The travel agent explained the rights of tourists when booking hotels

Russian legislation provides clear protection mechanisms, but in practice they often remain unclaimed due to lack of awareness among citizens. On July 23, Olesya Adamushkina, General Director of the Dotur travel agency, told Izvestia about the key consumer rights when booking hotels, which many tourists do not fully use.

The specialist stressed that, according to article 10 of the Law "On Consumer Rights Protection", a tourist has the right to full information about the room before signing the contract, including its area, equipment and sanitary conditions. At the same time, the hotel administration is not obliged to physically show the room before payment, but is obliged to provide comprehensive information. In case of doubt, the consumer can cancel the service before the start of its provision, compensating only the actual costs of the hotel.

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There are about 15 thousand such accommodation facilities in the Russian Federation today.

Adamushkina paid special attention to the situation with the placement of animals. If the hotel positions itself as pet friendly, but requires an additional fee at check-out that is not specified in the contract, such actions are contrary to paragraph 26 of the Rules for the Provision of Hotel Services. In this case, the tourist can challenge the illegal charges through Rospotrebnadzor or the court.

"If, after checking in, the guest discovers significant deficiencies in the service provided — for example, equipment malfunction, violation of sanitary standards or strong noise interfering with rest — he has the right to make demands in accordance with article 29 of the Law on Consumer Protection. This may be the elimination of problems, a reduction in the cost of living, or the complete termination of the contract with compensation for losses," the expert noted.

Fraudulent websites that copy the design of official booking platforms pose a separate threat. Adamushkina recommends that you always check your address bar and avoid resources that redirect you to messengers to "confirm your reservation."

"Knowing your rights allows you not only to avoid additional costs, but also to record violations for subsequent appeal to regulatory authorities," the specialist concluded.

She urged tourists to carefully study the terms of the contract and save all payment documents.

Earlier, on April 18, the Association of Travel Aggregators (ATAG) and booking services reported on the growing demand for travel with children. According to Tutu, such bookings have more than doubled for the May holidays and 2.6 times for the summer.

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