Hotel downgraded since booking?

Hmjordan19

Evening all,
Apologies if I have posted this in the wrong place, it’s my first post. Anyway, I’m after some advice in relation to our holiday. In early 2018 I booked a holiday for my family of 4 in Hurghada for October 2019. The fact this hotel was part of the Platinum collection sold it to me. In no way am I a snob, I have just heard the standard in Egypt is very different so this pusuaded me you could say. TUI advertise that their Platinum hotels have the very best reviews, facilites etc. Since I booked the reviews have been going down hill (many people on trip advisor have ended up on a drip due to the food hygiene) and they have now removed the hotel from the Platinum collection. The star rating hasn’t changed so TUI have said that they wouldn’t get in touch with me to discuss as I am still due to get what I paid for. But am I?! The number of poor reviews has clearly impacted on the hotel status with TUI and I’m not very unsure about proceeding with my booking. If I want to change hotels it’s £200 amendment fee minimum. Does anyone have any information on how I could/should proceed?
Many thanks

Kim_kim

Hmjordan19 wrote: »

Evening all,
Apologies if I have posted this in the wrong place, it’s my first post. Anyway, I’m after some advice in relation to our holiday. In early 2018 I booked a holiday for my family of 4 in Hurghada for October 2019. The fact this hotel was part of the Platinum collection sold it to me. In no way am I a snob, I have just heard the standard in Egypt is very different so this pusuaded me you could say. TUI advertise that their Platinum hotels have the very best reviews, facilites etc. Since I booked the reviews have been going down hill (many people on trip advisor have ended up on a drip due to the food hygiene) and they have now removed the hotel from the Platinum collection. The star rating hasn’t changed so TUI have said that they wouldn’t get in touch with me to discuss as I am still due to get what I paid for. But am I?! The number of poor reviews has clearly impacted on the hotel status with TUI and I’m not very unsure about proceeding with my booking. If I want to change hotels it’s £200 amendment fee minimum. Does anyone have any information on how I could/should proceed?
Many thanks

I’ve stayed in a couple of fab hotels in Egypt. The Sensatori and the Reef Oasis Blue Bay. Quite possibly the two best all inclusives in Sharm. In both of them I got a tummy upset the like of which I have never experienced anywhere else. Two days wiped out of my hol each time and I won’t go into details with the rest:eek:

I love Egypt, I love the dry heat, I love the Red Sea. But it’s really put me off now, I have no faith in whatever class of hotel you book there, that you’ll be safe from the dreaded Pharos revenge.
I barely drink - so it’s not alcohol related.

A bit further but have you considered the carribean for your winter sun? I’m going again in October.

Hmjordan19

Thanks for getting back to me. No we hadn’t, we just fancied a change to canaries with 2 young kids. Unless I use the same dates or earlier I will loose my £800 deposit. So it’s either go and risk it.. pay £200 to change the hotel in Hurghada.. or loose £800 and book elsewhere/cancel. I’m just frustrated that the hotel I booked doesn’t seem to be half of the one I’m due to go to.

Kim_kim

Hmjordan19 wrote: »

Thanks for getting back to me. No we hadn’t, we just fancied a change to canaries with 2 young kids. Unless I use the same dates or earlier I will loose my £800 deposit. So it’s either go and risk it.. pay £200 to change the hotel in Hurghada.. or loose £800 and book elsewhere/cancel. I’m just frustrated that the hotel I booked doesn’t seem to be half of the one I’m due to go to.

What’s the hotel?

Hmjordan19

Jaz Aquamarine

bagand96

I’m just frustrated that the hotel I booked doesn’t seem to be half of the one I’m due to go to.

In what way is not “half” of what you booked? What facilities or amenities are you now not getting that were there when you booked?

As you say the actual TUI rating hasn’t changed. The tour operator “collection” is just a branding exercise. There might be a number of reasons that TUI have removed the hotel from Platinum, but it doesn’t change the hotel. It’s essentially a label on the website or in the brochure. The fact that logo isn’t on the booking page doesn’t actually change the hotel does it?

Upset stomachs are very common in Egypt.

Shimrod

Hmjordan19 wrote: »

Since I booked the reviews have been going down hill (many people on trip advisor have ended up on a drip due to the food hygiene) and they have now removed the hotel from the Platinum collection.

I've had a look at the hotel on tripadvisor ( https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g297549-d1557730-Reviews-Jaz_Aquamarine_Resort-Hurghada_Red_Sea_and_Sinai.html ) and I'm not seeing the same general decline. With 9,500 reviews it scores 4.5, and only 15 reviews across the last 6 years mention receiving medication via a drip. Many of the recent reports are very positive - are you sure you aren't just focussing on the negative reviews and getting as pessimistic view?

bradders1983

Hmjordan19 wrote: »

Thanks for getting back to me. No we hadn’t, we just fancied a change to canaries with 2 young kids. Unless I use the same dates or earlier I will loose my £800 deposit. So it’s either go and risk it.. pay £200 to change the hotel in Hurghada.. or loose £800 and book elsewhere/cancel. I’m just frustrated that the hotel I booked doesn’t seem to be half of the one I’m due to go to.

Sorry, had to bite, but people who can't tell the difference between the words "lose" and "loose" is my biggest pet hate.

It is "lose". Sorry.

ss53

Shimrod wrote: »

I've had a look at the hotel on tripadvisor ( https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g297549-d1557730-Reviews-Jaz_Aquamarine_Resort-Hurghada_Red_Sea_and_Sinai.html ) and I'm not seeing the same general decline. With 9,500 reviews it scores 4.5, and only 15 reviews across the last 6 years mention receiving medication via a drip. Many of the recent reports are very positive - are you sure you aren't just focussing on the negative reviews and getting as pessimistic view?

Only 15 reviewers who ended up on a drip? Positively glowing reference.

Shimrod

ss53 wrote: »

Only 15 reviewers who ended up on a drip? Positively glowing reference.

You need to read it in context - that's 0.15% of reviews across 6 years, which doesn't match with the "(many people on trip advisor have ended up on a drip due to the food hygiene)" posted by the OP.


In a hotel in Egypt with 1,000 rooms and (conservatively) at least 150,000 guests in that period, 15 on a drip may be quite low.

sheramber

What proof is there that they contracted it at the hotel?

If they ventured out of the hotel they could have picked up a bug any where.

My husband went on a business trip to Egypt and spent two days in bed with a stomach bug.

An Egyptian colleague who worked in the UK office told him when he went back to Egypt he went down with a stomach bug as he had lost his immunity to the germs.