How to protect ourselves from fraud when making a reservation through Internet

Useful tips for hoteliers and tourist

Imagine this: for several days you have been searching for hotels on the Internet, sending inquiries and comparing. Eventually you choose Moon Shadows Hotel (or Villa Villekulla) and make a booking for the whole band for New Year’s Eve. You send a deposit and start counting the days. A day before New Year’s Eve the noisy and cheerful company travels to N. and starts looking the hotel (or villa). It is nowhere to be found. You have become a victim of an Internet fraud.

The situation described above does not happen very often but however it reminds us to be careful, to ask questions and to request information before we make a reservation and proceed to payment. At the same time owners of vacation properties should do something to dispel doubts and inspire confidence.

In the next paragraphs we will pay attention to what steps can be followed and what information should be presented in order to reduce the fear of fraud. In this way we will give the tourists a hint how to protest themselves. Such an approach by the property owners not only increases the confidence that the properties actually exist, but also that the quality of the service is good.

What should the vacation property owner do?

Having in mind the frauds commented in the media the tourist has the right to doubt.

Doubt should not be considered an offence. On the contrary, refuting doubts gives the opportunity to win a regular customer.

When a tourist contacts you, you’d better provide at least one of the following:

Internet book for guests and references.

Each hotel, villa or vacation apartment should have a guest book/internet page where visitors can share their impressions from their stay. The guest book should be available on the Internet for future visitors. You should encourage your guests to write in it. If they ask you why, you can say that in inquiries people often doubt if the vacation property really exists. Accordingly you should ask the visitors if in such cases you can provide their email for reference. It is something very rare to receive a refusal from a satisfied visitor.

Websites where your property has a paid advertisement.

This information indicates that the property is active, invests and fights for positions on the tourist market.

Your own Internet site.

It is recommended that your vacation property should have its own website in which you can upload information, details, documents, feedback from visitors, licenses which certify its existence and quality.

(for hotels) Document and number of the classification, which certify that this property is registered and meets the accepted by law quality standards for accommodation.

(for hotels) Information for your membership in tourist associations. You should provide a link to Internet pages of the associations where the tourist can make sure that you are a member. Tourist associations check thoroughly before admitting a new member.