- Title: "Our hearts are broken": Thomas Cook exclusive hotel gears up to change concept
- Date: 25th September 2019
- Summary: FETHIYE, TURKEY (SEPTEMBER 25, 2019) (REUTERS) BRITISH TOURISTS WALKING PAST THE SIGN OF SUN CONNECT, A SMALL CONCEPT HOTEL THAT EXCLUSIVELY WORKS WITH THOMAS COOK TOURISTS WALKING OUT OF THE HOTEL VARIOUS OF WOMEN SWIMMING IN POOL TOURISTS TALKING TO THOMAS COOK REPRESENTATIVES VARIOUS OF THOMAS COOK REPRESENTATIVES VARIOUS OF GENERAL MANAGER OF SUN CONNECT RESORTS, UGUR SERINDAG TALKING WITH GUESTS MAN LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) GENERAL MANAGER OF SUN CONNECT RESORTS, UGUR SERINDAG, SAYING: "Unfortunately logo is gone. When the last customers (are) back to the safety on their house we will take out the logo and our heart is broken." TOURISTS IN POOL (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) GENERAL MANAGER OF SUN CONNECT RESORTS, UGUR SERINDAG, SAYING: "Our loss of revenue will be, more or less, around 150,000 pound loss in October. If we add the loss in September to this amount, my estimation is that our loss of revenue will be around 220,000 - 230,000 pound." TOURISTS IN POOL (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) GENERAL MANAGER OF SUN CONNECT RESORTS, UGUR SERINDAG, SAYING: "Regarding this (the damage), we also have two months of past payments left unpaid by Thomas Cook. Speaking on the behalf of my hotel, I can say the cumulative amount will reach 300,000 - 350,000 pound. If we speak about Turkey, the numbers seem to be much bigger unfortunately. What can be done to compensate past (payments)? Based on my past experiences, I can say that so far we have never been able to reimburse the past payments from bankrupt agencies in Britain and Europe." VARIOUS OF TOURISTS SITTING AT COFFEE BAR (SOUNDBITE) (English) THOMAS COOK HOLIDAY MAKER, MAXINE CARTWRIGHT, SAYING: "I think that's our worry is that they will put the prices right up so then it makes it out of reach of people who normally come here because we came twice this year. We was in May this year and then September. So obviously if it goes too expensive I think people won't come here then." TOURISTS SITTING BY THE POOL ELECTRONIC TABLET BEING HELD BY THOMAS COOK HOLIDAY MAKER DANIELLE ROBERTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) THOMAS COOK HOLIDAY MAKER, DANIELLE ROBERTS, SAYING: "I don't think so. I mean to be honest the reason why we come here is the staff. We got a lot of good friends and family and they can't do enough for you. So I am not worried. I don't think we are worried. Are we?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) THOMAS COOK HOLIDAY MAKER AND ROBERTS' FIANCEE, JOHN BURGESS, SAYING: "No" PEOPLE BY THE POOL
- Embargoed: 9th October 2019 13:09
- Keywords: Thomas Cook exclusive hotel collapse of Thomas Cook tourism
- Location: FETHIYE, TURKEY
- City: FETHIYE, TURKEY
- Country: Turkey
- Topics: Company News Markets,Economic Events
- Reuters ID: LVA001AY5PFLZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Gloomy mood lingers at a small concept hotel embellished with 'sunny heart' logos in Turkey's popular holiday resort Fethiye following the collapse of Thomas Cook.
The liquidation of the travel giant, which marks the end of a British company that started in 1841 running local rail excursions and grew to pioneer the family package holiday, has sent shockwaves across the global tourism industry.
Sun Connect Resorts, a Thomas Cook exclusive concept hotel with 155 rooms gears up to shut its operations for this season a month earlier and change its concept.
Founded six years ago, the hotel is now in talks with other travel agencies to find a new partner, its general manager Ugur Serindag told Reuters.
"We (already) have around 1000 bookings for 2020 so we have swiftly arranged meetings with other travel agencies for the coming days to ensure that we can host our guests in our premises again," Serindag said.
He said the damage of the hotel will be around 230,000 pound with unpaid payments and cancelled bookings.
The hotel will shut its operations by the end of September and the management will try to find a new concept with a new agency for 2020, Serindag said.
Britons, many of whom are frequent guests of SunConnect are divided over the planned changes.
"Our worry is that they will put the prices right up so that it makes it out of reach of people who normally come here," a hotel guest, Maxine Cartwright said.
But for Danielle Roberts and her fiancee John Burgess who have been to the hotel nine times and who plan to get married in Fethiye next year, said there was nothing to worry about.
"I mean to be honest the reason why we come here is the staff. We got a lot of good friends and family and they can't do enough for you. So I am not worried," Roberts said.
Thomas Cook was brought down by a $2.1 billion debt pile, built up by a series of ill-fated deals, that hobbled its response to nimble online rivals. It had to sell three million holidays a year just to cover interest payments.
Serindag said they will remove Thomas Cook logos after last guests check out next week.
"Our hearts are broken," he said.
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