A new study by theAmerican Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) suggests that nearly one in four American consumers (23%) claims to have been deceived by third-party resellers, either by telephone or online. This scam would represent a substantial sum of money, as it would reach 5.7 billion US dollars in fraudulent transactions in hotel bookings in 2018 alone. A figure up 9.6% on the previous year.
According to Chip RogersPresident and General Secretary of AHLA, " The figures from this study are totally unacceptable. Consumers are robbed of billions of dollars every year by swindling companies. "he says. AHLA is the only national association in the United States representing all segments of the hotel industry.
The AHLA study points out that online booking scams via company websites that imitate hotel websites, independent call centres, misleading advertising or fraudulent commercial practices on certain travel websites succeed in sow confusion among consumers.
The study also reveals that when booking a hotel room through a third party company, one in four consumers have experienced a problem with their booking. According to the survey, 94% of consumers would like to know who they are dealing with when booking a hotel room online, with 40 % of respondents saying they were unhappy to learn that comparison sites may be misleading them because of their own commercial interests.
77 % of respondents would like the US government applies consumer protection laws to hotel resale websites. AHLA itself is encouraging consumers to be more cautious and to assess the potential pitfalls and scams online, such as cancelled bookings or extra charges for date changes.
An AHLA communication campaign is urging consumers to be cautious. " In the hotel and restaurant sector, our aim is to ensure that customers have a pleasant, stress-free experience, from the moment they book their room until they leave the hotel. We recommend that consumers do their research before booking, take advantage of loyalty programmes and book directly with the hotel or an approved travel agent." adds Chip Rogers.
The United States is not alone in facing online fraud. In United KingdomUnder pressure from the UK Competition and Markets Authority, hotel booking websites have had to make major changes to the presentation of their accommodation catalogues.
The UKCMA found that third-party hotel booking sites regularly engaged in hard selling - with statements such as "hotel booked four times in the last 24 hours" or "special price for this room" - cheated on room prices and gave more prominence than necessary to the hotels that paid them the most commission. The UK Competition and Markets Authority considers that these practices infringe consumer law.
