What counts as a "significant change".

Organgrinder

Hi all

I have a holiday booked with easyJet with two interconnecting rooms so that my teenage son has some privacy.

The hotel has been changed and only 1 room offered.

I contacted easyJet and they told me that I can amend the holiday to an alternative but am liable for any difference in cost, I can accept the change, or I can cancel the booking but would lose my deposit.

Does anyone know if a change in the number of rooms constitutes a "significant change" or is it as I suspect up to easyJet who will claim it isn't?

NoodleDoodleMan

This will sound obvious - but is there anything specific in Easyjet's small print in T's&C's to cover this situation ?

They have a reputation for "trying it on" when seeking to avoid responsibility for making appropriate changes to reservations.

How is the accommodation described in your booking - have you paid for two rooms ?

Alfrescodave

If I understand correctly, you booked 2 rooms (thru Easyjet) and the hotel has now cancelled one of them ?

That has to be a significant change, surely. You need to be more assertive with EJ and request an alternative at no additional cost.

Organgrinder

It is described as interconnecting rooms - the hotel itself uses the rooms as separate rooms (when the interconnecting door is locked).

Easyjet's T's&C's allow for cancellation is the change is classed as significant but not when it's classed as insignificant. It seems they are the sole arbiter of what falls into which category!

TELLIT01

I don't see how a change from 2 rooms to 1 can be classed as insignificant, even if the person who would be occupying the 2nd room is a teenager.  What is the actual age, as it's possible that Easyjet are trying to get round things by classing him as a minor.

Organgrinder

I have no idea - the hotel classes the rooms as ONE interconnecting room or TWO separate rooms depending on whether the door between them is locked or not (pretty standard - seen this in many hotels.

Easyjet are claiming that as it is in effect ONE room - they are offering me ONE room (different hotel due to issues in the original) - they simply won't budge. 

bagand96

This is a tricky one if the hotel flexibly sell the room as either One or Two rooms (comparable to maybe a two bed apartment or similar.)

Now easyJet have had to change the hotel they are offering you One room in the new hotel? What is the configuration of the new room. If it's one room with three beds then if argue it's not comparable. If its a two bed apartment it might be more difficult.

It might come down to what if anything is on your original invoice from easyJet when it comes to room type?

When do you travel? easyJet Holidays have a pretty good cancellation policy I think which might prove a get out of jail free card?

Westin

TELLIT01 said:

I don't see how a change from 2 rooms to 1 can be classed as insignificant, even if the person who would be occupying the 2nd room is a teenager.  What is the actual age, as it's possible that Easyjet are trying to get round things by classing him as a minor.

I would agree but I suspect the devil is in the details.  Can the OP provide the exact room description from their confirmation document, plus the same for the new hotel? e.g.  Double/Twin room with balcony.

Two double/twins to one double/twin I would definitely say was a significant change.  “Family room with divided bedroom area” vs “Family suite” may be something different.

Organgrinder

The exact description is as above - one interconnecting room. 

The new description is one standard double.

The former has two separate rooms each with a bed and a bathroom with a door between the two rooms i.e. two bathrooms, and two bedrooms. The latter is one room with one bathroom.

Westin

Sorry for the questioning, but is “one interconnecting room” definately two bedrooms/two bathrooms, rather than one room that happens to have an interconnecting door that could be used if two rooms were booked?  E.g two adjacent guest rooms with a lockable interconnecting door option.

Are you willing to share the name of the original hotel / new hotel name so we can look at the descriptions and perhaps suggest options to put to EZY Holidays?

heatherw_01

One interconnecting room is one room that has a door, not two rooms.
That is how I read it.
It would say two interconnecting rooms if it was two.

That's why it's an insignificant change. As you are just losing a door not a room.