To Use, Or Not To Use? | Holiday Factory

Holiday on a Budget, Honeymoon on a Budget by shwetawahi

My biggest inspiration behind starting TGWT is my husband. Back when we were dating, we always dreamt of travelling the world together. We decided that after marriage we’ll try to do a mini vacay every month before babies and ‘life’ happens.

Travel can be super expensive and so we set out to find deals to fit our humble budget for each trip. A couple of months ago, I stumbled upon Holiday Factory’s website and decided to try the 5-star Zanzibar deal, priced at AED 2099 per person for 3 nights and 4 days for the flight, airport-hotel-airport transfers, and hotel. 

Here’s what we concluded:

Cons

  • The listed price is AED 2,099 but I missed the first round of packages as it was sold out within an hour. As a result I had to pay a surcharge of AED 500 per person to get the deal.
  • You can only book your dates after buying the package, however give them a few options and they’ll help you get your preferred date. Don’t bank on it for short notice trips.
  • You cannot customize anything in terms of seat preferences/early check ins on the flight, or room requests. This is because the package is booked in groups which is what makes the rates so affordable.
  • You share the airport transfer with whoever else is travelling at the time. This may or may not be uncomfortable (we were fine as we shared with 2 single girls, but if I was travelling with a girlfriend and had to share it with two others I’m not sure how safe I’d feel) – this is all personal preference.

Pros

  • Park Hyatt Zanzibar is fairly new and we got a great deal on the hotel rooms. My husband and I were the youngest guests at the hotel as it seems like everyone else was older and more ‘established’. People our age were staying down the road at the less fancy hotels.
  • After the transfer the Holiday Factory representative links you with travel coordinators and tour guides who you may choose to use. It’s nice to have that option of a trusted person.
  • Money saved is money earned. We spent a total of AED 5000 for two people and would’ve spent approximately the following if we went without Holiday Factory:
    •  Flydubai Ticket x 2: AED 2600-3000
    • Airport Transfer x 2: AED 600
    • Hotel nights x 3: AED 4500
    • Total: AED 7700 – 8100

NOTE: Some friends who have used Holiday Factory for other destinations have strongly recommended checking the hotel reviews on Trip Advisor prior to booking the package as sometimes they may not be what they seem. They also recommend booking only 4 and 5 star packages.

Happy Holidays!

14 Comments

  1. GoldenHelmet
    Reply

    Hi.. nicely written and useful.
    I have used Holiday factory (Maldives, Armenia) and found it to be good…
    could you please share ‘places to visit’ in Zanzibar? Would appreciate if you can share the sightseeing prices offered by HF representative…planning to visit Zanzibar

    Thanks in advance

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Juli
    Reply

    I really wouldn’t use holiday factory, the price you see is never the price you pay and if you can’t get the dates you hoped for, it’s impossible to get a refund. I HIGHLY ADVISE AGAINST using Holiday Factory.

    Like

  9. Brett Easton
    Reply

    DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!

    After purchasing a voucher for Dubai to Georgia for 4 nights, I was informed by the Holiday Factory at the time of booking that the only availability they in 2 months was for 4 nights that we were unable to go. I checked with the hotel directly and they had lots of availability, and they were also much cheaper. Out of interest we also checked flights and the total package (flights & hotel) was much cheaper than we paid with the Holiday Factory.

    Here is the scam:

    After speaking to a Holiday Factory customer service representative it is apparent that the company purposely over sell vouchers knowing they cannot accommodate all customer purchases. This, in turn, generates revenue as they charge 250AED when a customer has to cancel their voucher. Also, the voucher price they list on their website does not include hidden additional charges. In our case they said if we wanted to claim our voucher we had to pay an additional 300AED per person. Apparently this was because the hotel charge this for busy periods. We checked with the hotel and this was not true. Also I was also informed by the Holiday Factory Representative that if you request a refund (even if its because they do not have any availability) you will not get it paid back for 3-6 months (minus the 250AED). This is obviously another money generating tactic, and commercially erroneous. I strongly advise you not to use this company. The trips are cheaper to book yourself and the Holiday Factory are ripping people off.

    For further insight and feedback see this link.
    http://www.dudescook.com/2015/09/is-holiday-factory-in-dubai-scam.html

    Like

  10. Foisal
    Reply

    (Regarding Refund from Holiday Factory)
    Hi,
    I had a bitter experience with Holiday factory. I want to share my experience with them. Hope it might help others.

    I bought their voucher for Europe tour ( september-2017) and I confirmed my date of travel and all the reservation was done with them. Unfortunately my visa was rejected and I had to cancel the tour and asked them to refund. Horror story starts from here. They said they need three months to process the refund. So I waited 3 months and in January I asked them about the update. Initially I thought they will refund soon. But calling them every week, raising some complaints through their email system…nothing happened other than wasting mobile balance and time. Finally I got some email address from a blog to complain against them. Its Department of Tourism-Dubai (https://www.visitdubai.com/en/department-of-tourism/about-dtcm) and the email address is: customercare1@dubaitourism.ae. I requested them explaining my situation and asked for assistance (February). The supported my case with special care and they internally contacted Holiday factory to resolve the issue. Within one week after that I got the refund in my account. Thanks to DTCM. I am also sharing some other people from holiday factory’s email address which I found in DTCM and holiday factory’s email communication.

    Michaela Uhrincova
    Customer Care Assistant Director
    michaela.uhrincova@holiday-factory.com

    & Mr Nenad : Nenad.Pandurovic@holiday-factory.com

    Hope this message will

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Marek
    Reply

    I had to cancel my holiday factory-made trip. They do refunds (I cancelled almost 2 months in advance), but hey… they said I need to pay 300, then 600, finally 300+500AED… per person as cancellation fee… they themselves don’t know their own Ts&Cs. Strongly against such thing. Been waiting for 3 months already to get my money back (trip for 3 worth almost 10k AED). They may keep your money for up to 6 months! Not a serious business in my opinion… And they don’t offer any kind of premiums in case your plans changed, so be advised…

    Like

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