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Original poster

Who should pay this extra holiday charge?

110 replies

Hobbyholidaydilemma · 16/04/2026 16:21

Brief background: some members of a hobby group decided to visit an event abroad. It’s also a holiday destination, and it evolved to a 10 days stay because of a second, vaguely related, event.

The group members are friendly, but no close friendships.

It was planned to book 8 rooms, plus flight, with most people sharing the twin rooms.

One man wanted to bring his teenage son and the son’s friend.

Due to needing an adult on each booking the son’s friend was shown on the booking as sharing with an unrelated man from the group, but the intention was that he would actually share a bed with his friend ( hotel didn’t allow 3 people to book into twin room).

All was booked and paid in full months ago.

Unfortunately the man with whom the teenager is shown to share a room suffered a tragic and life altering event, and it is impossible for him to attend. His finances are also badly affected. It’s very sad.

This means that the teenager will on paper be the only occupant of the twin room, and the holiday company requires an adult in each room.

Cancellation charges are around 75%.

It’s possible to change the name on the booking to one of the other adults attending, but it costs a lot: it’s not much less than the full cost at around £600.

There has been much discussion how this should be funded. Legally as it appears that each of the room bookings have been made separately, it is the sole responsibility of the teenager; but that seems so unfair, he saved and paid for this trip and can’t afford to pay more.

The majority of people had to make sacrifices to be able to pay. There are only maybe 3 people within the whole group who are ‘comfortable’.

If everyone contributed ( including the 2 teenagers) it would work out around £50 each; but several people have already said they can’t manage even that.

This teenager is only known to 2 of the people attending, and isn’t part of the hobby group, so some people are simply saying they can’t help.

Along with a couple of others my position is somewhere in the middle, and I would probably try to pay the £50, but currently that won’t solve the problem.

The holiday company is making NO allowances for the circumstances.

I don’t see an easy solution to this and I suppose am asking for any ideas, or at least to gauge what others feel would be a reasonable course of action.

OP posts:
Hito · 16/04/2026 16:25

Insurance?

7238SM · 16/04/2026 16:26

I'm afraid I lost track of who was who but would insurance cover it? The man who now can't go?

Trusttheawesome · 16/04/2026 16:27

If it was booked separately, so not a group booking then that man’s insurance will cover it. The teen will get his money back as he cannot go alone, and as far as anyone knows, he was travelling with that adult so can’t go anymore.

LizandDerekGoals · 16/04/2026 16:29

I also first thought insurance. Or one of the teens parents.

Original poster
Hobbyholidaydilemma · 16/04/2026 16:30

7238SM · 16/04/2026 16:26

I'm afraid I lost track of who was who but would insurance cover it? The man who now can't go?

Sorry, it did get a bit confusing.
It looks like insurance will cover the man who is unable to attend.
The teenager didn’t have insurance.
I don’t think anyone has checked if the insurance for the man unable to attend will cover the teenager as a travel companion. That’s a good idea. Thank you

OP posts:
LizandDerekGoals · 16/04/2026 16:32

Hobbyholidaydilemma · 16/04/2026 16:30

Sorry, it did get a bit confusing.
It looks like insurance will cover the man who is unable to attend.
The teenager didn’t have insurance.
I don’t think anyone has checked if the insurance for the man unable to attend will cover the teenager as a travel companion. That’s a good idea. Thank you

Show quote history

It must do surely as the teen would have been booked with him.

Thewaterboy · 16/04/2026 16:32

The man who’s sons friend it is or ask the sons friends parents to pay. No one else on the trip should have to pay

Mumtobabyhavoc · 16/04/2026 16:33

It's up to the Dad/Son/Friend to find a suitable room to share and determine between themselves how to pay the extra cost. It is no one else's responsibility. It's the fairest way and really is only the responsibility of the Dad to sort. The Dad should be taking charge of their situation as the adult in his group if three and should not be expecting anyone else to jump in. Really, the sneaky room share never should have been agreed to and the person who is ill bears no responsibility for the situation, either.

Trusttheawesome · 16/04/2026 16:36

The dad who wanted to bring along the son’s mate should have booked a family room. It really is no one else’s responsibility to pay any extra if insurance won’t cover it. The teen should have had insurance, but if this guy had to book the room himself and add the teen into his booking then his insurance should cover the entire cost of the room. It may not cover the boy’s flights but he’ll just have to suck up the loss and learn to have insurance.

TokyoSushi · 16/04/2026 16:37

If the cancellation charges are 75% then can the man who isn’t going just not cancel as he’d hardly get any money back anyway, or everybody clubs together to give him back the 25% that he would (maybe) have got, then when you get there one of the other adults just checks into the man who can’t goes room. It seems really unusual that a hotel would be so strict on a name change, usually that’s only really for flights?

Obvs this is only if the insurance won’t sort it.

Shittyyear2025 · 16/04/2026 16:38

The friend should have had travel insurance. He won't be covered by the poor man's insurance unless he was included on the policy as a jointpy insured person eg child/family member/travel companion. If the friend has no insurance and the person they were going with is now no longer able to travel, then *their" insurance should pay out.

