Antalya hotel denies ransom allegations
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Doğan News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Kasım 25, 2008 00:00
ANTALYA - The assertion that some 147 Belgian and French tourists are being held to ransom in the Fame Residence Hotel in Antalya due to an unpaid debt of 80,000 euros by the travel agency keeps engaging both the Turkish and the European media.
Christophair, the tour operator of "Voyages a Tout Coeur," the travel agency in Belgium, via which the tourists have come to Antalya for holiday, said to RTL television that the travel agency owes 80,000 euros to the Fame Residence Hotel. Half of the debt involved was paid by the insurance company of the tour operator; however, the tourists were not allowed to leave the hotel unless the remaining amount was paid.
The tourists were required to pay 275 euros each to use their rooms and buy food. Moreover, the hotel management blocked the magnetic cards of the tourists to prevent them from entering their rooms, the tour operator further claimed to the RTL television.
"The assertions about the tourists’ being held to ransom in our hotel or urged to pay for the room service are not correct", said Levent Güleç, assistant general manager of the Fame Residence Hotel. The problem resulted from a disagreement between the travel agency in Belgium and the tour operator, he said, adding that the tourists have begun to leave the hotel as of this morning.
Refuting the statements that the tourists are being held to ransom in the hotel, İbrahim Acar, provincial manager of Antalya Culture and Tourism Directorate, noted that the Belgian tour operator went bankrupt leaving a substantial amount of unpaid debt to the hotel. "Upon learning this, we informed the hotel management. However, there is never such a case as keeping the tourists in the hotel, or urging them to pay the debt", Acar said.
"The check given by the travel agency has turned out to be a bad check. Upon learning that the firm refused to make the payment, the firm’s owner said to get the cash from tourists, whom would be reimbursed once they returned to their countries," said Erkut Kara, general manager of the Fame Residence Hotel.
’No urging’
Kara said the hotel never urged the customers to pay any money and that the tourists were free to use any hotel service during this period. "We, as managers, who have been engaged in the lodging industry for 20 year, know the meaning and importance of tourism. First of all, any attempt at keeping the tourists, most of whom are over 60, in the hotel and requiring them to pay the debt of the travel agency would be an inhumane treatment," she said.
Claiming that this is a way travel agencies avoid paying their debts to hotels, Kara said it was wrong to reflect the problem between the hotel and the agency onto the customers.
"The travel agency owes us 97,000 euros, some of which will be paid by the Belgium Fund. However, we are still unsure about how we will receive the remaining amount," said Kara, who also pointed out that some of the customers said to the hotel management they were sorry for the travel agency’s behavior.
The tourists were required to pay 275 euros each to use their rooms and buy food. Moreover, the hotel management blocked the magnetic cards of the tourists to prevent them from entering their rooms, the tour operator further claimed to the RTL television.
"The assertions about the tourists’ being held to ransom in our hotel or urged to pay for the room service are not correct", said Levent Güleç, assistant general manager of the Fame Residence Hotel. The problem resulted from a disagreement between the travel agency in Belgium and the tour operator, he said, adding that the tourists have begun to leave the hotel as of this morning.
Refuting the statements that the tourists are being held to ransom in the hotel, İbrahim Acar, provincial manager of Antalya Culture and Tourism Directorate, noted that the Belgian tour operator went bankrupt leaving a substantial amount of unpaid debt to the hotel. "Upon learning this, we informed the hotel management. However, there is never such a case as keeping the tourists in the hotel, or urging them to pay the debt", Acar said.
"The check given by the travel agency has turned out to be a bad check. Upon learning that the firm refused to make the payment, the firm’s owner said to get the cash from tourists, whom would be reimbursed once they returned to their countries," said Erkut Kara, general manager of the Fame Residence Hotel.
’No urging’
Kara said the hotel never urged the customers to pay any money and that the tourists were free to use any hotel service during this period. "We, as managers, who have been engaged in the lodging industry for 20 year, know the meaning and importance of tourism. First of all, any attempt at keeping the tourists, most of whom are over 60, in the hotel and requiring them to pay the debt of the travel agency would be an inhumane treatment," she said.
Claiming that this is a way travel agencies avoid paying their debts to hotels, Kara said it was wrong to reflect the problem between the hotel and the agency onto the customers.
"The travel agency owes us 97,000 euros, some of which will be paid by the Belgium Fund. However, we are still unsure about how we will receive the remaining amount," said Kara, who also pointed out that some of the customers said to the hotel management they were sorry for the travel agency’s behavior.