Hotel Chamber Launches Initiative To Crackdown On Deceptive Online Ads

Hellenic Chamber of Hotels President Yiorgos Tsakiris stressed that the misleading hotel advertisements found on the Internet harm the Greek tourism industry as they create unfair competition for legally operated hotels and also deceive the consumer who does not receive the services advertized online and is overcharged.

The Hellenic Chamber of Hotels today, Monday, 14 January, launched a new initiative to crackdown on misleading Internet advertisements that have an impact on the Greek hotel product and the country’s reputation as a tourism destination.

“The Hellenic Chamber of Hotels constantly receives complaints and reports from hoteliers and consumers in regards to misleading online ads of accommodation services,” the chamber’s president, Yiorgos Tsakiris, said.

To address the situation and protect the hotel industry and consumers, the chamber has launched the “Observatory For Deceptive Online Advertisements” that will monitor and record misleading online advertisements.

According to Mr. Tsakiris, complaints usually involve hotels that advertize services they eventually do not provide or establishments that offer services for which they are not certified (for example, the use of the term “Hotel” by unlicensed lodgings).

The chamber calls for hotels and consumers to report any misleading advertisements that come to their attention. Reports can be submitted via a special form on the chamber’s website (see below).

Any reports received by the observatory will be investigated and turned over to the relevant authorities and departments (of the Ministries of Tourism, Finance, Development, etc.).

Since the pilot launch of the observatory last December, 27 reports had been filed online of which 14 have already been settled while the remaining 13 are still under investigation.

Reports in regards to misleading online hotel ads can be submitted via a special form on the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels website.