twice without their consent or knowledge!!

Just read an article about some Hotel Connect customers who ran out of spending money on holiday because money was taken off their card to pay for a holiday they had already paid for. As I am a newbie I can't post a link to the article but if you search in google for "hotel connect money theft" you should see it. Shocking!

glitzy

silver lining! had a look on line for the hotel we want, i think cos its only 4 weeks away the price might of gone down, so i think i will book online rather then pay hotel direct:j

SillyTurkey

I stayed in a hotel booked through Asda Travel back in November 2010 and paid with my credit card up front. While we were there my husband used his credit card to pay for drinks, etc at the hotel. He has just been charged for the room again, on his credit card, by the hotel. I've no idea whether to try and claim back for the original payment on my card, or the second payment on his card.