gate1travel.com

Beware traveling with Gate1, My first and last time

I took a Gate1 tour, represented as a 15-day tour with a Friday departure, which was January 27, 2023. I also paid for two additional nights at the Frangipani Royal Palace Hotel & Spa for which I was charged $159.00. Because the tour was advertised as beginning on January 27, 2023, it was my expectation that the two additional nights I paid for provided accommodations for January 25 and 26. Even though I requested this in approximately July 2022, I was not told until weeks before the trip (after I made flight reservations) that Gate1 used my money to pay for January 26 and January 27, because Gate1 had not reserved accommodations for the beginning of its own advertised tour. The Frangipani was run down and did not have a spa, as advertised and was extremely overpriced. Because I found out at the last minute that I had no place to stay upon my arrival on January 25 (because Gate1 used my money to pay for January 27 without my consent), I was required to make separate reservations; Frangipani charged me $100. Not only did Gate1 fail to provide accommodations for January 27 (Day 1), there were no activities for January 27, the day the tour was supposed to begin. Additionally, there were no activities scheduled for January 28 (Day 2), the second day of the alleged 15-day tour. There were additional days "at leisure" or pay an additional charge for activities. The alleged 15-day tour was, in fact, only 9 days of scheduled activities. Gate 1 admits that “[f]or any escorted tour, Day One is the date of departure from your gateway city; in this case it would have been January 27[,]” but then makes the incredible claim that I opted to arrive early for two pre-tour nights at the hotel, as if this changed Gate 1’s advertised start date of its tour. Gate1 admits that “[a]t no time, did we book or charge you for the night of January 25," the night for which I paid. EXACTLY! At best this is deceptive advertising. This was my first and last tour with Gate1. Travel with them at your peril. You’ve been warned. If there were minus numbers to rate Gate1, I would give them no less than a -5. I’ve also filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission so, hopefully, if there are enough complaints, it will investigate Gate1.

Date of experience: Jan 27, 2023