He had booked and paid for his hotel (against my advice, I might add) on Hoteling.com via TripAdvisor, only to be told when he arrived in Krabi that his reservation had been cancelled, unpaid.
He phoned me, convinced he’d been conned out of £839, and I had to convey the news that Hoteling.com’s parent company Lowcosttravelgroup had gone bust.
There must be thousands of similar holidaymakers still to travel this year who are also in the dark.
Trouble could be on the horizon for other bed banks too, according to one expert. Medhotels won back £7 million in VAT from HMRC in 2014 by proving it acted as an agent and not a principal. Could the fact that hotels, like my friend’s in Krabi, are not honouring bookings reignite HMRC’s interest in chasing bed banks for Tour Operators Margin Scheme payments?
Certain agents who were DPing using Lowcostbeds might also be in for a nasty shock, with legal and insurance specialists warning that some agents do not possess as comprehensive a level of supplier failure cover as they might have thought.
For those unfortunate agents, just like some disappointed holidaymakers, taking the “low cost” option could come at a very high cost indeed.
Pokemon go, go, GO!
We found a giant rat in the office this week. A purple one called Rattata – one of the many virtual creatures that can be found in real-life locations in new augmented-reality game Pokemon Go.
Savvy tourist boards and attractions are capitalising on how they can use this app to showcase their products.
Pokemon Go could even drive footfall for high street retailers; is your agency next to a Pokestop or Pokegym?
Find out what Pokemon Go means for travel in this week’s magazine, and tweet us to let us know what you find in your office!
Pippa Jacks
Editor, TTG
