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Distraught Brits Locked Out Of Hotel Room & Forced To Pay £2,700 Or Face Being Kicked Out After Tour Operator Goes Bust
A BRIT family of five were horrified after being locked out of their hotel room and forced to fork out an extra £2,700 to stay.
Natasha Oakden and fiancé, Courtney Bogacki went through the holiday from hell after arriving in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
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A brit family-of-five were forced to pay £2,700 or be kicked out of their hotelCredit: Jam Press/Natasha Oakden4
Natasha with her fiancé, Courtney, and baby AvaCredit: Jam Press/Natasha OakdenThe couple were expecting the trip of a lifetime with the rest of their family - but could never have predicted what happened next.
Courtney's parents Emma and Sam Lewis, along with their four-week-old baby Ava, were also stunned when their dream vacation fell apart.
We immediately felt sick and it was like we were living some kind of nightmare
NatashaThey claimed they were locked out of their hotel room and asked to pay £2,700 or be forced to leave.
When Natasha and Courtney went to try their key cards, they were denied.
A note had also been attached to the door informing them to go to reception.
It transpired Natasha had booked the trip, on Sunday June 2, with Loveholidays for £5,724.
She was beside herself sobbing on the phone. This almost made me physically sick
NatashaBut tour operator, FTI Group filed for insolvency the following day.
This was the parent company of Loveholidays' accommodation and transfer partners Youtravel.Com and Meeting Point.
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Urgent travel warning for Irish tourists by Tanaiste amid assistance call riseNatasha and Courtney claim hotel staff told them because of the insolvency - their holiday was not paid for.
They demanded payment upfront or the family would be kicked out so they begrudgingly handed over the money.
How to check in for a Ryanair flightNatasha has had one message from Loveholidays.
The message reads: "Our dedicated team will shortly contact the hotel on your behalf to make the payment and further arrangements.
"They're working through the bookings they have as quickly as possible so please bear with them.
"Don't worry we'll get this sorted as quickly as we can."
'DISTRAUGHT'Natasha, of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, told Luxury Travel Daily: "We as a family feel drained and are so disappointed with how the company has gone about the situation.
"We are so let down and feel on edge constantly.
"It's been a very upsetting and difficult situation for us.
"We would not wish this on anyone, it's truly heartbreaking.
"We were distraught throughout this whole process.
"The anxiety this caused the whole family is indescribable.
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"We immediately felt sick and it was like we were living some kind of nightmare.
"We rang friends in the UK to check out if the company has actually gone insolvent to ensure we weren't being scammed.
"Me and my fiancée, Courtney, stayed upstairs in the one room we had due to Emma already being in the room with Ava while our parents went down to speak to the hotel.
Emma rang Courtney around 10 or 15 minutes after they got to reception.
"She was beside herself sobbing on the phone. This almost made me physically sick.
"This was our first holiday away with Ava, we wanted everything to be perfect and it felt like a nightmare.
"I've had one message off Loveholidays on Instagram, other than that we have had no contact regarding our stay or any help from them."
A loveholidays spokesperson told The Sun: "Earlier this week the FTI Group, the parent company of one of our many accommodation and transfers suppliers, Youtravel, filed for insolvency.
"Only a very small portion of our customers are affected by this and we're working hard to minimise disruption to their holidays.
"We are aware that a small number of hotels are asking affected customers who are in-resort to pay for their rooms again.
Read more on the Irish Sun"We are absolutely committed to covering these costs and are working with affected customers, and the hotels involved, to make sure this happens.
"We are very sorry to hear of Ms Oakden's experience with her hotel and are in touch with her to reimburse her."
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Their dream trip away was ruined after tour operator, FTI Group filed for insolvencyCredit: Jam Press/Natasha Oakden4
The family shared their nightmare ordeal on FacebookCredit: Jam Press/Natasha OakdenMinister Calls For Cautious Commentary When Discussing Cyprus Tourism
"We all need to be cautious when discussing our country's tourism sector, which is vital to the daily lives of tens of thousands of our fellow citizens," according to Deputy Minister of Tourism Kostas Koumis.
In an interview provided to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Koumis highlighted the resilience of Cyprus' tourism industry, saying that it is experiencing another successful year.
Commenting on an article by British tabloid the Daily Express, which claimed there was "panic" in Cyprus' tourism industry due to decreased bookings, the deputy minister clarified that the report was based on a statement by the president of the Cyprus Hoteliers Association (Pasyxe) at its general assembly earlier this month, concerning the bankruptcy of the German tour operator FTI.
"First and foremost, I would like to emphasise that despite the many challenges characterising this year, our tourism sector is demonstrating a remarkable trajectory with positive indicators in arrivals and revenue, as evidenced by the data from the Statistical Service," Koumis stated.
