Consumers beware: Accommodations such as hotels lure vacationers into the trap all over the world.
It's about costs, availability - and even about the shower.
Berlin – Now that there are hardly any corona restrictions in place, the travel business is picking up speed again in the truest sense of the word.
Hotels are in extremely high demand, and prices are rising worldwide.
Understandably, holidaymakers, but also business people, are on the lookout for cheap hotel offers.
In doing so, they are increasingly being tricked.
Six of these lousy tricks at a glance.
Fraud in the hotel: Consumers are ripped off with the availability trick while on vacation
As reported by
bild.de
, the five-star hotel of the well-known Spanish chain
Barceló Hotels & Resorts
in Costa Rica attracted guests with a free late check-out.
Exactly the right thing for consumers or vacationers who are departing in the evening.
An offer that, according to the hotel, is “only subject to availability”.
However, the management would have interpreted this very much in its favour.
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Consumers in hotels are ripped off at breakfast and even at the showers.
© Philipp von Ditfurth/ Arno Burgi/dpa/Montage
At the reception it was only said that this free late checkout would not be possible because there were "many arrivals".
But the hotel was not fully booked.
In the run-up it was unclear, the succinct answer to the question of availability: "We can't say yet".
When asked at the
Barceló
headquarters, there would have been no answer.
The advice of Karolina Wojtal, co-director of the European Consumer Center Germany (EVZ): "We know the scam.
Those affected can contact us free of charge when it comes to EU hotels”.
Lure offer trick does not always show holidaymakers the cheap price
Many travellers, not least from Germany, will know them: the differently colored advertising buttons on booking platforms.
They advertise with a "special price for members" or the "Price at the beginning of the year".
However, consumers should not be fooled by this.
Because if you use meta search engines such as
Trivago
or register for the bonus program on the hotel website, you will sometimes receive even cheaper rates.
A procedure that consumer advocate Wojtal would also recommend.
Breakfast trick in hotels: Consumers pay for rolls and coffee as an extra
After Corona, hotels are increasingly no longer offering an inclusive price with breakfast.
The chains want to be as high as possible in price search engines.
Consumers should therefore pay more attention to the fact that breakfast often has to be paid for as an extra service.
The comparatively simple tip: Holidaymakers will often find bakeries with seating near the respective accommodation.
The breakfast there is often cheaper than in the hotel.
Hotels fool holidaymakers with a shower trick: only shared showers instead of their own cabins
As mentioned at the beginning, even the shower is not spared from the lousy tricks of the hotels.
Online it is often only in the small print that there are only shared showers in the accommodation.
It gets particularly bold when a washbasin in the room is advertised.
That is also available.
However, the said “shared shower” is only mentioned in the booking confirmation.
If it is no longer possible to cancel the holiday booked, consumers should complain to the hotel.
Request cancellation for fraudulent misrepresentation.
After all, it is your right.
As is the right to a pool or beach on holiday.
Concealment trick gets on consumers' nerves: Hotel staff vehemently blocks complaints
Complaints are particularly annoying for hotel staff.
A popular trick: Fooling guests with phrases like “Contact your travel agent”.
The manager of the Barceló
hotel
would have tried it with this tour .
But don't let that fool you.
Because the hotel is always responsible for the respective offer on the Internet.
But not intermediaries like
Booking
or
Expedia
.
Additional cost trick makes consumers' wallets empty: Previous free services are charged extra
Finally, this trick is all about showing up ahead of the competition in hotel listings.
Previous free services are charged at once.
Whether it’s early check-in, use of the sauna, airport shuttle or a quiet room – money now has to be paid for these services.
The quiet room is a case in itself because it is suddenly more expensive than the other rooms.
The tip: read the reviews of other guests in advance, for example on
TripAdvisor
.
That is where you will usually find the best information about additional costs.
Complaints in general can also be submitted to the
European Consumer Center Germany
website .
List of rubrics: © Philipp von Ditfurth/ Arno Burgi/dpa/Montage
