Now I know why you all hate Escorted Tours...
 

Never having taken an escorted tour, last Summer we added a 4 day CIE tour of Ireland to 4 days on our own in Dublin and had a great time. As a result, we booked a 7 day tour of Atlanta/Charleston/Savannah/Jekyll Island with Collette Vacations, for earlier this month.

We compared the features of several tour companies before selecting Collette. One of the features that convinced us to select Collette was the 2 night stay at the Renaissance Hotel in the Historic District of Charleston.

You could imagine our suprise when we received our travel documents and saw the hotel had been changed to the Charleston Riverside Hotel, a mile out of the Historic District and about 10 notches below in quality. As a result we cancelled the tour and are out the insurance money we paid to Collette and cancellation penalties from the airline.

I think the practice of advertising one hotel and than switching to a substantially inferior one on the actual tour is unethical at best. Has anyone experienced something similar and do you have any suggestions on recouping our losses? Needless to say we will swear off on tours in the future.

That was actually the Charleston "Riverview" Hotel, just to keep the record straight.

Wow, Frank, I would have been livid if I'd been *baited and switched* in that manner. If you're talking about one of the *riverview* hotels across the bridge, some of which are quite nice, they're fine if you EXPECT to be in that location. However, that's a totally different experience than staying in the historic area of Charleston, being able to walk to everything, etc. So sorry this happened to you....... wish I had some words of wisdom to help get a refund for you!

I took a tour to Europe in 1999 and have looked into others but decided to go on my own. Take a look at your brochure if you still have it. I don't remember if I checked out Collett, but all the other tour companies I checked out reserved the right to make hotel changes. They also work it so...perhaps the hotel is a lesser grade than the one featured. So, I'm not sure if you were scammed or just didn't read the fine print. That's too bad that they did that...I totally understand how you feel, but again, the right to change hotels might be in your contract.

Every tour company reserves the right to substitute hotels at any time for any reason for an "equivalent" property. And what "equivalent' means is up to them - in terms of location, amenities, quality etc.

There is essentially no recourse for this - unless they switch a 5* property for the roach motel.

Only one of the detriments of a tour.

While I understand your disappointment and do not wish to minimize it whatsoever, I must say that the one tour we took with Collette was outstanding! We had a knowledgeable, informed guide and better than average accommodations in prime locations. We particularly liked their insurance policy that allows cancellations FOR ANY REASON!

If you read the small print - it's right there on the website - they reserve the right to substitute any hotel. Each tour company has this disclaimer.

Oh, just remembered: I took a Cosmos (budget) tour off-season, and we were lucky to stay in all 1-st class hotels usually occupied by Globus travelers.

So it's not always as bad as you're trying to show.

Thanks for the replies, I fully realize a tour company has a right to change hotels, but the Riverview is being offered for $59 a night on Orbitz and gets miserable reviews on Tripadvisor, ranks 41 or 51 hotels. The Renaissance is listed as the #4 hotel, and sells for over $200 per night. I'd don't think they are providing a comparable product to that which was advertised.

Well, let's not hate all escorted tours.
I don't usually go with them, but in some instances they can provide transportation and information.

Last year we took a 4 day tour of south Wales with Backroads Touring Inc.
It was a small group tour and our driver was tops. He knew the roads and the territory!!!!

One year in Paris we took a day tour to Vaux-le-Vicomte and Fontainebleau. It, too, was top level. Excellent guide!

We tried later to free lance a trip to the same places and decided it was a mistake.

I think you need to look at the itinerary before deciding.

I will say this much, long bus tours put me too much into a cocoon. We toured Ireland and I was totally fed up with Insight's tour. We enjoyed it a lot more when we freelanced it and found local day tours.

I don't like escorted tours, but I fail to understand your reasoning that due to one bad experience you are making such a broad and general statement. If you get a horrible hotel room somewhere do you say, "No wonder you all hate hotels"?

...not sure about this specific situation, but hotels will sometimes abruptly close out their inventory (even well in advance of arrival)and bump clients. This leaves the vendor in a spot to find alternative accommodations and depending on the availability in the area it can be tricky. It is always the vendor that takes the heat and looks bad although sometimes they are at the mercy of the hotels...hopefully they couldn't help it if there was that much of a difference in quality...

