Welcome Homes vacation homes goes bust

[SimonV]

Hi there folks - sorry to sound such a dismal note at the start of the Easter holidays, but one of our best vacation home contacts here in Orlando has just advised us of the failure of one of the biggest vacation home companies in the area, which already appears to be affecting dozens of people and which MAY affect others going soon.

The info we have is that Welcome USA Tours, who are brokers for several tour operators as well as being independent renters, have gone bust and actually closed their office in the Best Western Lakeside on the 192 in Kissimmee. It could be that he is wrong about the overall scenario (company skipping town, people being left completely in the lurch), but I would strongly advise anyone going this week or next who have booked a vacation villa to double-check its availability before they fly and make sure they have an emergency number to call in Orlando, just in case (the latter of which is sound advice at all times).

I hope I'm wrong and that this problem has already been sorted out today, but it does sound like it could be a real problem at a VERY busy time of the year.

Reading between the lines, it sounds like this company have been operating at rock bottom prices for way too long and now owe villa owners thousands of dollars which they can't repay, so they have simply upped and left town. Again, I could be wrong, but I hate to think of families arriving and finding no accommodation, especially when it may be difficult to arrange alternatives at the moment.

So please check before you leave and hopefully this will all be sorted out soon (if it hasn't already).

Kind regards,

Simon Veness

 

[Cyrano]

Hope this does not affect anyone here

 

[barbarah]

Heard about this a few weeks ago and there was a lot of concern because many companies including Virgin, BA and Thomas Cook used them. Some people may not notice the details about collection agents on their vouchers so worth a reminder.

Best Western Lakeside were also charging their clients who had previous stays and had not been paid by Welcome. One lady had been charged on a debit card for a stay in October when she had already paid Ocean Florida 9 months ago for her hotel accomodation.

Best Western Lakeside had a cheek using peoples card details given at check in for incidentals 6 months after their stay and especially as Welcome's offices were on their premises.

After a lot of bad press they eventually agreed to refund her card

 

[natalielongstaff]

oh dear i hope nobody here is affected x

 

[Goofyish]

Thanks for the heads up Simon. Hope no one on the boards is affected.

 

[tony64]

Thanks Simon
Looks like the credit crunch is biteing on your side of the pond as well.

Are there many businesses going under?????

 

[choccieaddict]

we've booked with Thomas Cook for August but haven't heard anything from them. Perhaps things will be ok as there'll be time for Thomas Cook to find another company for August, at least that's what I'm hoping!

 

[paulh]

if there an agent for a uk TA and booked through an ABTA/ATOL scheme they should be covered?, only problem would be with indapendant travelers booked throgth them
Paulh

 

[SimonV]

Looks like the credit crunch is biteing on your side of the pond as well.

Are there many businesses going under?????

Yes, this is, unhappily, a common problem over here, with a lot of retail and leisure business suffering right now. Hotel, restaurant and shop closures are pretty commonplace, and some big retail chains (Circuit City, Linens & Things and Bennigans) have all closed down in recent months. We expect more this year as well. Fortunately, there is still PLENTY of choice for eating and drinking (and shopping!).

 

[Haworthfamily]

Thanks for heads up Simon, I have a friend I should warn, we book directly through the villa owner.
Sad times

 

[JANNYANS]

I understood that the company that had gone under was Welcome usa not Welcome Homes usa .

 

[barbarah]

They are both part of the same company unfortunately.

 

[JANNYANS]

If that is true then Welcome homes are still trading or at least their website is still attracting business.

http://www.welcomehomesusa.com/

and taken from a post of a very respected person in the Orlando STR business


"Let's be quite clear here and now - it is "WELCOME USA" which has gone under - nobody else "

so maybe they aren't connected?

 

[UKDEB]

Yes, www.welcomeusa.com is down. There seems to be some confusion here.

 

[UKDEB]

Check out this link.

 

[JANNYANS]

The confusion comes I think because there are 2 companies with very similar names .

 

[UKDEB]

Just to clarify, as JANNYANS has already pointed out, it seems that it is Welcome USA and not Welcome Homes USA which has gone into liquidation.

 

[UKDEB]

The story has made today's Sentinel.

 

[SimonV]

Yes, Deb (and Jannyans) are absolutely right. It is Welcome Tours USA who have gone bust, NOT Welcome Homes USA, two completely separate companies. In my haste to post the right info, I confused the two and apologise for any concern caused. That comes from trying to juggle too many different tasks while on the road (in Chicago) .

Welcome Homes USA have been around for many years as a very reliable and reputable management company, and they are still going strong. See www.welcomehomesusa.com.