The latest trend for many of the large hotels in the resort areas of Spain are now offering all inclusive deals. Meaning that familys who book with these hotels pay just a one off payment for which they can eat and drink as much as they like for the duration of their stay.
Although this works out excellent value for families, it is not doing the Spanish Costa's businesses any good at all!
Most of the bars and resturants here are suffering their worst year of trading so far. They are just not getting the custom they need to make a decent living!
It seems that if the hotels carry on this way the only thing over here will be a lot of cramped hotels and a lot of bars, cafes and resturants having to cease trading. Which wont be a very nice sight for tourists or residents here seeing all the empty shops and bars with their shutters pulled permanently down, because they just cant compete for trade against these large hotels!!
One more thing that we are now hearing, is that the large hotel groups are now even undercutting the excursion operators by running their own trips at approximately half the normal price.
Which is a clever ploy to get the holiday makers out for the day...that way they are not eating and drinking in the hotels making huge savings for the hoteliers.
They just dont seem to realise that eventually they will more than likely put them selves out of business as there will be nothing left in these resorts to see but a lot of empty shops ect.
With nothing to do in town sounds like a very depressing holiday to me!
These all inclusive deals work very well in places like the Caribbean owing to the size of the complexes, but its not ideal for Spain.
So its time these hotels got back to their old ways with a choice of either B&B, Half or Full board,
and let the bars etc get back to their old ways. Its no fun when the traders and bar owners (not forgetting customers) dont know how much longer their 'local' can carry on trading!!
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2 comments:
Hi... I am browsing various Costa Brava sites, as we arrive on 6th October for a 7 day (spur of the moment booking) break - which is (you've guessed it) All Inclusive... So I was very interested to read your article.... First, may I comment on what is good about current holiday trends.... we are arriving via Ryan Air who are charging us a massive 4p per person (before taxes) and this will be our second break this summer having been to Ireland - again via Ryan Air at a massive 1p per person. So like quite a few other people we are having 2 breaks away this summer rather than none (we take our main holiday in Feb/march)... In respect of booking all inclusive I agree with quite a bit of what you've said but for me as a consumer paying less than £100 for 7 days is an attractive proposition with all food and drink included... We've been on them before so know exactly what to expect... and that means the food is not very good, drinks is plentiful but not very good either.. so I would say for 50% of our time we actually eat outside of the hotel... and we know there are qite a few other people who do exactly the same...
Yes you are going to get some people who will milk the all inclusive for all its worth... but you will get an equal number who dont and who act more like a traditional tourist.....
So I dont think its all doom and gloom.... Cheap flight will certainly extend the season for you, not everyone will come all inclusive and not everyone who comes all inclusive will just eat and drink at the hotel....
If you want to reply on this you can email me: gordy.sadler {@} btopenworld.com you could let me know some of the better and great value restaurants to come and eat in...
I think the problem is more with the customers that with the hotels. All inclusive means that you can go there and thake a drink when you want to. Not that you must be closed in your room all day long. Once you get it, it is clearly compatible with bars in lloret. For example this all inclusive hotel in lloret is a good resort. But is better if you live lloret apart of the hotel.
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