Lowcostholidays Changed My Hotel

Tabby66

I have just returned from holiday booked with lowcostholidays. On arrival at the hotel I was told it was overbooked and given an alternative hotel the other side of the resort (Los Cristianos).

I had booked this holiday with a group of family, we had all booked separately as we wanted to pay individually.

Our flight from East Midlands was the last to arrive, so we were the last in the family to check in.

The hotel manager said the hotel had been fully booked for weeks and that lowcostholidays should have told us this before we departed.

This totally ruined the holiday for us as we wanted to be all together - that was the point of a family holiday!!

I cannot get to speak to anyone there, their phone lines do not put you through to an actual person, just an automated system, and my emails have not been replied to.

I know, in hindsight, we should have used a reputable company - but does anyone know if there is anything I can do?

Thanks

jpsartre

Lowcostholidays did not change your hotel. Most (if not all) hotels will overbook so when a family/friends make separate bookings there's always a risk of being split up. Honestly, I doubt you would have been better off using a different company. I'd like to think people booking direct with the hotel will be the last to be bumped though I don't know for sure that's the case.

Tabby66

The hotel manager said that he had already told lowcostholidays a few weeks ago that they were overbooked. They are the biggest seller of this hotel as they have their own contract with them, I think they may be the only seller.

If lowcost had told us a few weeks ago then we could have all switched hotel to be together.

I have since been told that lowcost are just a bed bank and they will sell the hotel rooms when they know they are not available to get money in.

Perhaps they didnt pay the bill as I have heard rumours that they have sacked half their staff!!

jpsartre

Bedbanks will sell the rooms that are made available by the hotel. It's the hotel that choses whether or not to overbook (they all do as far as I know, though obviously some may overbook more than others).

Sounds like there was a failure of communication along the way which is unfortunate.

victor2

Look in the T&Cs for your booking. They've probably covered themselves there by saying they have the right to move your booking to a comparable hotel.
Still, you would expect some sort of notification in advance, but if they're going out of business you might struggle to even find someone to ask.

Tabby66

Yes have checked the terms & conditions and it does say something along the lines that they can change hotel. A heads up a few weeks before would have been nice though, at least we could have made alternative arrangements.

You live and learn I suppose.