Cumbria, England -- (SBWire) -- 10/26/2015 --The problem with hotel booking scams is a lot bigger than previously known and is actually creating an enormous problem for not only to travelers but to the hotel industry as well. According to the recent survey done in behalf of American Hotel and Lodging Association, 6% of travelers who booked a room online have been victimized by this 'rogue' hotel booking websites. Travelers that are lured to book a room hotel using the scam hotel booking websites were perceived that they are actually booking directly with the hotel. This has provided a wider problem on both the travelers and hotel industry as further confusion and misdirection is being given by an imposter site. Based on the survey, there are an estimated 15 million hotel bookings that were done on scam websites just last year. There is an approximately $1.3 billion that goes directly to these fraudsters. Earlier to this survey, an estimated 2.5 million hotel booking was done every year.
How can a scam pass the Better Business Bureau and never be detected as fraud? The rogue site took on designing their site cleverly to look like the legitimate hotel or online travel agency site. The scammers who are behind this bogus site seize the name and logo of a hotel. Even the hotel's real picture is copied. The scammers URL typically consist of the hotel's name that makes it searchable. With this clever plan, every time a traveler search for a certain hotel scam site will pop up too. The creators of this fraud site are so good that even Better Business Bureau reports that even the most knowledgeable travelers have been victimized by this scam. As the tourism and travel is a growing industry and online booking has become a huge success, bad people cannot resist coming out of their hiding place and starting preying on the consumers. What makes it possible for this scammer to succeed on their dirty work is the worldwide use of Smartphones that makes it more difficult in identifying fraud. As these people are well-rounded and extremely skilled in the art of deceiving, one will definitely end up booking in a disreputable site. With this rising problem in the hotel industry, fraud hotel bookings stir up confusion and disorder for the travelers.
Even the Federal Trade Commission have become aware of the situation and published a warning about the rampant hotel booking website scams. But for the hospitality industry that provides great services and amenities such as Lake District hotel with pool and seeing their effort to go to waste due to the overpowering of fraud hotel booking sites, the industry would like to see more federal regulators to do more in chasing this guy. As for the travelers, it is best that they equip themselves with proper protection to avoid unwelcoming surprises. Calling the hotel directly or visiting their website is a much better way. Just ensure that the website they are about to log is the real one or simply book using a well-known and reputable travel website for safer bookings.
About The Whitbarrow Hotel
Whitbarrow Hotel Lake District is ideally situated in the glorious Lake District midway between Penrith and Keswick. The Whitbarrow Hotel offers the perfect base from which to explore the wonders of this stunning area. We are located just fifteen minutes from the M6 motorway and only five minutes from Ullswater. This peaceful Lake District hotel is ideal for romantic breaks away, an adventure packed holiday or somewhere to just have some time for yourself. Tailored promotions are regularly updated on our site, usually fitting with seasonal calendar events such as Easter, Halloween, and Christmas.
Contact:
Dimitry Vital
PR and Marketing @ Whitbarrow Hotel
Telephone: 44 (0) 1768 487000
Email: hello@whitbarrowhotel.co.uk
Website: http://www.whitbarrowhotellakedistrict.co.uk/
