Online customer Scare by Cyprus Hotels
On Friday the 10th of April 2009 I made a survey to 12 hotels in
Paphos, Limassol, Agia Napa and Troodos in order to find out how
Cypriots book their weekend holidays. The result of this mini survey is:
- 80% make there bookings online
- 10% book over the phone
- 10% with travel agents
Now the Cypriots who use the internet prefer www.bookcyprus.com , www.booking.com and www.expedia.co.uk
. This would have been completely normal if the Cyprus Hoteliers did
not have what we call special prices for locals. The funny thing is
that these special prices are more expensive than the web of the
hotels, more expensive than Booking.com and more expensive than expedia.
Then,
today Saturday the 10th of April I have made a test on the 12 hotels I
mention above. I called their reservations department, I checked their
own web, I looked for them on the 3 web sites mentioned above and I
also called to a travel agent.
The result was:
- 8 of those 12 hotels had 5 different rates for the same dates for the same room. One rate on the phone, one on their own web, one on expedia, one on booking and one on bookcyprus.com
- 3 of them had the same rates over the phone and on their own web but different rates on the 3rd party web sites.
- 1 hotel had price parity all the way thru.
I
felt like an idiot when I mention to one reservation officer of the
first 8 hotels that on booking.com I see that they have available rooms
for 55 euros cheaper than the price is giving me over the phone and on
their own web is 45 euros cheaper than the phone price. The answer was
very embarrassing, those prices are for foreigners. I asked what would
it happen if I book on booking.com and the poor lady got upset, she
told me that I cannot make a booking from abroad if I am a Cypriot, and
that the prices for Cypriots are the ones she told me.
I thanked
her and I hung up the phone. I stared at my computer and I thought of
sending an email to the General Manager of the hotel and the owners
with a copy to the CTO and the 2 hoteliers associations. I decided that
I will not do it because the reservations lady came all the way from
Russia to work in Cyprus and she only follows orders of those I was
going to send an email to. I will not mention the hotel, I will only
say that is a five star hotel in Limassol.
I am wondering if hotels in Cyprus really want Cyprus residents to stay in their hotels.