Complain about onthebeach

turnitround

I cant understand your reluctance to name the hotel. If it is as bad as you say then it may be helpful to inform others about booking it.
You would also get more help with your complaint. Everything is subjective, you say the hotel is not a family hotel for numerous reasons. Apart from it  perhaps being specifically for the 18-21 age group  cant think of many reasons you could not call a hotel a family hotel.

bagand96

NoodleDoodleMan said:

The OP has only two avenues of complaint as I see things, as previously stated, OTB and/or the hotel.

The fact that the former withdrew from ABTA (as did Last Minute) speaks volumes.

OTB and LoveHolidays left ABTA following a disagreement about refund obligations during Covid. There were differing opinions of what the PTR's required of a package organiser in a specific circumstance. Some OTA's felt they didn't need to refund. ABTA came out and said they expected their members to refund. 

Fine. OTB and LH I believe met their obligations while ABTA members but subsequently left the association. Which is their choice. ABTA membership is not compulsory. And it's not  been proven either way that the OTA's position on the law was wrong either. 

In terms of the OP's situation, pretty sure the Package and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 state that a package organiser should make accurate representations when giving a customer information. I'm not entirely sure how you'd go about enforcing that though. Local trading standards office where OTB are based?

OTA's don't have direct contracts with hotels, they use intermediaries and bed banks, who then hold contracts with the hotel. Often they just pull the information they are given by the intermediary. Plenty of people in the chain and you're relying on all of them having correct and current information. 

NoodleDoodleMan

"Fine. OTB and LH I believe met their obligations while ABTA members but subsequently left the association."

ABTA thought otherwise, which is why OTB and LH left - it would have been hypocritical of them to remain whilst not refunding as per ABTA ruling.

An easy "get out of jail" card to play.