According to Özge Esen from Hürriyet newspaper, some hotels that didn’t meet their expectations during the season have started offering last-minute prices lower than their early booking (EB) rates. A guest, upon discovering that the hotel he paid 55,000 TL for before the holiday had dropped to 49,000 TL, objected and received a refund for the difference. When the hotel made another discount, the customer objected again and collected the new difference from the hotel.
“We mustn't lose the customer from early booking”
TÜRSAB President's Advisor Hamit Kuk evaluated the situation: "The discount made by the hotel should not fall below the early booking (EB) prices, but as in every business, there are bad examples here too. Early booking discounts are between 30-40%. Hotels that do their job properly do not go below this discount in last-minute sales; at worst, they offer the discounts given in early booking. We mustn’t lose the customer from early booking," he said.
Emphasizing that such examples are rare in the sector, Kuk said, “However, when some businesses do their job wrong, this situation reflects on the entire tourism sector. There are facilities that come out with exorbitant prices and drop below the prices during the early booking period when things go bad. They shouldn't do this. Customer satisfaction is more important than anything else,” he said.
“They resorted to last-minute discounts”
“The prices of vacation packages have increased significantly, while at the same time the purchasing power of customers has decreased,” said Kuk. “We are in the period when the highest prices are in the accommodation sector. However, the demand is not at the desired level. Occupancy rates in hotels are around 60-80%. Under normal circumstances, these occupancy rates should be at 100% right now. Currently, hotels have started a discount campaign of between 15 to 30% to fill the empty rooms in last-minute sales.”
A guest can apply to the hotel and request the difference. If the hotel does not respond positively, the customer should go on with their holiday. After the holiday, they can apply to the Consumer Arbitration Board with documented proof, and if the board finds it unfair, it will rule in favor of the consumer. The price difference can be refunded in this way.
Kavaloğlu: Customer satisfaction is important
Kaan Kavaloğlu, President of the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers and Operators Association (AKTOB), also said, “Hotels do not prefer to dissatisfy their customers. If there is any dissatisfaction, the difference will be paid by the hotelier to the customer.” Kavaloğlu continued: “The English make reservations the earliest, followed by the Germans. Especially after the pandemic, the early booking rate increased. The most important issue here is that the earliest booking gets the most discounted price. If this is not the case, no one will book early at that hotel again. When occupancy rates in some hotels went weak, a bit of panic set in, and some price reductions were made.”