Hotel brands to honour Super Break rates following collapse
By Benjamin Coren
Hotel brands including Hilton have pledged to honour rates offered by Super Break following accusations of "profiteering" after the operator collapsed.
Travel agents said some hotels attempted to profit from the collapse of the domestic specialist by cancelling reservations and charging increased rates on rebookings.
Action from the trade, however, has resulted in Hilton changing its stance, as well as bringing to light those who had been honouring the rates.
Other hotel brands praised by agents for honouring the original rates include Best Western, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Cavendish, Jury's Inn and Novotel.
Graeme Brett, owner of Westoe Travel, said: "After Hilton tried to charge me £985 to rebook a Super Break customer who had paid £435 and discovering that many other agents had encountered similar issues with the Hilton group, I contacted Abta member services."
Brett said Abta told him that following its conversation with senior staff at the hotel, Hilton vowed to honour Super Break rates across its portfolio.
An Abta spokesman said: "We regularly work closely with willing partners to accommodate good outcomes for consumers where possible and in this case we were delighted by Hilton's response."
A Hilton spokesperson said: "Hilton is honouring all bookings made via Super Break, which will be charged at the pre-agreed rate. Any guests wishing to rebook a cancelled reservation will also be charged at the pre-agreed rate."