“Lies and Manipulation”: From a 5-star hotel to a hotel under renovation, the anger of French holidaymakers victims of overbooking in Morocco
Over the past two weeks, approximately 80 tourists have had the misfortune of being redirected to a hotel that was nothing like the one they had booked. The travel company and the hotel chain involved are blaming each other.
By Florian BouhotWhile hovering over the Pickalbatros website, it's hard not to fall under the spell of White Beach. Located in Taghazout, a fishing village turned surfer's haven, the 5-star hotel promises pools overlooking the Atlantic and sunsets with an "ultra all-inclusive" package reserved for "adults only." It's this little corner of paradise, less than an hour north of Agadir, that around 80 French people who came to Morocco on a trip over the past two weeks were hoping for. But that's not what they got.
Booked through the Ôvoyages agency, the trip was looking like a dream for Dylan, his parents, and his girlfriend, who spent around €1,000 per person. On July 31, the group landed in Morocco. The 21-year-old student and his family were waiting for a bus to take them to their destination. Nearby, they heard "the tension rising" between a traveler and a representative of the agency. They demanded an explanation: "He told us that the hotel was overbooked and that there were no more rooms at White Beach." Instead, he extolled the virtues of the Palais des Roses, a 4-star hotel. "The only difference," he assured them, "is that we were in Agadir and we were with children, but overall, it was a hotel that had just been renovated. He told us that we wouldn't regret it and that it was truly incredible."
Le Parisien
