Hotel sites being sued - Accused of spreading false information

The internet has been fantastic for the travel industry, and especially for finding nudist resorts. It is our biggest source for new guests.

There is lots of information on the net about where to go for vacations, things to do, etc.

One of the negatives about the internet though is there is lots of misleading information. Many travel sites quote low rates and then you find out there are hidden resort fees or membership fees.

Or worse some places have phony "rack rates" so they can have even phonier sales and discounts.

Even in the nude recreation field, some nudist resorts quote lower rates and once you get there, you learn you have to pay daily membership fees, or ground fees, or whatever other creative name they have for charging guests extra money.

Here at Terra Cotta Inn we have NO hidden resort, grounds, parking or membership fees. You pay what you are quoted.

Now I know the hotel industry pretty well here in Palm Springs. There are some hotels that advertise with Expedia, Hotels.com etc that they are having 50% off "sales" from their phony "rack rates."

The funny thing is they ALWAYS have these 50% off sales. And the sad thing is some people fall for the phony sales thinking they are getting a bargain or good value. Which they're not.

We've had people come here for day use at our resort. They're from out of state, have been to nudist resorts before, (not ours), but booked at a non nude hotel here in town thinking they they were getting a deal from one of these hotel room "sales."

It gets pretty frustrating when a nudist books a textile hotel that has a 50% off sale because they think it's cheaper than staying at our resort. As an example one place in town offers 50% off sales at $119 midweek. However once you factor in parking fees, resort fees, buying breakfast and having to pay us $25 for a day fee to use our nudist resort. That bargain $119 becomes about $205. And midweek our rates are only $149. Plus you'll get free afternoon snacks here too.

MSNBC in the fall said many nudist resorts are a great value and mentioned The Terra Cotta Inn as one of the best values in the nudist industry.

Well a hotel group in France got tired of other hotel sites misleading information and is suing Experida, Hotels.com and tripadvisor.

Here's the story:


"Expedia, Hotels.com and TripAdvisor accused of spreading false information

Synhorcat, a union of French hoteliers is taking legal action against Expedia and two of its subsidiaries, TripAdvisor and Hotels.com, accusing them of unfair trade practices.

The lawsuit filed by Synhorcat at the Commercial Court in Paris last week claims that the close relationship between TripAdvisor and Expedia/Hotels.com leads to situations, where hotels that are not working with Expedia are listed on TripAdvisor with no rooms available, although they have availability.

The union calls this a “discriminatory practice”, that not only leads to false information for the consumer, but is also potentially deterring consumers from contacting the hotel directly to book a room.

In addition, the lawsuit criticizes Expedia’s promotional claim of “up to 75% discounts on hotel rates” as misleading for consumers...

According to Synhorcat, Expedia’s promotional claim also has the potential to deter consumers from booking the hotel directly, as they are made believe that the deepest discounts are available on Expedia.

“We have nothing against the Internet, in contrary,” says Didier Chenet, President of Synhorcat, “but we cannot let these practices penalize hoteliers.”

For the full story click here

The Terra Cotta inn is a fantastic deal which is why we have one of the highest occupancy rates in Palm Springs.

Now is the perfect time for a fun, romantic, unique vacation experience.

Never been to a clothing optional resort before? No problem. We are the most mainstream nudist resort in the US and are perfect for couples trying topless or nude sunbathing for the first time!

Give us a call at 800-786-6938 (toll free US and Canada) for more information or to make reservations.

Join our Facebook web page at http://bit.ly/TerraCottaInnFBPage

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

We hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs, California!

Beware of phony hotel and travel deals

All the time I see hotel "sales" that once you look closer, really aren't sales at all. They are just trying to con people into thinking they are discounting their rooms.

I just saw a big textile hotel in the Palm Springs area advertise a 45% off room sale for the summer. Their rooms are advertised midweek at $149/night. This "sale" has been picked up on many travel sites like Los Angeles Times as a "real" deal for budget travelers.

Now when you read the fine print, you'd also see that you'd have to pay a $25 resort fee and parking at this resort.

For the room rate to be 45% off, that means the current rate would be $270/night. I know this hotel NEVER sells for that amount. I checked travelocity and expedia. How much is a room currently at that hotel? $149/night plus $25 resort fee plus parking. Big deal, where's the discount.

People have to watch out for these phony "deals." Hotels all over the world are creating phony come ons so they can submit them to the gullible media as room sales. Let the buyer beware.

Now we have never ever had phony rates in which to offer phony discounts at our hotel. That is why we are considered one of the best value hotels of ALL hotels in Palm Springs. This is also why we have one of the highest occupancy rates of all hotels in Palm Springs.

In the summer, in July and August, we have a true sale on Monday thru Thursday of stay 1 night, the 2nd is half priced. We have had these special rates for the last 14years every July and August which is why we will be full in the summer. We have NO resort fees and no day fees and no parking fees. Also we include complimentary breakfast and afternoon stacks. We also allow early check in (10am) and late check out (5pm).

This year should be the year that you de-stress and try a fun new kind of vacation experience. A clothes free vacation. Stay at our resort, The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa to see why repeat guests from around the world fly to our nudist resort. AOL.com picked us as one of the 10 best clothing optional resorts in the world last summer.

Give us a call at 800-786-6938.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!

Cheapflights.com is a great site for finding cheap airfares

This has been the year of fantastic airfare bargains. One of the sites I tell people to look at is http://cheapflights.com

What is unique about Cheapflights.com is they partner with other airlines and travel sites to find you the best online rates. So it saves you time and money buying tickets.

For example some of their partners are Cheaptickets.com, expedia, Jet Blue, American Airlines, Orbitz, Priceline.com, cheapair.com, British Airways and more.

They are ALWAYS the very first site I check when I travel anywhere. We know everyone wants to come to Palm Springs, but when you have to visit relatives or go away on business, http://cheapflights.com is a great site to use and save money.

I highly recommend them whether you are flying into Palm Springs for a vacation or traveling anywhere else in the US or Europe.

Next thing you know, it will be the summer time vacation season. Now is the time to start thinking about going away to beautiful Palm Springs for your summer vacation.
Give us a call at 800-786-6938 to check on availability. Check out http://cheapflights.com for plane tickets.

If you have always wanted to try topless or nude sunbathing, now is the time. Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Hope to see you soon in sunny Palm Springs!