To ask if anyone has ever had their hotel swapped and how did it go?

[Silverbar]

We're due to go on holiday over the half term but been told that there is an issue with our hotel and we now need to be allocated. I know these things happen but the tour operator have told me that it's their procedure to tell me anything up to 24hrs before departure where we will be going and can't actually guarantee it will be in country we originally booked. To be honest this is my actual worse nightmare- I feel like I am essentially been dictated where I will be going on holiday because someone else is now choosing for us, I have absolutely zero ability to research any local restaurants/ attractions etc and pretty aware that given its half term all the better hotels will have been booked weeks ago and we are left with whatever no-one else really wanted. It is quite a sparse area with some of the transfers estimated to take up to 3 hours- I chose our hotel because it was 45minutes.
Talking about it to two of my friends earlier- one said when it happened to her family she got an amazing upgrade. The other rolled her eyes a bit, looked a bit shifty and told me she'd had to check out of the hotel they put them in after a day.
Can anybody please share their stories? We have been offered a full refund and wondering if we should just quit whilst we're ahead.

Happened to us. We got moved from a 4 Star 3 miles from centre to a 3 Star in centre and they gave us gale hoard instead of B&B as compensation and we had an awesome time!

Also slightly diff but I used to manage a hotel and when we has to change bookings we always found them somewhere better

Eh they want to just allocate you a random place you didn’t book ? Unless you got a complete bargain I’d tell them to bugger off

Can you find out where and then cancel for refund of it sounds rubbish ?

Thanks Kitkat- I'm really trying to be 'adventurous' about it all. I'm really hoping we do get somewhere nice it just feels like such a gamble at the moment.
Ichi- that's what I was thinking but if they do tell us 24hrs before we're going to really struggle to find something as DH really does have to go to work the day we are due to get home. Think I'll need a holiday after booking this one :)

Pretty poor they can't at least tell you the area they are moving you to never mind the country! What tour company is it so I can avoid it?

I'd be ringing them saying you need more info or you will be making a formal complaint and asking for a full refund.

It could all work out brilliantly - or you could end up in a totally different country??

What is the issue with the Hotel?

Got moved from an self catering 4 star (I’d say was 3 but it was cheap so I didn’t care!) to an AMAZING all inclusive 5 star. It was 5 minutes further walk to the beach but it was amazing. One of my favourite holidays

Im guessing it really depends on which tour operator. The cheap ones id be more worried but you would think the bigger companies would upgrade. I know someone due to go to florida was upgraded to better disney in california. This wad due to hurricane in florida. They were giben more than 24hrs though.

Yep true. Higher end TC may lead to fab gamble.

Yeah it's not one of the higher end ones like Kuoni/ Virgin unfortunately so not fully convinced the odds are in our favour. The hotel chain operate 4/5 star properties all within the same resort but they won't accept any other guests as all the other hotels are fully booked.

I've just been looking at other options and there are quite a few last minute deals (with other companies) that look reasonable so I'll give them another day to get back to me and if not I'll take my refund and book an alternative. Pretty rubbish customer service and I will gladly name and shame them once I know where I'm going but still aware that someone from that company is now booking my holiday and I don't want them revenging me by sticking me in the arse end of nowhere