People looking to travel and stay in affordable hotels regularly end up being tricked and even the most highly rated establishments can use foul play to push their prices. How can this be avoided and what should travellers be aware of? Christoph Neisius from the European Consumer Centre (ECC) Luxembourg has the answers.
“Hotels use tricks so that their prices are listed as the cheapest ones. That means that services that used to be included, such as breakfast, are actually left out to attain cheaper prices and land on the top spot of the various search engines.”
What can people do to ensure that their expectations are met?
“People should definitely pay attention to what is included in a reservation. Is breakfast already included in the price? How about other services, such as wifi, is it already included or does one have to pay extra? These things should all be apparent in the reservation description.”
In case that something goes wrong, customers are advised to first discuss matters with hotel management rather than the reservation platform, emphasised Neisius. In case of a reservation, a contract has been established between hotel and guest, which is why the hotel is bound to take care of potential issues.
Attention should also be paid to checkout times according to “availability”, explains Neisius:
“If a hotel really is at full capacity, then little can be done to receive a late checkout. However, if there is availability and a hotel refuses to offer late checkout, then people should take it up with management. If that fails, guests can try to get the upper hand with proof in the form of pictures. And, people are of course more than welcome to forward their complaints to us [at the ECC] in case their hotel is in the EU, Norway, Iceland, or the UK.”
Finally, if an online offer sounds too good to be true, people should phone the hotel in question as a way of avoiding potential disappointments.
