Can I Refuse Alternative Accommodation Due To Hotel Not Open Yet?

thedonkey68

Hi all and wondered if anyone knows where we stand if our package holiday to Lanzarote (via Jet2 Holidays) changes hotel due to not being open yet? Flights are still ok but I've contacted the booked hotel direct, cutting out the travel agent as they haven't heard anything, and the hotel booking line have advised that there is no opening date until at least 31st July - we travel on the 21st! We booked this hotel as been several times before and don't really want to goto another one. 
If this is the case, can we refuse and re-schedule for another date, or get our money back? I can appreciate things are changing daily/ weekly with new travel updates and Jet2 cancelling/ re-arranging flights but don't know where we are with hotels. 
If anyone has had any experience so far with this, I would be grateful for any info. 

sharpe106

You could attempt to under the current conditions asking, but with flights recommencing you might find they fall back on the normal terms and conditions now have a look at the terms and conditions, section 8. 
https://www.jet2holidays.com/terms-and-conditions#terms8

sue1976

If you booked this as a package and your hotel is unavailable then you are entitled to a full refund. This happened to us earlier this week. I too, was the one to find out our hotel would not be opening for the rest of the year. I phoned our travel agents to find they knew nothing about this. They phoned me back later that afternoon to say I should have a full refund within 2 weeks. 

sue1976

This is from the Which website 

JonnyRTW

A change to a hotel in the same resort of a similar or greater standard is classed as an insignificant change and whilst you should be able to discuss with them on preferred choice of alternatives, you would not be entitled to a refund.  For a change in hotel to be classed as significant (and result in refund being an option) the star rating of the alternative would need to be a full star rating lower than what you have booked.

sue1976

Our travel agents told us that with any change of hotel that we were entitled to a full refund. 

pattycake

JonnyRTW said:

A change to a hotel in the same resort of a similar or greater standard is classed as an insignificant change and whilst you should be able to discuss with them on preferred choice of alternatives, you would not be entitled to a refund.  For a change in hotel to be classed as significant (and result in refund being an option) the star rating of the alternative would need to be a full star rating lower than what you have booked.

I don’t know the legal status of a change of hotel but I can’t agree that it is an insignificant change.  The OP states this is a hotel they visit frequently so that’s the holiday they booked and paid for.  From my own point of view, I spend hours trawling Trip Advisor reviews before I make a choice of hotel.  The last thing I would want is some other establishment foisted on me which may not meet my criteria even if it was a higher star rating.

sharpe106

The terms and conditions quite clearly state they can change the hotel to an equal one.  But no harm in trying in the current circumstances.