Are you saying that, when booked, it was advertised as a "Family Hotel" but has since been re-branded as 18 - 30 ?

fwh

They should still allow you to change to a different hotel for an amendment fee (If you booked in error - it should be free if they've since altered the hotels suitability). You have your flight so all you need is an accommodation move.

As FWH says what was the hotel advertises as at the time of booking? What's the hotel called?

hi we had been to this hotel 2 years running so just rebooked as we knew it was family one, but went on cruise + stay last year but went to see friends at that hotel, who told us and the staff said it was now 18-30 next year, we came back and asked at going places was it true they said no, but it turns out it was, so we asked about changing or could we cancel but was told we could not do that and we would lose £400 deposit

Hi Annmarie

I will leave the legal question of whether you are entitled to a refund to the experts but putting that aside for the moment I see no reason at all why you are not allowed to change your hotel subject to any price difference and amendment fee but I would argue the amendment fee .

I could understand it if it was under 6/8 weeks to departure and your full balance had been paid but as you don't travel until sept there shouldnt be a problem . It is common pratice if booking a package with one of the main tour operaters for people to change their bookings , whether that be hotel, date, number of persons etc. So unless this is a holiday that going places have put together for you by booking flights and accomodation seperately I would get back down there .

Can you let us know the name of the hotel and whether this was booked as a normal package or put together seperately

lyn

so just rebooked as we knew it was family one

Except you didn't know, you assumed. Basically you entered into a contract without actually checking what you were getting. Anything could have happened since you were last there!

could we cancel but was told we could not do that and we would lose £400 deposit

so you can cancel. Loss of deposit is a normal penalty for people who change their minds, without this clause it would be chaos.

Bad news, this is your responsiblity not the tour ops. From what you say they haven't changed anything since you entered into the contract, things changed before and you didn't check. If their T&Cs let you change you'll have to put up with the amendment charges but they don't seem to have done much wrong before they took your deposit.

Agree with Steve . I think the only way you can avoid loosing that deposit is to change the booking to another hotel of YOUR choice .

we came back and asked at going places was it true they said no, but it turns out it was,

This should be your main form of defence you were misinformed by Going Places, as you did ask the question.

snowyboy wrote:

we came back and asked at going places was it true they said no, but it turns out it was,

This should be your main form of defence you were misinformed by Going Places, as you did ask the question.

Crystaltips post reads like she had booked, then had some info given to her so checked with Going Places.
If this is the case I think the only thing she can do is pay to amend (which you are quite entitled to do). Whether Going Places gave the correct info when she asked I think is irrelevant, if she had already booked. Her options at that point would still have been the same.

Thta's how I read it. She went to the shop with some confidence that she knew the hotel and booked it, at this point she was happy and the agent had no reason to dig out any details. Any confusion that began weeks later is not grounds for a claim.

If you are going early season or late season I don't see how this would be a problem as 18-30 is only really July and August. My uncle accidently booked a club 18-30 hotel last year, much to the joy of my aunt! anyway the travelled early June and it did not affect them as the full season was not going yet and the hotel was not full and club 18-30 rep programme wasn't running yet. They had a great time so much so they rebooked this year!

My son (and several of his friends and their parents) booked the same hotel (In Magaluf, Majorca) as they went to last year. Looking on here they found out that the hotel is now club 18-30. His friend's dad went back to Thomas Cook and complained and they have their booking transferred (and upgraded) free of charge.

Denny

How did they get into the situation to start with? Did they rebook on an assumption (like Annmarie) or were they given duff info before they booked?

hi thanks for all the replys the hotel is the honolulu in palma nova, since i was last on we have a development going places rang me on saturday morning say the hotel has now cancelled the contract with 18 -30 and we are still able to go there, i am not sure i wanna do that after all the fuss and stress and i wonder are they just saying that, so i not sure what to do???? i am restricted to flying times due to a medical condition and cannot fly more than 3 hrs anywhere so that was ideal for us so i may take your advice and change to other hotels os any ideas where to go within that flying time?? i really like the help and advice from all of you. when we rebooked last year at going places it was still showing on there system as family friendly hotel.

thanks

Annmarie xx

As far as I know (son is away at the moment so I can't ask) they booked the holiday just before last Xmas to the same hotel they had been to last summer. It came to light through reading on here that the hotel had changed to Club 18-30 for this summer. As they were travelling with young children, one of the dad's went into the TC shop and told them this was not acceptable. TC couldn't disagree as kids and club 18-30 don't mix do they? TC had no choice but to transfer the booking to a family friendly hotel, the new hotel was now more expensive and an upgrade on what they had booked. There was no more to pay, no admin fees etc. There were 15 of them travelling and maybe TC didn't want to lose the booking??

Denny

Yes it is the same hotel, the Honolulu, Crystaltips.

crystaltips,

Just found Thomas Cooks online brochures and in the 18-30 brochure they are offering the Hotel Honolulu new for 2010. Hope this will help you.

http://www.holidaywizard.co.uk/seeinsidebrochure/Club-18...30_2010-1st-edition/Mallorca/pages_34-35

Angie

But if you change destination then you will loose the whole amount you've paid. If you can change hotels with the same Tour Operator then you'll only have a small amendment fee to pay. You've still got your flight to Majorca you just need to swap accommodation. I can't believe that the TO won't have any available accommodation in Majorca for you.

Just checked and that hotel is in the club 18-30 brochure that I have at home. My friend picked it up yesterday as our hotel that we booked online is in it.

says in the club 18-30 brochure and online on thomas cook that the hotel is now adult only 18+