Lastminute.com offering overpriced rail tickets as part of hotel packages

[TUC]

I received a voucher which offered me £50 off a purchase with lastminute.com, for which it advised to use the 'flight and hotel' tab on its website, but that within it rail options could also be selected. Out of curiosity I went on the site. There was no explicit rail option there, but I deliberately set a journey which could not be made by air to see what happened.

I selected two people traveling from Manchester to Sheffield on 2 May, staying overnight in a hotel in Sheffield, including breakfast. As a point of comparison I did a separate search for just the hotel element, without the rail journey. The results were striking.

To take one example:

For the hotel only option, one I was offered a room at Hampton By Hilton Sheffield at £123 per night for two people.

For the option with rail at the same hotel I was offered a price of £138 per person e.g. a total price of £276, suggesting a return rail fare of £153 for two people (£76.50 each).(See details attached).

Bear in mind I was not asked for times of travel to identify Off-Peak or Advance fares, but even an Anytime Short Return fare from Manchester to Sheffield is only £39.00 each.

The journeys offered, although they confusingly refer to 'flight' and to 'Sheffield Bus Station' are clearly rail because there are corresponding rail journeys at those times (0913 Manchester Piccadilly to Sheffield on 2 May and the return journey at 1811 on 3 May)

Other hotels selected still lead to these overpriced tickets, so I am left wondering what is going on?

 

[robbeech]

I believe they’re just considered a service provider so can essentially charge what they like for arranging the tickets for you. You may find booking the hotel direct is cheaper than the suggested price there too.
That said some of these service providers do get good rates from hotels meaning they can offer the same price as direct and earn commission, Infact they’ll often be able to beat it. This is unlikely to be the case with rail tickets as I doubt they’re offered a discount.

 

[TUC]

I believe they’re just considered a service provider so can essentially charge what they like for arranging the tickets for you. You may find booking the hotel direct is cheaper than the suggested price there too.
That said some of these service providers do get good rates from hotels meaning they can offer the same price as direct and earn commission, Infact they’ll often be able to beat it. This is unlikely to be the case with rail tickets as I doubt they’re offered a discount.

There is a real transparency issue here though, especially bearing in mind expectations upon mainstream rail ticket retailers to be clear about any additional transaction fees they charge. This is all the more so since a number of lastminute.com customers are likely to be from overseas and so have no idea what the underlying rail fares actually are.

 

[robbeech]

There is a real transparency issue here though, especially bearing in mind expectations upon mainstream rail ticket retailers to be clear about any additional transaction fees they charge. This is all the more so since a number of lastminute.com customers are likely to be from overseas and so have no idea what the underlying rail fares actually are.

Couldn’t agree more.

 

[Watershed]

Both Lastminute and AccesRail (the company that packages up rail services as "fake" flights) are clearly making a hefty profit here. But at the end of the day there is no requirement to provide a breakdown of how the cost of a package holiday has been calculated and indeed often airlines etc. have contracts which bar travel agents from disclosing the discounted fares they have sold.

 

[Harpers Tate]

Just now, lowest room prices at that hotel at the Hilton site are
Flex £144
Semi Flex (cancel T-5days) £133
No cancel £117

 

[TUC]

Just now, lowest room prices at that hotel at the Hilton site are
Flex £144
Semi Flex (cancel T-5days) £133
No cancel £117

A little less if you join Hhonors and get members' rate..

But that's not with rail tickets included, is it?

 

[Harpers Tate]

No. Hotel only; members rate (free to join; £123 to non-members). Compare to £123 as stated in the OP for the hotel only. Appears the £123 is non-cancellable. Add £5 for cancellable. So, save £6 on the hotel (all other things equal). And save whatever you can on the rail fare, depending on Advance, Off Peak, etc.
All Hampton guests get breakfast; it's part of the offering.

 

[Adam Williams]

Are they possibly selling ITX fares?

In which case they wouldn't need (or be allowed to!) divulge the rail-only ticket cost. They may not even be making a hefty profit here... It would entirely depend on the ITX fares negotiated with RDG/the train operators. Some of them can be very poor value, and customers would be far better off purchasing normal point to point walk-up tickets or an Advance if they don't need the flexibility.

AccesRail (the company that packages up rail services as "fake" flights)

Are they an accredited retailer, do you know?

 

[Watershed]

Are they an accredited retailer, do you know?

I don't think they sell tickets in their own right. I think they only sell them to other resellers or retailers, such as travel agents or airlines. I could be wrong though.

 

[TUC]

Are they possibly selling ITX fares?

In which case they wouldn't need (or be allowed to!) divulge the rail-only ticket cost. They may not even be making a hefty profit here... It would entirely depend on the ITX fares negotiated with RDG/the train operators. Some of them can be very poor value, and customers would be far better off purchasing normal point to point walk-up tickets or an Advance if they don't need the flexibility.



Are they an accredited retailer, do you know?

What are ITX fares?

 

[Haywain]

What are ITX fares?

Inclusive tour fares, for agents to sell as part of a package.