Please see an open letter from our CEO here. (Published Sunday 22nd March 11:40AM)
Last Updated: Tuesday 24th March 2020 10:15am
We recognise that a lot of people will be looking for information about their booking, but we ask that you please bear with us during this time, where we are dealing with an unprecedented volume of calls and email enquiries to our Customer Service Team.
We have provided as much info as possible in our FAQ’s below to help with different scenarios, these contain all the information and instructions that our agents are able to give if you were to contact them.
We appreciate your patience at this time and thank you for your consideration.
FAQs most recently updated: 24/03/2020
Preparing for your holiday (before you travel)
We are currently not accepting bookings that depart before 4th June 2020. You can make a booking with us for after this date if you wish to.
We are asking that every customer with a holiday beginning before the 30th April defers their holiday by referring to our Special Customer Amendments Policy.
For any holiday after this date we are continuing to monitor the government advice and will continually update our policy as required.
Every customer should consider the latest government advice and their own personal circumstances at all times before deciding to travel. As the government advice is constantly being updated, you should check online prior to making the decision to travel.
If you do not wish to, or you are unable to travel, you can easily request to amend your booking online by visiting our Special Customer Amendments Policy. Please Note: We are prioritising bookings departing the closest to today’s date so we may take a while to get back to you. We will get back to each person requesting a transfer in due course.
We appreciate your patience at this difficult time.
As we hope you will appreciate at this time, we are busy prioritising guests with more immediate holidays. If your holiday is due to start after 4th June 2020 there is still plenty of time for you to see how circumstances change.
We ask that if your holiday does begin after 4th June 2020 you consider your options before contacting us so that our team can focus on those people whose departure is in the near term first.
Our Special Customer Amendments Policy is under constant review and we will continue to update these FAQs and our policy as the situation changes. Please continue to check our website for more information.
We appreciate your patience at this difficult time.
We are in regular communication with owners and their relevant cleaners to ensure they are up to speed with the latest advice regarding the cleaning of their property.
Amending your booking
If you transfer your booking using our Special Customer Amendments Policy, please note we have been informed that Towergate will allow the policy to be transferred to the amended booking, but that it will not cover any future claim relating to coronavirus.
We will get back to each and every query that comes into our customer service team. However, please be aware that we are experiencing unprecedented demand for their services currently and therefore it may take us longer to get back to you than normal.
Whilst you’re on holiday
In the first instance you should follow the latest government and NHS advice.
It’s also really important that you contact us at the earliest opportunity. You should contact the holiday support team with the details on your holiday confirmation email.
We are sure you are now making plans to travel home. As you do so, please ensure you travel in a sensible and responsible way. If you are in contact with the property owner or caretaker/cleaner at the property, please do let them know when you plan to leave.
You do not need to immediately contact us, as we will be in touch with you to follow up on the next actions.
Insurance purchased through holidaycottages.co.uk
If you have purchased insurance through holidaycottages.co.uk or another of The Travel Chapter brands, your insurance is provided by Towergate. Your insurance documents were provided to you at the time of booking.
If you purchased travel insurance through holidaycottages.co.uk before 17th March 2020 then you should be covered if you are diagnosed as having coronavirus, or you are required to self-isolate, or if you or a member of your household has contracted the illness, provided that the holiday date coincides with the period of self-isolation and you obtain a case reference from NHS111, please see further information online. Please contact Towergate to discuss your circumstances further.
If you transfer your booking using our Special Customer Amendments Policy, please note we have been informed that Towergate will allow the policy to be transferred to the amended booking, but that it will not cover any future claim relating to Covid-19 coronavirus.
Policies purchased after Monday 17th March 2020 will not cover claims relating to coronavirus.
For policies purchased before 1st January 2020 contact: 0344 892 0081
For policies purchased on or after 1st January 2020 contact: 01612 198702