Under occupancy supplements!?

A snowHead

Trying to book something for Val T leaving this weekens (2nd April) and I've found a number of appts available but they're all charging additional supplements for under occupancy. DO the tour opps not wise up when it gets to last minute and just waive the supplements so that they get something rather than nothing!??!?!?!

It was looking so promising at around £350 - £500 each until I realised we'd need to shell out the same again in supplements! ...Any thoughts?

A snowHead

I once had a guy calling up and the flight was leaving in 4hrs, wanting to book an apartment for just him, but the minimum was 2people and the TO (Panorama) wouldnt undersell it. So i guess they make enough money not to need last minute deals.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Adam Holt, Even worse is that when you've paid the extra for the second person it doesn't seem to give you two airline seats and twice the food etc when it's half board.

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My Canada trip this year was £600 no under occupancy supplement tried to book for next year and its gone up by £350 due to supplements.

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it really is complete nonsense isn't it!? We were away over the weekend in a Mansion House in Perthshire. Our original plan for the weekend had fallen through last minute and one of our group found this place and bargained a price based on the old chestnut of, if it isn't booked now, it isn't going to be so do us a deal or have an empty mansion!! we got it half price - a discount of over £2000 for 2 nights! I'm failing to see how the same sense doesn't apply here .....

mesk1, that would be exactly the way I'd be thinking!!!

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Same nonsense applies to single occupancy for hotel rooms, especially half or full board. I eat less than a couple, use less linen, put more money over the bar than many couples yet I still get hit with stupid supplements. OK I can understand if the place is almost full but when you see all these ads in the newspapers for hotel chains in UK begging for custom it's just nonsense to penalise someone who is prepared to give them some income.

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Adam Holt, I booked with Inghams several years ago and they did waive the under occupancy supplements but we went self drive so maybe that is a factor.

After all it is free

With apartments the TOs do not tend to have pre-booked the apartments so it is not usually a matter of better getting something rather than nothing. To get a cheap last minute deal you need to contact the 'owners', ie P&V, etc.

I have no problems with small supplements from the hotel for single rooms, after all cleaning 2 single rooms (especially if they have ensuite) will take longer than one double or twin bedded room, what gets to me is the way those supplements often seem to double or more by the time they reach the tour ops brochure, Under occupancy is another matter, when rooms are under occupied at peak season you can understand the hoteliers asking for a huge amount more, in off season when the hotel is much quieter though is a different matter, at these times it is probably better to book direct with the hotel rather than a tour op

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Adam Holt, have you checked if the TO will do flight and transfer only, and seen if you can book a single occupancy appartment direct? I suspect that the minimum appartment accommodation is for 2 - but that you may still make a saving booking it this way.

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hibernia, Depends how big the group was doesn't it wink

Yep, just re-read it wink

You know it makes sense.

I think it would be much clearer if the travel industry quoted basic room-hire rates with supplements, if necessary, for double (or higher multiple) occupancy, thus allowing for any increased service and consumable costs. I think that's what they tend to do in the States, though I could be mistaken. The expressions 'single supplement' or 'under-occupancy supplement' just seem a semantic nonsense, arising from the insistence on quoting per person rather than on the basis of the asset that is for rent.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I suppose the problem with quoting a room rate would be that the 'headline' price would be higher than one based on 'x' sharing. I've no understanding how the TO pricing model works but I assume that with less heads they will view it as a decreased opportunity of selling ancillary products which I assume have more margin for the TO.

A snowHead

mesk1, all true, I'm sure, but I still find it irritating - and I'm not even single!

A snowHead

Nick Zotov, Thats what I'm looking into now. There's 2 of us - me and a buddy and he's particularly concerned that we don't end up with some one room appt having to share a double bed!!!!! come to think of it, so am I!!!! thats why this is so frustrating because there seem to be quite a few suitable appartments available in Val T .... except for the additional supplements.

hibernia, there was about 12 of us and it ended up at £100 per couple per night .... I believe we actually saved closer to £2500

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Tour Operators are no different from anybody else in this world when it comes to selling a product , in that they sell their packages with the cheapest lead-in prices possible.

All self catering accommodation is contracted on a per unit per night basis. So if you have a contract for a 1 bed apartment that sleeps 4 at cost of £400, you are going to offer if it as package based on 4 person sharing to give your best lead in price. Clearly if on 2 person book the apartment your are going to need an under occupancy supplement to cover the cost of the unit and still make a turn.

For prime self-catering accommodation or or a catered chalet the Tour Operator almost certainly will have to have financially guaranteed the property for the season and will have paid a fixed non-refundable sum for the pleasure of having the sole use of the accommodation for the whole season. Thus when you get into the so called "Lates" market, the Tour Operator mind set changes. In this period it's all about minimising loss and getting a contribution to costs rather than go empty. So you get what you can for your remaining stock and flights and under occupancy charges are sometimes waived in these cases.

The Package Holiday business has similar characteristics to the market stall salesman trying get rid of stock by discounting his remaining fruit and veg. at 5:30 pm on a Saturday afternoon. Like fruit and veg. package holidays have a sell-by date as well it's called the departure date wink

Hotel rooms are usually contracted on a per person per night basis mostly based on two persons sharing. Usually a third person sharing attracts a 20% to 50% reduction. Single rooms in modern hotels are not common and therefore a twin or double for single occupancy will attract a supplement not uncommonly representing the whole cost of the room. Some older hotels have genuine single rooms and in these cases the supplements will tend to be smaller.

So under occupancies and single room supplements do represent the tour operator recovering genuine costs, but in the "Lates" market, as I have said, the pressure is to fill one's accommodation and in these cases it is not uncommon for the tour operator to absorb these costs from time to time. snowHead

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DAVID SNELL, Well summarised and fairly put methinks. The frustrating difficulty for some and I presume Adam Holt, is how much in advance of the 'departure date' the Tour Operator is willing to absorb these costs. Adam's initial post was on March 29th around midday. Probably a little too early? Today should definitely be bargain day!!

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I reckon now that Easter has past there will be a positive plethora of bargains about. Check out all the main tour operator websites including First Choice, Thomson, Thos Cook and good old Inghams for a bargain maybe.
I reckon self catering and catered chalets are going to be the best bet. This is where tour operators have to take financial guarantees to secure availability and the right price for the season. Happy hunting, and on the whole in France and Switzerland the snow is just about holding up for I guess a couple of weeks at least.

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Under occupancy supplements!?

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