Irish tourists are being warned over the potential of arriving at their Spanish hotel to be met with “over-bookings” due to the surge in visitors post-Covid.
This summer truly marks the return to the high season and hoteliers on the continent are feeling the pressure - with some resorts reportedly ‘bursting at the seams.’
Hotel bosses in Spain fear there has been a high summer of holiday overbookings because of a huge surge of reservations in the aftermath of the pandemic.
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Many are still unsure if they will be able to provide accommodation for all guests that have booked over the remainder of the summer - with some blaming the regulations brought in to deal with the coronavirus crisis.
When people were planning their trips around Covid, many availed of the booking ‘get-out clauses’ brought in during the pandemic, the conditions of which continue to apply.
So there is no penalty or charge imposed on guests who choose not to take up reservations and rooms that have not been reserved directly are still being sold by online booking platforms.
This means there is a potential risk of overbooking if initial unconfirmed reservations are eventually fulfilled with some resorts already at capacity.
Hoteliers have claimed that it is difficult to maintain accurate occupancy levels due to uncertainty created by the pandemic rule changes and the trend toward last-minute bookings.
If holidaymakers cannot be accommodated in hotels that they have booked, there is an obligation to offer alternatives of the same standard.
Average occupancy levels are at present said to be around 95 percent which obviously leaves little room for switching bookings to cope with over-capacity changes.
A spokesperson for Spanish hoteliers told the Ultima Hora newspaper: "Until the last moment we do not know if the reservations made are going to be fulfilled, mainly because in the pandemic customers do not have to pay any type of penalty if in the end, they do not choose to come.
“It is impossible to operate in this situation plagued by uncertainties and we have to face this overselling of reserves."
The Habtur tourist rental association in Majorca confirmed that occupancy is at its limits during peak summer months because of soaring demand.
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