The 30 best and worst beach and resort package holiday providers for 2024 have been revealed in a new survey by Which?, with bespoke holiday firm Trailfinders taking the top spot and eDreams at the bottom of the table.
More than 12,000 customers ranked the companies based on six key criteria – customer service, standard of accommodation, how well the description matches reality, organisation, transport to and from the accommodation and value for money. A customer score was calculated based on overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend.
Trailfinders, Kuoni, Jet2 Holidays, Olympic Holidays and Beachcomber Tours have all been awarded Which? Recommended supplier endorsements, after getting an unprecedented number of recommendations.
Best rated Trailfinders achieved “an impressive” 87 percent customer score, with five stars for both customer service and organization. Which? explains: ‘The holidays are all booked through direct contact with an adviser, either in person, over the phone or through virtual consultations.’
One customer tells Which?: ‘They really listened and organized the holiday we wanted, not the one they wanted to sell.’
The bespoke holiday firm also scored four stars for accommodation, how well the description matches reality and transport to and from the accommodation. Which? says: ‘Almost uniquely, they hold clients’ money in a trust account until their return from holiday in case an airline or holiday supplier fails, adding an extra layer of protection.’
Luxury holiday specialist Destination2.co.uk took second place in the ranking thanks to a customer score of 86 per cent. Those surveyed gave it five stars for customer service and four stars for quality of accommodation, how well the description matches reality, organization and value for money.
Which? explains: ‘Several holidaymakers have expressed their desire to book a second time with the firm, with one saying “I had the best experience ever in the history of my travels”.’
But, despite these ratings, Which? explains that Destination2.co.uk ‘just missed out on Which? Recommended Supplier status as if costs increase, it reserves the right to add a surcharge to your holiday after you have paid’.
The 30 best and worst beach and resort package holiday providers for 2024 have been revealed in a new survey by Which?, with bespoke holiday firm Trailfinders taking the top spot and eDreams at the bottom of the table
Top rated Trailfinders achieved an “impressive” 87 percent customer score, with five stars for both customer service and organization
Which? says that ‘vacationer (who booked with Kuoni) appreciates the personal touch’
Kuoni rounded out the top three with a customer score of 83 percent, a five-star rating for customer service and organization, four stars for accommodation, description matching reality and transport to and from the accommodation.
Which? says that ‘holiday-goers (who have booked with Kuoni) appreciate the personal touch’ with one customer noting: ‘The accuracy of the brochure was spot on, (and) when we booked the holiday we were able to speak to a member of staff who visited it. the resort… nothing was too much trouble.’
Jet2Holidays, Olympic and Hays all tied in fourth position with a customer score of 82 per cent. They were followed by Beachcomber Tours (5th) with a customer score of 81 percent. Hays was the only one of these companies not listed as a Which? was not mentioned? Recommended Supplier, ‘if costs rise, it reserves the right to add a surcharge to your holiday after you have paid’, Which? explain.
Which? notes that despite being ‘responsible for over seven million packages each year’ as the UK’s largest holiday company, ‘Jet2 continues to deliver excellent customer experiences’.
Jet2Holidays achieved four stars for customer service, how well the description matches the reality and organization. One holidaymaker had to Which? said: ‘They are efficient, reliable and true to publication.’
At the other end of the scale, eDreams came last, with a customer score of 63 per cent, followed by Loveholidays and Club Med on 69 per cent.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: ‘Holidaymakers should be able to rest easy knowing that their travel company will deliver a great holiday and excellent customer service, and we Which? Recommended suppliers do just that, meaning consumers can book with confidence.
‘All our Which? Recommended suppliers have also guaranteed they won’t charge customers extra if costs rise after they’ve booked, meaning travelers can have peace of mind that the advertised price is all they’ll pay.’
A spokesperson for eDreams told Which? the company does not provide pre-packaged holidays and argued that this made the comparison inherently irrelevant and misleading. It disputed the methodology and sample sizes in the research and highlighted that it had asked the Market Research Society (MRS) to review a previous Which? report on sample sizes used. Which? stands by his research in that case and says he is helping the MRS with its investigation.
Which? says that ‘Jet2 continues to deliver excellent customer experiences’ despite being the UK’s largest holiday company
Edreams came last with a customer score of 63 percent. The company claims that the survey is ‘misleading’
