Complained about noise, bad food and dirty hotel

The summer holidays are approaching, and many have begun to dream away to lazy days with umbrella drinks and sand between their toes.

For some, however, the holiday bubble will burst.

The way it did for the family who checked into the Golden Odyssey hotel on Rhodes in Greece on 10 September 2023. The hotel is located some distance from shops and restaurants, so the family had paid for all inclusive – meaning that all food and drink is included.

They would later deeply regret it.

The family believed that the food was so bad that the children (two and five years old respectively) “wouldn’t touch the food either at breakfast, lunch or dinner”.

This is one of six cases the Package Travel Board has decided so far in 2024, where the travelers have complained that the destination was not as promised.

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In short

Several Norwegian tourists have complained about bad holiday experiences, but none have been upheld by the Package Travel Board in 2024.
Complaints include poor food, noise and dirty hotel facilities.
In some cases, the travel companies have offered compensation, but this has often been refused by the tourists who have demanded a larger amount.
In most cases, the Package Travel Board has concluded that the tourists have not documented the complaint well enough, or that they should have expected the conditions they complained about.

“Grey and sad”

Neither did the other quality of the hotel and the cleanliness live up to expectations, on the contrary, it was “under all criticism”. The family believes it was so bad that they could not bear to stay at the hotel, and point in the complaint to:

The food was gray and sad
It was dirty in the dining room
There was also an unidentifiable smell in the room
There was litter scattered around the outdoor area
The sunbeds were old and worn
Sewage smell at two of the pools
The pools were full of algae

They complained to the hotel on the spot, but were told that a hotel change was not possible. Through the Package Travel Board, they demanded a total of NOK 17,512 in compensation, including NOK 7,511 for having paid for a rental car, breakfast, lunch and dinner outside the hotel.

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Apollo: “A simpler offer”

Apollo responds by pointing out, among other things, that Golden Odyssey is a 3-star hotel, and that the all-inclusive offer is therefore “a simpler offer”.

They apologize that the stay did not meet the travel party’s expectations. At the same time, they feel that the complainant has not documented what was wrong with the food, cleaning or other deficiencies.

The tribunal agrees, and has not ruled in favor of the family: They believe it has not been proven that the food was in breach of the agreement, and believe that the complainants should have taken pictures of the food on offer.

Apollo’s response to the family

The hotel standard and expectations: Apollo explains that the Golden Odyssey is a mid-range hotel built in 1992 and last renovated in 2018, and that some wear and tear can therefore be expected. They emphasize that the location and the fact that the hotel offers a simpler form of All Inclusive is in line with the hotel’s classification and description given on Apollo’s website.

Communication with complaints: Apollo documents that the complainant was in contact with their staff at the destination regarding dissatisfaction with the standard of the All Inclusive offer and the cleaning. They investigated the possibility of a hotel change to the Ixia area which was the complainant’s preferred option, but found no available capacity.

Response and follow-up: Apollo says that they have taken the complainant’s feedback seriously and will follow up with the hotel’s management to ensure that the feedback is handled correctly. They apologize that the stay did not meet the travel party’s expectations, but cannot see that there were any deficiencies in the package tour that warrant a price reduction or compensation beyond what has already been offered.

In April, a traveling party of three people received the same message from the Parcel Travel Agency. On August 5, 2023, they checked into the City Beach hotel along the Makarska coast in Croatia.

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“Went every night”

The entourage, who had paid a total of NOK 35,517, quickly discovered that the stay was going to be a noisy affair.

To the Parcel Travel Board, they have described “noise and commotion that went on every night until dawn”. The complainants tried to change rooms, but it was not possible because the hotel was full.

MUCH VISITED: Makarska is one of the most popular destinations in Croatia, according to Apollo. Photo: Shutterstock
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The travel company Apollo offered a smaller compensation, but the travel party declined because it could not compensate for “ruined nights”. Rather, they demanded a NOK 1,000 discount per night per person; a total of NOK 21,000.

The tribunal did not agree with them.

TURKEY: Irene Urianstad says the hotel experience she and her daughter had is “the worst thing” she has come across. Video: Private. Reporter: Maja Walberg Klev.
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I think it was expected

They point out that it is written in the description of the hotel that it “is a popular hotel with a great location by the beach and the promenade with restaurants and bars just around the corner”.

The complainants should therefore have understood that there was going to be noise in the high season.

