XL Leisure Group in administration

The UK's third largest tour operator, XL Leisure Group went into administration early today leaving the holiday plans of thousands in tatters.

The West Sussex-based company had 85,000 holidaymakers abroad and 200,000 forward bookings, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.

The failure is the biggest to hit the travel industry in years and follows Cheshire based operator Seguro Holidays ceasing trading earlier this week and the collapse of airlines such as Zoom and Silverjet.

Besides charter airline XL Airways, XL ran the following tour operating brands.

The Really Great Holiday Company - ATOL 3827 which traded as:

Excel Holidays
The Florida Skytrain
Transatlantic Vacations
Travel City Direct
Travel City International

Kosmar Villa Holidays PLC - ATOL 1760

Freedom Flights Limited - ATOL 5296

Aspire Holidays Limited - ATOL 6536

Holidaymakers away on ATOL-bonded package holidays should be able to complete their holidays with the CAA arranging flights home. But those who booked flights only through XL.com and accommodation only through Medlife Hotels, the accommodation only brand of the XL Leisure Group are not protected.

Bedbookers.com is currently assisting all those passengers who are yet to travel in arranging alternative holidays, flights and accommodation only bookings to XL destinations.

All Air Holidays and Flights booked through Bedbookers.com are financially protected by the Civil Aviation Authority.

All accommodation only bookings booked through Bedbookers.com are financially protected through our membership of the Travel Trust Association.

For more information or assistance contact the helpline on 0845 688 7140 or book online @ www.bedbookers.com

Have you seen ITV's Benidorm?

Once a small fishing village, Benidorm is now Spain's most popular resort and is featured in ITV's comedy series Benidorm. The show's characters are stereotypical working-class "Brits Abroad", whose main focus at the fictional "Solana Apartments" is sunbathing and taking full advantage of the "All Inclusive" food and drink.

Benidorm is filmed at the Sol Pelicanos Ocas, a three star hotel which is part of the prestigious Sol Melia group. The Neptune Bar, where most of the cabaret scenes are shown, is actually Morgan's Tavern Bar which is across the road from the hotel.

The resort of Benidorm has a lot to offer so book a stay at this popular and highly rated hotel in lively Levante Beach with Bedbookers.com. If you would prefer a quieter location then consider a hotel in the Old Town or Poniente Beach. Visit our Benidorm page for further information and a list of our hotels and apartments.

New low-cost summer 2008 routes!

Low-cost airlines have launched new flight routes to some fantastic destinations and Bedbookers.com can offer a huge choice of hotels and apartments to make your holiday dreams come true!

New routes launched include:

Budapest
Corfu
Crete (Heraklion)
Cyprus (Paphos)
Egypt (Hurghada)
Egypt (Sharm el Sheikh)
Hamburg (Lübeck)
Innsbruck
Madeira
Malta
Montpellier
Mykonos
Rhodes
Sardinia (Olbia)
Thessaloniki
Turkey (Dalaman)
Warsaw

Enter your holiday requirements into the 'Quick Search' box for a great price on hotels and apartments.

Terms and conditions apply.

Flights are available from jet2.com, bmibaby.com and easyjet.com.

Review Sites - Commercial blogging becomes an offence

The end, it seems, could be nigh for those cheeky hoteliers, Travel Companies and Online Agents who pretend to be customers on review sites such as TripAdvisor and write themselves glowing reviews.

As of April 6, Brussels will be banning such underhand activities as the EU’s Unfair Commercial Practices Directive comes into force, making commercial blogging, or flogging as it’s known in the online travel industry, an offence.

The new law includes two categories of unfair commercial practise - misleading practices and aggressive practices. Whether a practise is deemed unfair will be judged in light of the effect it has on the average consumer’s consequent decision to purchase.

The law means companies, no matter how big or small (and that includes hoteliers, travel agents, sole traders, and online booking portals), will not be able to post online themselves or pay anyone else to post reviews or blogs about their own companies that are misleading.

The law comes into force at a time when the public are beginning to make their disapproval about flogging heard.

A recent Travel Technology Survey which was commissioned by Phocuswright revealed that for some time now, companies have adopted the practice of 'bigging themselves up' on trip review sites whilst 'dissing' competitors in an attempt to sway the consumers purchasing decision.

In the survey most customers said they would rather make their own minds up than follow the views of people they didn’t know (and therefore, by implication, could not trust).

Is Your Holiday Safe?

Recent research shows that many consumers are booking with online travel companies in the "belief" that their money, hotel bookings and other travel services are financially protected via ATOL or ABTA licenses, when in fact protection is only offered under certain conditions.

