All inclusive facilities not available

elsien

Westin said:

bmistry said:

I'm with Travel Repubic. Another family who were joining us have had their cancelled by TUI giving the reason that the holiday is not what they can offer due to restrictions. 

And this is where the traditional tour operators will win through.  

Travel Republic will have created this package on separate contracts with separate and possibly multiple suppliers.  You could certainly ask them and remonstrate about the lack of hotel facilities but they may allow you to cancel the hotel but you will be left with the flight.  

That may be the case, but depending on how this was booked it may still count as a package holiday and this could be argued to be a material/significant change to the original booking so that's certainly the tack I would be taking. 
OP, have you contacted travel republic at all? 

NoodleDoodleMan

Depending on when booked, the criteria for a package holiday

https://www.abta.com/help-and-complaints/frequently-asked-questions/what-package-holiday

Doshwaster

NoodleDoodleMan said:

" And this is where the traditional tour operators will win through." 

Sadly a lot of Brit holiday makers will now wish they had booked through Jet2 or TUI, despite the latter's poor performance with refunds.

I expect DIY bookings will drop significantly in future.

There might be a small drop in the short term as nervous or inexperienced  travellers want a little more reassurance but the advantages of DIY still remain in terms of choice, flexibility and being in control of the relationship with the supplier. Remember that one of the biggest causes of ruined holidays in recent years has been the collapse of tour operators such a Thomas Cook. Airlines such as British Airways and EasyJet are very unlikely to go bust nor are individual hotels.

Westin

Doshwaster said:

NoodleDoodleMan said:

" And this is where the traditional tour operators will win through." 

Sadly a lot of Brit holiday makers will now wish they had booked through Jet2 or TUI, despite the latter's poor performance with refunds.

I expect DIY bookings will drop significantly in future.

There might be a small drop in the short term as nervous or inexperienced  travellers want a little more reassurance but the advantages of DIY still remain in terms of choice, flexibility and being in control of the relationship with the supplier. Remember that one of the biggest causes of ruined holidays in recent years has been the collapse of tour operators such a Thomas Cook. Airlines such as British Airways and EasyJet are very unlikely to go bust nor are individual hotels.

I think many mistakenly see "DIY" as just not using a traditional tour operator.  

It is one thing to book your air tickets direct with the airline and hotel direct with the hotel, therefore having some control over the travel elements.  Completely another thing to "DIY" and book via third party online sellers, especially those based overseas with little or no consumer protections in place.  Many reported issues are from people taking this DIY route thinking they have saved money only to find when things go wrong there is no support or recourse.

Another area where people are getting caught out is using some online travel firms which cobble together travel elements to create a "package".  These often have no flexibility as have been bought with the cheapest non-refundable fares/rate plans. 

I'd like to think people would become more aware, research in advance who they are giving money to, check what consumer protections are offered and apply caution when booking trips but sadly I suspect people will quickly revert back to type.

Doshwaster

Absolutely. While Kayak and Skyscanner are useful for route options, I wouldn't touch most the "CheapFlightz.com" type agencies they link to with a bargepole. 

TELLIT01

Doshwaster said:

Remember that one of the biggest causes of ruined holidays in recent years has been the collapse of tour operators such a Thomas Cook. Airlines such as British Airways and EasyJet are very unlikely to go bust nor are individual hotels.

Really?  BA were screaming blue murder when the shutdown happened with EasyJet not far behind.  They may not go bust but the business model could be very different when the dust settles.  As for individual hotels not going bust, that scenario would seem very unlikely.  They work on slim margins at the best of times and many of the seasonal hotels have already lost nearly half their operational year.

NoodleDoodleMan

Thomas Cook's demise is totally unconnected to this ongoing pandemic situation.

Doshwaster

NoodleDoodleMan said:

Thomas Cook's demise is totally unconnected to this ongoing pandemic situation.

Of course it is totally unconnected but they are a demonstration that package holiday operators aren't necessarily safer than DIY and booking direct.

NoodleDoodleMan

I've just about finished reading this excellent book.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01FXM85P6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_o05?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The author is obviously highly knowledgable on the tourist industry - and is clear on the advantages of packages booked with the likes of TUI and Jet 2 over OTAs and DIY reservations.

Westin

Doshwaster said:

NoodleDoodleMan said:

Thomas Cook's demise is totally unconnected to this ongoing pandemic situation.

Of course it is totally unconnected but they are a demonstration that package holiday operators aren't necessarily safer than DIY and booking direct.

Consumer’s financial protections are.

The ATOL protection scheme for air inclusive holidays, or similar bonding scheme within the industry ensure if there is a financial collapse of a tour operator then the customer gets repatriation from overseas or a refund if their holiday has yet to start.

Further consumer protection under the Package Travel Regulations for those who purchase a package or linked travel type arrangements.

I think I am guilty of taking this thread off-topic so will stop at this point.

Shame the OP did not return to update on their issue.