Patrick: We don't take escorted tours as a rule, (guess we have an aversion to $59 hotels in peak season) but I believe this type of practice is rampant in the industry. We were leary about the hotel switcheroo and sure enough it happened. We're just happy we got away cheaply and didn't have to experience the actual tour.

Wednesday: If in fact it was out of Collette's control, don't you think they should have sent a letter with the documents explaining the switch and offering a rebate due to the inferior hotel? We wouldn't have gone anyway but why should they make the extra profit while the tour group stays at an significantly inferior property?

If you take a look at the reviews of the Charlestion Riverview on tripadvisor.com (see link below) you'll understand our outrage!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Carolina.html

Hi Frank,

I have taken a few escorted tours, and I am going to France in June with Tauck.

I had the good fortune to have Tauck change our hotel in Nice to a better one in Monaco.
So sometimes things work out for the better.
I do believe that sometimes tour companies have to rearrange hotels, due to actual unforseen events, not a premeditated scam.

hi Frank,
I am not sure about this situation, but I know sometimes, vendors will even wait until the customers are "in destination" and have the transfer company explain and simply "deliver" them to the new hotel...it's horrible and I think their thinking is that avoids cancellations ahead of time and I think they assume most people will go with the flow once they are there, BUT that is a switch to a hotel of the same calibur..I have not seen a situation personally where such a downgrade was provided unless it was coupled with huge credits and amenities etc. offered...this sounds different..and many customers do not even read their documents, etc so perhaps they were assuming the switch would be glazed over by most people...who knows...that would be very bad on their part, I certainly agree. I am not defending the practice, as I have dealt with this on the losing end and it stinks, I was just sharing experiences....

This happened to me, the one and last time I will take an escorted tour.
I was downgraded to two MUCH worse hotels. Supposedly they were 4 star, however one hotel that I was downgraded to had their water shut off the last day I stayed there. This meant no showers or flushed toilets. I hate to think how clean the restaurant server's hands were.

As the OP stated, we too scheduled a 5 day guided tour of Ireland. The hotels and hostels were not list but the overnight locations were. Nobody on the bus had problems with any of the accomodations probably because they were not listed and everyone was on the bus to have a good time. Yes one of them was a dump but all of us had so much fun together the accomocations didn't matter. I think it all has to do with your mind-set when traveling.

I would not have cancelled the Georgia tour. OP lost money and a good time.

Tour companies have contracts with hotels and these contracts are booked years in advance.

Frank, you were screwed. The Riverview is nowhere as near as nice and the Renaissance and you have a very valid argument that the hotel isn't in Charleston proper. Anything not on the penninsula isn't considered Charleston proper.

Oh, I know both hotels and I totally understand your outrage. I'm just not so sure that such switches are the norm among good tour companies. And for what it's worth, I've seen few tour brochures which guarantee a hotel. They usually say "Acme Hotel" or similar. One of the reasons I wouldn't like them. But if this one definitely STATED it was the Renaissance and then switched to the Riverview you have every right to be outraged. I still just don't understand why you think ALL tour companies are like that. I have friends who have done tours with various companies and have never had a single complaint.

Just felt like venting, that's what's great about this site. I also felt it was important to pass on the information so that others considering an escorted tour will know one of the major potential drawbacks.

I've written to the President of Collette and the President of the USTOA (US Tour Operators Association). I'll let you know how I make out. If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm all ears.

So, Bob, Backroads Touring is still going. We were with them a few years ago for several weeks covering the UK, in fact turned out due to several injuries to be a foursome, a Canadian couple and ourselves!

We're taking a Grand Circle Tour of Eastern Europe in May(our 4th), have been with Elderhostel, Globus, others, and can attest to many good tour experiences. Yes, there are some drawbacks but many plusses if you are so inclined. Especially overseas. No hotel switches, BTW.