Apollo has pointed out the same in his reply. They also write that they offered a compensation of NOK 1,141, because the celebration of Independence Day affected both the opening hours and the noise level at the destination.

In addition to this, the company believes that the room and location matched the order, which the Parcel Board agreed.

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Construction noise and tour guide who got lost

The tribunal also did not agree with the complainants in the three other cases that have been decided in 2024:

The family of four had paid almost NOK 70,000 for what was supposed to be a dream holiday at hotels in Paros and Santorino in Greece during their joint holiday last year. The hotel on the latter island, Hotel Porto Villa with 3 stars, was far from the standard they expected. They felt cheated by Apollo and asked for a price reduction. The Package Travel Board believed that it was not sufficiently proven that the hotel was classified with the wrong star, and did not agree.
A family with two children paid just under NOK 50,000 for a week at the Ving hotel Electra Palace, along the west coast of Rhodes, in May 2023. They experienced, among other things, that the hotel was a construction site with noise and dangerous situations due to HSE measures, and demanded NOK 20,000 in compensation. Ving offered a compensation of NOK 4,378. The Package Travel Board recommends the company to do so, but otherwise does not uphold the complaint.
In September 2023, two people traveled to Agia Marina in Crete, Greece, and checked into Despinas Villa Apartments, through a package tour purchased by Mixx Travel. However, the complainants booked the wrong hotel, and ended up in an apartment without reception. They described a chaotic first night with mosquitoes and no help in sight. The Package Travel Board believes that the couple themselves must bear responsibility for the booking error. They also point out that Mixx Travels offered to check in at another hotel for a cancellation fee, but that the traveling party did not want this.

Two people, who traveled on the “Dublin Christmas Tour” with Vitus Reiser in December 2023, complained, among other things, that the tour guide got lost and had no idea. They also complained that they lost an excursion due to luggage problems. The travel agency has offered compensation of a total of NOK 600, and the Package Travel Board agrees that this is sufficient.

The travel companies responded to this

Apollo on the Santorini case: Maintains that Porto Villa is a mid-range hotel with 3 so-called Apollo suns. They do not recognize that the hotel was below this standard and therefore do not offer a discount. They did, however, refund 60 euros for a taxi the family had to pay to get from the harbor to the hotel. The family was offered to change hotels by paying NOK 2,000, but thought the price was too high. Apollo wrote in his reply that in high season it can be particularly expensive to change hotels.

Wing on the Rhodes case: During the guests’ stay, Ving’s representative tried to solve the problems in cooperation with the hotel, and followed up with the complainants both in person and via SMS. Ving argues that they made an effort to deal with the complaint by offering solutions and following up. They also believe that the expectation to have rooms next to each other was only a request and cannot always be fulfilled by the hotel. Ving points out that they offered opportunities to discuss the room problems directly with the hotel’s reception, which the complainants also tried. Finally, Ving emphasizes that they took the complainants’ situation seriously and tried to make arrangements as best as they could given the circumstances, but they deny that there were any deficiencies in the journey that warrant a price reduction

Mixx Travel on the Crete case: The complainant booked the wrong hotel, and the travel agency could not help them book the hotel they actually wanted to stay at – because they do not cooperate with this. They are surprised that the complainant did not read the hotel description thoroughly, which contained information about the distance to the beach and the city. Mixx Travel also points out that the complainant was offered to cancel the trip with a partial refund, or just cancel the hotel stay while keeping the plane tickets, but the complainant chose not to cancel.

Vitus Reiser on the Dublin case: Vitus Reiser explains that the trip, marketed as a “Pre-Christmas trip”, did not explicitly promise participation in a Christmas market, even though the complainant expected this. They state that the trip fulfilled the program published on their website, where no specific Christmas market was mentioned. Furthermore, they explain that the delay on arrival in Dublin, where the guide helped a guest with a missing suitcase, did not constitute a shortcoming of the journey that should warrant compensation. This caused a delay, but they arrived at the hotel within an acceptable time frame. Vitus Reiser emphasizes that the guide on the trip was experienced and had received positive feedback on previous trips. They acknowledge that a planned panoramic tour was not carried out on the first day and offer a small compensation for this. However, they dispute that the tour guide lacked experience or that this significantly affected the quality of the trip.

The article is in Norwegian

Tags: Complained noise bad food dirty hotel