it's not just whole holidays, we've seen this with seats on certain airlines. The logic isn't clear but the best explanation is that if customers are turning up in small numbers you need low prices to spark some life into the market but if they turn up in a bigger group then the market doesn't need sparking. There is also the issue that if you want 2 seats on a plane or 1 room in a hotel then you have a good deal of choice and the competition leads to lower prices - but a big group will have less choice (especially closer to departure) so those companies that can supply don't need to price cut.

This leads to a possible problem. People have noticed this practise so have split their group into more than one booking to get lower prices. This is fine until something goes wrong either in the company organisation or the health of the party.

If a tour operator has a problem with a hotel it may need to move people, obviously everyone in a group has to stay together but as far as the contract is concerned the group is only those on that booking reference, their friends on the next booking don't count so the big group could be split up and be in different hotels miles apart. Or the airline could cancel a flight and rebook the group onto two separate alternatives because they are two bookings.

Or, someone is seriously ill or even dies. Most insurance covers you for cancellation or curtailment due to this happening to someone in your party - but the insurers could also say the party is just those on the same booking contract, the friends who booked the same thing 1 minute later aren't covered.

thanks, I understand now

We found this- and that was just trying to book 4- it worked out £100+ dearer- we were baffled - . in the end we booked 2 x 2- .

belly.

i can even change prices from 1 to 2,so book each person sepperatly to save money

what do you mean, book each room sepperatly is it. But what if you wanted 3rooms and by the time u book the 3rd room there is no rooms left? get me?

Very good point - if you had booked the first rooms/holidays/flights on a "no cancellation" deal then you'd be stuck if you couldn't get the later bookings. It is also possible that the price for one booking will increase as you make bookings, so the second would bedearer then the first, the third would be even dearer and so on - so even if you could make all the bookings the total may not be cheaper than doing it as one group. Like I said, you have to be very wary of breaking the group up.