Ozarks Bill

Hi Frank,
I sympathize with your anger. I had a similar experience some years ago. I had booked a package deal for a Caribean vacation that included airfare and a specific resort on Antigua. 2 days before leaving, my travel agent called to let me know we were being switched to a different resort. He tried to convince me it was better, and we would get an upgraded room. The problem was the place I booked I had done so specifically because my husband and I had gone there for our first vacation together, and were returning to celebrate 10 years since that trip. Not to mention that the resorts were on opposite sides of the island, and the one we expected had about 30 rooms, and didn't allow kids under 16. The one they booked us had 300 rooms, family suites (and daycare accomodations) and a casino. Not a terrible place, but you can understand that their definition of "better" and mine really didn't agree. I realized I'm far too particular about my trips to ever book through a package or tour agency like that ever again.

I've never booked a package (and I don't mean an escorted tour) but concidered for future travels... are you saying in this case a hotel can be switched too? Oh, goodness!

This reminds me of the newly-wed couple on Judge Judy who sued becauase the filling in the cake was strawberry instead of rastberry. In the bride's mind the whole wedding was ruined because of one detail.

Amazing how some people will find one negative thing to focus on and ditch their vacation for the principle of it.

wemr:It's people like you who allow the tour companies to advertise $214 hotels and than substitute $59 hotels at the last minute. I guess you and I have a different idea about what makes for a great vacation.

fainaagain,

yes, it seems many of those package deals have the same fine print, allowing for a change in hotels in the last minute. now both the package agency (and I honestly don't remember the name), and the original hotel, offered me vouchers for future travel as a consolation. But I didn't want to book another package from them, nor did I have plans to return to Antigua in the next year.

geez, wemr, I don't think your analogy is very accurate. I think Frank didn't get the wrong flavor filling in his wedding cake. its more like they brought a chocolate cake that serves 10, when they promised a wedding cake for 150. In my case, I tried very hard not to let one little detail ruin my vacation, but when they change the location, size, amenities, and atmosphere of your promised vacation, well, its hard not to be disappointed.

Thank you, ChinaCat, one more thing to be aware of. I don't trust any tour company with my plane reservations, from now on if I'm on my own, I'll plan everything myself.

Frank, Ignore WEMR. He spends too much time watching Judge Judy because it's the only way he can realize there are people worse off than him.

Sorry but a hotel switch of this magnitude is not a minor detail.

There was a thread recently about a Pleasant Holidays mishap in Waikiki even worse than this tale.

wemr, your post is so unbelievable!

If you booked a hotel in the historic district of Charleston and instead got switched to a place a couple miles away where you had to get public transportation back and forth, and didn't care -- where would you draw the line? If you booked in Charleston but they switched you to Myrtle Beach, would that be worth a complaint? How about if instead of putting you in the Renaissance, they put you in a hostel where you shared baths and slept on cots? Would these still be minor details to you.

I'm with Frank on this. We're not talking about switching to a similar hotel across the street. We're talking about switching to a much lower quality place far removed from the very thing they were booking to see!

wemr, comparing the two hotels are like comparing apples and oranges.

Charleston locals (those who live slightly north of Broad) don't consider the location of the Riverview to even be in Charleston city limits.

Frank,

Sorry about your problem. Unfortunately you are not alone. I think most people don't complain, or companies would be more honest in their delivery of service.

I was just denied a partial refund from Go Ahead Vacations. Despite describing in great length and detail that I had been forced to go on an optional tour, there by missing my day in the city on the schedule, the answer to a refund was no. There was not even an apology. I did get a record of who paid by cash and who by credit card. Did they think I would't notice that they skirted the issue?

Of everyone on the tour, only three people had shown interest in the optional tour. Suddenly it was announced that everyone would be taken for a greatly reduced price. Only three wanted to go so yippee ...let's all go. There was no discussion and no vote.

Most people paid the reduced fee in cash as they were asked to ( another red flag), and said nothing. Talk about peer group influence.

Two of us did not go and no money was collected from us in the little plastic bag .. We waited from 3.5 hours to the bus park area for the rest of the group. The "no optional optional" was supposedly to take 1 hour.

I would have thought the tour co.would have been glad to know that their contract with their patrons had been drastically changed, but I see now that I was wrong.

