– The pictures were incredibly beautiful, but they were fake, says Ruben Aanesland from Kristiansand. He and his girlfriend had booked a package tour through the travel company Detur. The trip was to go to the “Maya World Hill Hotel” in Side in Turkey. Detur marketed the hotel with four stars and all inclusive. The price for the two came to just under NOK 20,000. The problems started when they arrived in Turkey. At first the driver couldn’t find his way to the hotel. When they got the address, they ended up at the “Joker Side Hill Suite Hotel”, says Aanesland. According to him, they were told that this was the hotel they had booked. At the hotel reception, Aanesland and his girlfriend met several other frustrated guests. – There was everything from ashtrays in the bedside table drawers to holes in the walls, he says. Ruben Aanesland thought they were going on an idyllic holiday. Their first encounter with the hotel was not as expected. Photo: PRIVAT Another frustrated guest news has spoken to describes the hotel as a tragedy. – I was shocked when I entered the room. There was dung on the floor and walls that had been rubbed all around, and it smelled musty, says the guest. A third guest tells news that the door of one hotel room could not be locked. – It’s a bit scary when you have small children. We had to barricade the door with our suitcases. It felt very unsafe. One hotel – two names A traveling party of nine people says that they found the package holiday on Restplass.no, which is a search engine for finding package holidays and hotels. – We pass on data from the tour operators, and monitor the processes carefully, says Rune Sandbakken in Restplass.no. They are one of several travel operators who market “Maya World Hill Hotel” and “Joker Side Hill Suite Hotel”. The hotels, which have turned out to be the same hotel, are marketed with identical images, but have different star ratings. “Maya World Hill Hotel” has four stars. “Joker Side Hill Suite Hotel” has three. – Why do you have two different hotels, which turn out to be the same hotel, with different star markings? – It happens that two hotels with different room standards have shared pool areas, and with approx. 20,000 hotels we do not have the opportunity to make an individual assessment, replies Sandbakken in Restplass.no. He agrees that many of the pictures are the same, but still argues that they could be two different hotels. news has received confirmation from Detur that it is not a question of two different hotels, but one hotel that has changed its name. Aanesland says that acquaintances in Turkey have stated that the hotel often changes its name to escape its bad reputation. It is no longer possible to book travel to what is called “Maya World Hill Hotel” or “Joker Side Hill Suite Hotel” through Restplass.no. Detur has the hotel lying around under the name “Maya World Hill Hotel”, but it says that there are no vacancies. news has tried to get in touch with those who run the hotel, but has not received a reply. The travel company is responsible According to the Package Travel Act, the travel company is responsible if the mention, star rating or standard does not match what is marketed. – Detur Norway is responsible. They are the ones who have to sort things out, both on the spot and possibly afterwards, says Thomas Iversen, a lawyer at the Consumer Council. He explains that the travelers are entitled to be moved to a similar hotel, or to receive a discount if they stay. Iversen says that if several hotels use the same images, it is clear that at least one of them is engaging in misleading marketing. – Here it looks like both Restplass.no and Detur should check more closely which hotels they market and collaborate with, says Iversen. Aanesland and the other guests news has spoken to say that they struggled to get hold of Detur. – The tour guide disappeared from the hotel and finally denied that he worked for Detur, even though he wore their uniform, says one of them. Aanesland chose to take matters into his own hands. He contacted those he knew in the area from before, and finally got in touch with another local Detur employee. Then they were allowed to move to another hotel. – The guidelines have been followed “to the letter” When news, after repeated attempts, gets hold of Detur, they explain that the hotel was previously called “Maya World Hill Hotel”, but that it has now changed its name to “Joker Side Hill Suite Hotel”. – It is the same hotel physically and must be operated with the same quality as promised when we signed the agreement with the hotel, says media contact for Detur Tim Åström. According to him, the guests contacted them on the day of arrival, and the next day a travel guide should have arrived to help them. Detur’s employees have followed the instructions they must follow to the letter, according to Åström. – That means resolving the customer’s dissatisfaction immediately on the spot. If this is not possible, they must try to find alternative accommodation. This has been the case in this case. The complaints from the guests were primarily about hygiene, that is, deficiencies in cleaning and some maintenance, says Åström. He says that a total of 11 guests moved to another hotel and, according to him, all have confirmed that they are satisfied with the solution that was arranged for them. Hi! Do you have any thoughts on the matter, or tips for something else I should look into? Then I will be happy if you send me an e-mail.
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Holidaymakers in Turkey couldn’t find the hotel – then they were shocked by the standard – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
