What are your rights after a hellish holiday?

Spring has sprung and the holiday season is formally underway. No matter whether you are enjoying an early break now or planning a summer getaway, I hope you have a wonderful time!

But what if your holiday turns out to be… a bit rubbish? Sadly, a lot can go wrong with hotels and apartments when you travel. So here’s my guide to your rights and what to watch out for when booking.

Accommodation fails

Do your research before setting off on holiday and lessen the possibility of an awful apartment (Picture: Adobe)

It’s every traveller’s nightmare. You turn up at the hotel to find a building site. From major renovations to a half-finished new hotel, nothing kills the holiday vibe faster than a chorus of drills and clouds of brick dust.

If your holiday accommodation is not as advertised then you can demand a full or partial refund. That includes unfinished or missing essentials, like restaurants, all-inclusive services or swimming pools and spas.

It’s vital to speak up straight away though. Contact the holiday firm that you booked the hotel through and ask them to find you alternative accommodation of a similar standard. You can potentially ask for a refund for the days you lost due to hotel switching and any downgrades in the booking.

If you booked directly with the hotel, make a formal complaint immediately and ask for your money back. You may want to stay for a night while you try to make alternative arrangements. Your insurer may be able to help you with a few expenses, though not the extra money you may have to spend on your new hotel.

Overbookings and errors

There’s nothing worse that turning up to find that your hotel or apartment is overbooked or worse, you’ve been scammed. The best way to avoid this is to do a bit of planning in advance.

Firstly, read the website’s policy on overbooking or dissatisfactory accommodation and save the page and emergency number in your phone. Most big companies and travel agents will have a policy on getting you in to comparable accommodation should this happen.

Always message the hotel or apartment owner before you travel just to confirm the booking arrangements. This is a good way to remind the hotel of your room requests, like checking in early, sea views and extras like bathtubs or cribs for the room.

A good insurance policy is vital too. Check what your policy covers you for, should a holiday disaster occur, along with all policy limits and excess fees should you need to claim.

Private apartment problems

Private apartment bookings lead to more complaints about ruined holidays than anything else. Here’s what to watch for.

Check the online photos thoroughly to see if everything mentioned in the advert is present. Many apartment listings claim to have two or three bedrooms when one is actually the main living room. Look for different beds in different rooms for apartments that cater for more than two people too. Often the additional beds are sofa beds or camping beds.

Ask questions before booking and look at the reviews – focus on the recent ones as some rentals can go downhill after a few years. Look for details on the handover and return of keys too as this is a guide to how good your host is.

Many sites list properties as being ‘200 metres from the centre/sea’. But what centre precisely? Holiday destinations can cover large areas and you might find you are 200 meters from the centre of a suburb. Check a map online so you know where the main tourist areas are and cross reference that with the details on the booking website.

Beware of the fraudsters too. Alarm bells should ring if you are offered a discount for paying by bank transfer or PayPal’s Friends and Family option. Both these methods of payment cannot generally be recalled if it turns out you’ve been conned as they are direct bank transfers. Only pay by credit or debit card payment or using an e-payment system with a dispute resolution service.

Martyn James is a leading consumer rights campaigner and broadcaster and journalist. Read more from him at this link​