Greek operator misled customers
Greece specialist Olympic Holidays has been found guilty of misleading customers after it sent parents with young children to a ‘family friendly’ Turkish hotel that was surrounded by all-night bars and clubs.
It also claimed The Sun Club Hotel in Bodrum offered a long list of facilities, including a Turkish bath, sauna and fitness room which appeared not to exist.
Upholding the customer’s complaints against Olympic, the Advertising Standards Authority said the tour operator had not provided it with any proof that The Sun Club Hotel offered a laundry service, functioning fitness room, Turkish bath, sauna and massage service as advertised on its website www.olympicholidays.com.
The operator provided the ASA with a link to the hotel’s website, which referenced the fitness room, and a hotel factsheet provided by the owners which listed all the facilities referenced in the ad, but the ASA said this was insufficient evidence that the hotel actually provided these services.
The complainant showed the ASA a photo of the ‘Turkish bath’ which was empty of water and appeared to be used to house hotel staff.
Olympic admitted it was wrong to state the hotel also offered 24-hour room service, saying this shoul d have read 24-hour reception.
The ASA told Olympic not to repeat the ad and not to make claims for which it did not hold adequate substantiation, and not to make claims which were misleading ‘either by statement or omission’
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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