The collapse of the Thomas Cook travel business has left hundreds of Spanish hotels facing a bleak future, and some of them are not even sure of getting paid for past business.
According to the head of Spain’s hotel association, “There are 500 hotels which are going to close immediately due to the collapse of Thomas Cook and the situation could get worse if the government doesn’t take immediate action.” Hardest hit are the many hotels that were booked only by Cook, but there are many others that got 30 to 70% of their business from the company.
Many of the hotels are owed significant sums, and are unsure of payment; some even attempted to collect money directly from hotel guests.
The association has proposed a plan for government support, and is actively working on another big problem: For the Canaries and the Balearics, Thomas Cook’s airline was one of the biggest carriers; even if other companies book rooms at their hotels, there will be many fewer airline seats available.
Photo: Diego Delso/Wikipedia