Sounds like the friend didn't have 20 quids worth of insurance though...

LightYearsAgo · 16/04/2026 16:40

Will the hotel need passports from everyone one? Will they know if the man who can't make it is even there?

Which country is it that is so stringent with the names of room occupants, that seems a bit unusual

ParmaVioletTea · 16/04/2026 16:40

The father of the son who is the friend of the teenager. Who presumably wanted to the friend to come along to be company for his son.

Failing that, the teenager. Or his parents.

I don't see why other members of the group should pay for a tag along. The father needs to pay, basically.

Holtome · 16/04/2026 16:42

I'm afraid I think the man who originally committed to the booking needs to pay.

It's unfortunate, and hopefully he took insurance, but I don't think the reason he's dropped out matters.

I'd find it difficult to tell him that, but in his shoes I'd expect to still pay.

Original poster
Hobbyholidaydilemma · 16/04/2026 16:42

TokyoSushi · 16/04/2026 16:37

If the cancellation charges are 75% then can the man who isn’t going just not cancel as he’d hardly get any money back anyway, or everybody clubs together to give him back the 25% that he would (maybe) have got, then when you get there one of the other adults just checks into the man who can’t goes room. It seems really unusual that a hotel would be so strict on a name change, usually that’s only really for flights?

Obvs this is only if the insurance won’t sort it.

The man who can’t travel has already started the process to cancel. His insurance should cover his costs, and he really needs the payment.
His insurance cover pre dated the booking of this trip.

OP posts:
ArtAngel · 16/04/2026 16:43

I actually think it is the father of the teen who needs to fill the gap / sort this out, as it was to do his son a favour that the bookings were made this way. He left the friend hostage to fortune.

AgnesMcDoo · 16/04/2026 16:44

Dad/son/friend it’s their responsibility to
come up with a solution

Original poster
Hobbyholidaydilemma · 16/04/2026 16:49

Holtome · 16/04/2026 16:42

I'm afraid I think the man who originally committed to the booking needs to pay.

It's unfortunate, and hopefully he took insurance, but I don't think the reason he's dropped out matters.

I'd find it difficult to tell him that, but in his shoes I'd expect to still pay.

I certainly won’t be telling him that. The poor man has suffered a tragic bereavement, which has meant leaving his job to care for several siblings, including one who is severely disabled.
He only agreed for the teenager to be shown on his room booking as a favour as he had actually paid extra to have his own room.

OP posts:
MaggieFS · 16/04/2026 16:49

I’d start by looking into what would have happened if the man hadn’t kindly agreed to share on paper with one of the boys and was sharing with another adult. Would that person still have been able to go? And the man’s travel insurance cover his lots costs? He shouldn’t be additionally out of pocket because the boy didn’t book travel insurance, as harsh as that js.

Silverbirchleaf · 16/04/2026 16:49

Just realised, it’s not the teenagers friends dad that unable to go, but a separate person altogether. He’s not liable at all, and was just doing someone else a favour. It could have been any of the group of people who happened to be listed with the teen.

Sorry for his loss.

Mumtobabyhavoc · 16/04/2026 16:51

Hobbyholidaydilemma · 16/04/2026 16:49

I certainly won’t be telling him that. The poor man has suffered a tragic bereavement, which has meant leaving his job to care for several siblings, including one who is severely disabled.
He only agreed for the teenager to be shown on his room booking as a favour as he had actually paid extra to have his own room.

Show quote history

Thankfully!
It's not his problem.

PinkNailPolish2026 · 16/04/2026 16:55

One man wanted to bring his teenage son and the son’s friend

This man pays for it, no-one else should be expected to chip in for a teenager they don’t know and neither should the person who’s having to cancel due to tragic circumstances.

2BarbieOrNot2Barbie · 16/04/2026 16:56

I’m not sure if I’ve missed something here. The man with whom the teenager was sharing can’t go and so is cancelling the room and will be reimbursed by his insurance. Teen now doesn’t have a room but was going to bunk in with his friend anyway. I would just turn up at the hotel and check in just the people with reservations and then teen can just make his way to the other person’s room as he was expecting to. Or can he not add himself as a second person on someone else’s room? It should be no more expensive than when he was sharing the first room and they should be getting the money back from the first booking so he shouldn’t be out of pocket?

somanychristmaslights · 16/04/2026 16:58

It’s the other dad’s problem. He wanted the teenager to come along and should have booked an appropriate room.
I hope the poor man is ok, this is certainly nothing for him to be concerned about.

WhosGotTheKeysToMyBimma · 16/04/2026 16:59

It's nothing to do with the poor man who has suffered a tragic life altering event.

He was doing them a favour. The phrase no good deed goes unpunished applies here. Poor guy. I hope he gets his money back.

The dad of the teen who's friend is coming is the one who needs to sort this out. He relied on someone else putting themselves out to resolve the situation. He should have ensured everyone in his party has insurance. The situation is entirely on him.

(Edited for spelling!)