He pointed out that arrivals in the first half of the year increased by 2.4 per cent, while tourism revenues for the first four months showed a 5.5 per cent rise.
"I must clarify that the bankruptcy of the specific tour operator certainly dealt a blow to our country, as it did to others, but considering the scale of its activities here, the overall losses were not substantial enough to cause panic," he said.
Moreover, the deputy minister explained that the total bookings for the entire year by the tour operator amounted to 30,000 people, of whom 5,000 had already arrived in Cyprus when the bankruptcy was declared early last month.
He also said that 80 per cent of the remaining 25,000 bookings rescheduled their holidays to Cyprus through other channels.
"The losses for the overall tourism industry are relatively negligible, considering the total number of tourists expected to visit our country this year," Koumis said.
Addressing reports referring to "damage to tourism", Koumis clarified that this pertains to lost revenue rather than actual financial losses or damages.
"I believe it is important to clarify this. Certainly, some hotels recorded financial losses, but this concerns uncollected revenue for each unit individually, which is another matter," he explained.
Koumis reiterated that this year was plagued by numerous challenges with negative impacts, mentioning the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean region, the economic conditions in major European economies, and the crisis in the aviation sector, which affected planning and further progress this year.
"The latter was perhaps the biggest challenge we faced," he said, saying that Cyprus, being an island at the easternmost edge of Europe, has a geographical disadvantage due to its distance compared to some other competitive destinations.
"Nevertheless, we managed to maintain a satisfactory air connectivity this year, which is not inferior to previous years," Koumis stated.
"On the contrary, we should be proud that we identified the challenges early and took the necessary steps in time," he added.
Additionally, he stressed that the important thing is that Cyprus' tourism sector is showing resilience and experiencing another good year.
Referring to the decrease in the average length of stay and spending recorded in some markets, he attributed this mainly to the economic situation in major European economies, which is beyond Cyprus' control.
Moreover, the deputy minister also pointed out that this is a phenomenon observed in many other destinations.
"These factors, along with others, certainly affect the profitability of tourism businesses, which is also influenced by changing visitor habits and even climate change," he said, adding that many other destinations are also experiencing a decline at this time.
"Recently, I regret to say, I have noticed some negative reports that unfairly criticise our country's tourism as a whole, and I must clarify that I am not referring to the specific article I was asked to comment on," he said.
"We are a country with excellent public and private infrastructure, natural beauty, and a tourism experience that visitors enjoy," Koumis added.
He also said that he believes that "we all have a responsibility to protect our country's tourism as a precious asset."
"We all need to be cautious when discussing our country's tourism sector, which is vital to the daily lives of tens of thousands of our fellow citizens," Koumis concluded.
UK Holidays In Chaos As Travel Operator Cancels All July Bookings As It Hits Difficulties
A major travel company has announced that all bookings will be cancelled up to and including 26 July. It said it had taken the 'difficult' decision to extend cancellations beyond 5 July while talks to secure its future continue.
Youtravel is owned by German company FTI Group, whose tour operator brand FTI Touristik filed for insolvency earlier this month. Many UK travel agents use products provided by the group so potentially thousands of travellers could have their plans thrown into disarray.
It confirmed all active bookings for arrivals up to and including 26 July would be cancelled without charge by Monday 1 July, giving agents holding packages for UK travellers with accommodation booked via Youtravel just days to act. If there are issues, travellers will find out over the next few days from those they booked the holiday with.
European travel giant FTI Touristik, one of the continent's largest travel firms, filed for insolvency at the start of the month. Youtravel said the impact on its business and operations had been "significant".
In a statement, Youtravel said: "We want to express our gratitude to all our partners for their unwavering support and patience since the announcement on the 3rd June 2024.
"The insolvency of FTI Touristik GmbH has had a significant impact on Youtravel.Com. Over the past three weeks, our management has been actively engaging with the appointed administrator of the FTI group and undergoing the M&A [mergers and acquisition] process to secure our future.
"Whilst we are hopeful for a positive conclusion to these talks soon, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all bookings until and including the 26th July 2024.
"We understand the inconvenience this may cause and sincerely apologize for any disruption. Any active bookings in the Youtravel system for arrivals up to and including 26 July will be automatically cancelled without any charges by Monday 1 July."
Bookings from 27 July remain active and will be subject to the usual cancellation charges. "Our teams are fully operational, and our dedicated task force is here to provide support to our partners during this challenging period," added Youtravel. It added: "Our teams are fully operational, and our dedicated taskforce is here to provide support to our partners during this challenging period. Alternatively, you can contact your account manager for any queries or concerns.
"We will continue to keep you updated as soon as we have any further news regarding the future of Youtravel.Com. We want to express our gratitude to all our partners for their unwavering support and patience since the [FTI] announcement on the 3 June."
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