Be Safe & Secure - Accept nothing less than a 100% financial guarantee!

The Bedbookers Travel Protection Plan covers all purchases you make through Bedbookers.com. Every element of your travel service be it a hotel booking, car hire reservation, airport transfer etc. is financially protected - and that's a fact!

What Is Financial Protection?

Your holiday may be one of the biggest purchases you make this year and it would be a shame to let all that hard earned money go to waste.

Financial Protection ensures that if your travel company can no longer fulfil its financial obligations and can no longer trade, (or the directors use "your money" for a long holiday to Brazil!), that you the consumer are guaranteed to receive either a full refund, or the services that you have booked will be provided.

What's not covered under ATOL and ABTA!

Neither ATOL or ABTA licenses offer protection for hotel and accommodation only purchases.

Accommodation-only providers may offer protection although under current legislation there’s no legal requirement for them to do so. If protection is offered it may be by way of a bond held by a trade association, or by way of an insurance policy or by placing your money into an independent trust account.

What is covered by ATOL/ABTA?

An ATOL license only covers holidays that include an element of flight were the travel services are advertised and sold at an all-inclusive “package” price. This cover only relates to flights and holidays that originate from the UK and that have been purchased within the UK.

An ABTA license covers purchases of "package holidays" (two or more elements that are advertised and sold at an all-inclusive price).

What is covered when you pay by Credit Card?

A common misconception is that travel purchases are fully covered when you pay for your booking with plastic. Many consumers are under the impression that if they purchase a holiday or travel service using their credit card that they'll get their money back from their credit card company if the travel company ceases to trade.

This is not entirely true as credit card coverage is subject to the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and is limited to purchases where the cost of the travel service exceeds £100. Cover only applies if the consumer can demonstrate that the travel company is in fact the contractual supplier of the service. This can sometimes become difficult with Internet booking as many online travel providers and booking portals distribute services as a third party and therefore act only as agents.

If you pay for your booking with a charge card or debit card then no cover applies under the Consumer Credit Act.

What is covered by Bedbookers?


The Bedbookers Travel Protection Plan ensures that all your funds are placed into a trust account until you have received and completed the travel service that you have purchased through Bedbookers.com or have cancelled your service and are eligible for a refund of monies subject to the terms and conditions of booking.

Our unique financial protection scheme fully complies with the Department of Trade & Industry Regulations, the EEC Package Tour Regulations and is endorsed and operated through Barclays Bank PLC and an independent trustee.

To learn more about how you are protected under the Bedbookers Travel Protection Plan click here.

Book with Confidence - Book with Bedbookers.com

Dirtiest Hotels in US revealed

TripAdvisor chose its 2008 worst hotels, selected by members as "beyond scummy," and the Hotel Carter in New York City romped into a resounding first place.

"On inspection the room was dirty, the sheets were not fresh and there was obvious evidence of vermin. It was on entering the bathroom when we decided to leave due to a filthy toilet and a dirty pair of ladies' briefs hanging on the wall," writes one critic.

In its explanation to "save you from hotel hell," TripAdvisor mentioned these as the top ten to avoid:

Carter Hotel - New York
Ramada Niagra Falls - Niagra Falls
Days Inn Vanderbilt / Music Row - Nashville
Red Carpet Inn - Fort Lauderdale
Regency Inn & Suites - New York
St Augustine Beachfront - St Agustine, Florida
Travel Inn Civic / Medical Centre - Miami
Eden Roc Motel - Wildwood, New Jersey
Pacific Sands Motel - Santa Monica, Calafornia
Days Inn Lancaster - Lancaster, Pennsylvania

The 700-room Hotel Carter on West 43^rd street in Times Square earned the No. 1 spot for the third straight year. Guests tell of bedbugs, dodgy bathrooms and even the body of a woman found under one of the beds.

If it's any consolation, the average price of rooms at the Hotel Carter is only $107, a genuine bargain in a city where the average price of a "zero star" hotel is $162, according to the latest research.

Majorca features as top Summer Sun hot spot

Mallorca dominates as the most popular 2008 summer destination for British holidaymakers, according to new research. Costa del Sol, Benidorm, Costa Brava and Salou are also pulling in sun seekers looking for a bargain break.

March and April are a great time to grab a bargain with early season flight sales everywhere so travellers have the choice between thousands of destinations at a very low cost.

The top 10 most searched destinations include:

1. Mallorca
2. Costa del Sol
3. Benidorm
4. Costa Brava
5. Salou
6. Magaluf
7. Palma Nova
8. Alcudia
9. Benalmadena
10. Lloret de Mar