Not what it says in the brochure.

Aveleydave

Could someone with travel industry experience please explain to me something?
I have booked a holiday, through Virgin Holidays, for ten nights to Sri Lanka. When looking at the booking, which I made over the phone after finding what I wanted both in their brochure and on their website, I travel from Heathrow on Monday evening and arrive at the resort around mid-day Tuesday. Now, if I return the following Thursday I have only nine nights at the resort. I believe the booking is for ten nights at the resort.
I guess I'm asking if this is common practice when travelling east (I have only travelled west long haul thus far) that a night of my holiday is spent in the air? My curiosity is niggled as to whether I'm acyually being diddled out of a days holiday.
I went to the Dominican Republic in 2013 and my seven night holiday was just that. Seven nights at the resort and flew home overnight as the eighth day. Should I not be spending eleven days away, ten nights on resort?

photome

Are you paying for 10 nights in the hotel, or a 10 day holiday.

I never do package holidays so can't really comment on what virgin sell

peachyprice

If your room is going to be available as soon as you arrive you may have paid for occupancy for the Monday night, otherwise you would have to wait until later in the afternoon to check in.

fifeken

Just tried a dummy booking on Virgin Holiday's website. It reads 10 night holidays to me, not 10 nights in a hotel. Your first night is on board a plane unfortunately.

NiftyDigits

Ten night holiday to me means ten nights at the destination. Of course if your flight arrives at 3.35am, that would count as your first night, as your room would have been booked from approx. midday the day before. But if your flight arrives at midday as you suggest, there would be no need for that. So that would be a nine night holiday.
What are the actual flight times, as opposed to your approximated descriptions?

photome

peachyprice wrote: »

If your room is going to be available as soon as you arrive you may have paid for occupancy for the Monday night, otherwise you would have to wait until later in the afternoon to check in.

I checked flght times

there is one that arrives early hours of morning and one that arrives midday (the Op does say they arrive midday)

OP why not choose the early flight

NiftyDigits

photome wrote: »

I checked flght times

there is one that arrives early hours of morning and one that arrives midday (the Op does say they arrive midday)

OP why not choose the early flight

Why do you think that suggestion would make good sense?
I certainly would not want to arrive at my resort at 5am and have that count for a night.
Makes much more sense to arrive at check in time for the following night. Ridiculous if the OP arrives at lunchtime, but is debited for a hotel room the night before. Totally unacceptable if that is the case. Ten nights means just that. Your hotel booking is for ten nights. Anything else is just hogwash.

pennylane99

Just checked Thomas Cook holidays, and shows exactly the same dates for 10 night holiday

NiftyDigits

pennylane99 wrote: »

Just checked Thomas Cook holidays, and shows exactly the same dates for 10 night holiday

We aren't referring to dates, but times. The morinng flight counts as ten nights. The evening flight may not, dependent on the time of arrival. If they arrive at or close to check in time, there is no justification for charging them for the night before they arrive.

pennylane99

NiftyDigits wrote: »

We aren't referring to dates, but times. The morinng flight counts as ten nights. The evening flight may not, dependent on the time of arrival. If they arrive at or close to check in time, there is no justification for charging them for the night before they arrive.

I used to take long haul package holidays frequently, if the outbound flight was overnight it was always classed as the first night, so a 10 night holiday would be 9 hotel nights at destination

lea2012

As it's a package that he has booked (we presume, as he says it's booked through Virgin Holidays) then he won't know what exactly he has paid for. There is no proof that he has paid for 10nts in the Hotel, it doesn't state 10nts hotel, only 10nights holiday.
The likelyhood is that the Virgin will have only paid for 9nts in the hotel, and the price that he has paid is for 9nts in a hotel, with flights as the additional night.