Accommodation booking site LateRooms is in trouble. Its parent company, Malvern Group, has found itself in financial difficulties, with the Super Break Mini Holidays sister brand also affected.
An administrator (a U.K. body brought in to oversee affairs after a collapse) is being appointed to deal with the business, but, according to a Malvern statement, forthcoming LateRooms bookings should be secure with payment taken by the accommodation provider.
The LateRooms brand has somewhat of a checkered back story.
It was originally acquired by First Choice (which itself became a TUI brand) for £108 million in 2006, as a means of giving the tour operator a way to broaden its accommodation offering.
TUI officially put a "For Sale" sign over LateRooms in mid-May 2015 when it did not fit the portfolio as the tour operating giant sought a one-brand strategy.
The accommodation site was then sold by TUI to Cox & Kings for £8.5 million in late 2015.
Only about six months later, Cox & Kings sold LateRooms for £20 million to Malvern in April 2016.
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Although LateRooms was not a member of ABTA, the association website that helps travelers when British companies collapse has provided advice for customers.
Super Break customers, meanwhile, already on a trip or scheduled to depart were asked to contact their travel agent or referred to ABTA for package trips and the CAA for flight-inclusive trips.
A statement from ABTA for Super Break customers says: “The vast majority of holidaymakers’ arrangements will be covered through one of a number of different types of financial protection.
“The majority of holidaymakers’ package bookings are covered by ABTA financial protection, while a significant proportion of other arrangements are covered by other types of protection including ATOL and credit card arrangements, depending on the type of booking.”