I know I could take it further, but do I really want to annoy myself further. I now know never to use their service again.

Tours are great ways to lessen the severity of the learning curve to new places. After other tours I have been able to back as a solo traveler and revisit spots I really loved.

Hope your tour operator deals with you in a professional way.

ttt

Why I "hate" the idea of escorted tours has nothing to do with stories like these.

I don't want to have someone else have all the fun of planning, don't want to stay in the hotel they pick out, get up early in the morning, ride around on a bus with a bunch of strangers, eat when and where I am taken.

To me it is about control of your own situation, which clearly you lose in some part participating in escorted tours.

No, we ALL do NOT hate escorted tours! We just got back from our third Grand Circle tour (Chile & Argentina) and had a wonderful time. GC also has the disclaimer that they might have to change hotels, but we have not had that happen to us. In fact we talked to an owner of one in Canada and she told us that they sign a contract with GC and if they start getting bad reviews because of service, food or whatever, they lose the contract, so they strive for the best to keep their contract.

No, all of our hotels were not 5*, but were all very nice and in most cases nicer than we would have gone to, if we had been on our own. More importantly, the hotels have been situated in very nice & safe areas and close to shopping and a variety of restaurants for us to chose from when we are on our own.

We have chosen to go "the escorted tour" way because of our age (both over 70) and because we don't have to drive (I do most of it) or worry about finding a good place to stay and eat...it's all done for us. We have gotten to places & restaurants that I don't think we would have gone to or even found on our own. We have made some very good friends on our tours and we still see and write to them.

Also, these are "learning and discovery" tours, so our tour directors/guides have all been very knowledgeable about the various cities and countries we have visited.

So are we lazy? Maybe..but on the other hand, we are completely free to learn and discover and not have to worry about where is it safe or where should we go. But on the other hand, we have also had a good overview of the various areas, and IF we decide that we really liked some area/city/country, we can go back on our own and do some in depth exploring of what we liked, and skip what we didn't.

Now excuse me, but I have got to get the GC catalog out to "discover" where we are headed next....

No Frank, we do not all hate escorted tours. I do think the switcheroo Collette pulled on you was really a low blow. I am amazed because they have a very good rep. I can understand your outrage. Collette should be ashamed of themselves for the quality of the substitution. But no, we do not all hate escorted tours.

Yes, there is absolutely a difference in what some of you call a great vacation experience and what I call a great vacation experience! One poster mentioned that size and amenities in a hotel makes or breaks the experience or something like that. To me that is petty and I would simply ask for a refund of the difference in hotel prices. But if I ended up on an escorted tour with nothing but old ladies and expensive hotels that would be a huge problem. The amenities mean very little to us and I know it means a lot to most of you. The people who we are with and the adventures we have as a group mean much more to Me and my wife.

aarnold, don't slam me with a comment which has nothing to do with this discussion....which you are famous for.

I have several friends who travel frequently with the same 'educational' tour groups. One is thru a library society and the other goes with Elderhostel. They all do amazing 3 week trips like to China, Vietnam, Egypt, Amazon/Machu Pichu, Seychelles, and the like.

Yes, mamajo, let us know where you go next when you've studied your catalogues! We have been on 3 GCT excursions, leaving on a 4th late May. Agree with you, also being over 70, for the very reasons you mention. We felt the same even before turning 70 and yes, we do travel on our own in the U.S. Hope we can hear about your trip to SA...would that be on a different forum? This aside from the serious issue of the hotel switch being discussed.
Ozarks Bill (and Lee) [email protected]

Frank,
Back to your original question, I had a bad experience with a pre-booked airport transfer in London. Basically, I got bumped on my arrival flight, so stuck in the airport I called home and had someone e-mail my delay to the limo company, which they say they never got.

After I got home I saw they charged my credit card anyway. I raised holy heck with them and refused to let it drop, even though I was already back in the states. I told them I heard of them on Fodor's and threatened to spread the word if they didn't remove the charge.

I documented my case clearly in repeated e-mails and asked them to move it up the ladder until a manager finally agreed to credit the charge. After that I thanked them for their professionalism. Relentless pursuit--End of story.