Happy Holiday Homes Reviews 

Booked one of their properties through booking.com and had to cancel 3 weeks before the 100% refund deadline. Two months on, and after many exchanges promising me I would receive it, zero refund given. Instead, their offer was a digital voucher I could use to rebook (a voucher was never part of the refund agreement made on booking.com). If I didn't use the voucher, I may be able to receive a cash refund in August 2021! Yep, you read right, 15 months away! Despite obvious objections, I was told that's the way it's going to have to be. We'll see about that.

AVOID!

MY SITUATION:
I had reserved an accommodation through HHH’s web page. I had to cancel the reservation. It had been paid in full. HHH were able to re-book the accommodation for the entire holiday period. Their “Terms and conditions” state that in this situation a customer is entitled to a 70 % refund on the accommodation cost.

FAULTS:
1) Only 10 % of the accommodation cost was refunded (in my case this would have been correct if they had not succeeded in re-booking the accommodation). My numerous and different efforts to make them understand the fault were overlooked. Midway they even announced the case closed. After three weeks of struggling they finally answered: “This is correct, the balance will be refunded.”
2) They also omitted the damage waiver.
3) The first refund was paid later than promised, after my two reminders.

Mistakes in business are made every day in the world, but this was a horrible customer experience to me. After all they have settled their debt and also gave a compensation.

ADVICE TO YOU WHO HAVE THE SAME SITUATION:
• Check from the “Terms and Conditions” (displayed on their web page) that they pay a refund you are entitled to. You can ask them for a detailed refund calculation.
• The refund should include the following items, depending on what you have paid prior to the cancellation: X % of the accommodation cost + Service fee (in my case 145 CHF) + Damage waiver (in my case 20 CHF) + Tourist taxes + Other possible services you have bought.
• Check if they succeed in re-booking the accommodation for the entire cancelled holiday period. (I checked this from the accommodation’s calendar on the first day and on the last day of my cancelled holiday period.) If they succeed and if you have already paid 100 % of the accommodation cost, they must return 70 % to you.

If you are considering booking any or their accommodations, you can either book straight with HHH or also via many other channels. In eventual disputes those channels support you.

Great Service. We arrived at the office of Happy Holiday Homes to learn that it was not possible to stay in the apartment that we chose due to a broken boiler. The office had tried contacting me by telephone, however I didn't take the call.
Happy Holiday Homes could not have been better. They showed us a couple of alternative apartments to chose from. As we were travelling by train, we were taken by car to the apartment to view it and confirm that we were happy. We were then given a lift to the local supermarket to buy supplies. On our day of departure we were given a lift to the train station.
I felt the company really went out of their way to accommodate us.
We used the office based in Lake Garda and we would definitely book through Happy Holiday Homes again.

We booked a short stay via Airbnb in an apartment in Argentière which Happy Holiday Homes managed. Unfortunately their communication via Airbnb was poor. On arrival at the apartment we messsgaed within 24hrs about issues with the apartment. No one responded, so we took the time out of our holiday to visit the office to discuss the issues in person. The team did respond at this point.
Further to this we noticed at the end of our holiday that their ski pass purchase service had taken multiple payments from both of our accounts. We were left in an awkward financial position whilst in another country and had to use alternative means to pay for services and goods. It has taken a lot of emails and telephone calls from us before getting our money back from Happy Holiday homes. The time taken by them to make all the reimbursements is unacceptable and we have incurred fees as a result.
I would not book with them again.

We stayed in Menaggio for 2 nights in apartment rented through HHH. We paid our $1400 in good faith in advance and arrived to an apartment (Balcone di Noa e Stella) that was filthy and in obvious neglect. Floor covered in Hair and dust balls, bed covers stained, chairs too dirty to sit on, kitchen cabinets sticky and covered in fingerprints, towels so thin you could see through them and the porch stained in mildew.. They promised us a refund of a pitiful 10% but have yet to receive it. After numerous emails they will not even reply. They are happy to take your money, promise you the moon and not only NOT deliver but tell you they will do something and not mean it. DONT USE THEM. Poorly run by disingenuous people.

Update In Response to Happy Holiday Homes' Reply:

Thank you for your response HHH but you are misinformed. I did NOT wait until our stay was over to let the management know we were in a dirty apartment. Upon check-in, we put our bags in the apartment and left to tour Menaggio. When we returned and unpacked, we discovered how truly dirty the place was and did let the Menaggio office of HHH know then that the apartment was very dirty and even sent them pictures via email. When I got no response, I went to the office the next morning and told them how terrible it was. The staff member I spoke to said she did not receive the email. The WiFi in the apartment did not work well either. She said she would have sent a cleaning crew if she had known but did not offer to do it that day NOR did she offer to move us to other accommodations. She asked that I send the pictures again. As for the 10% refund, I emailed HHH to ask if they could put it on my credit card and received no response. Several weeks later I emailed again and received no response. If I have received a 10% "refund"as of September 26, 3 weeks after this complaint was known to your company, I am not yet aware of it. Airing this online is not how you should run your company or treat your guests. I gave your company ample opportunity to do the RIGHT thing before I wrote my review and you failed. I have photos and emails and Lack of email responses from your company to prove my claim. You still have the opportunity to DO THE RIGHT THING. If so, I would be happy to amend my review but until then I am a very unhappy customer and feel others should be warned.

Our whole family loved staying at Villa Menaggio on Lake Como. The owner, Walter was very kind and took some of us to the larger supermarket which was out of town, in Porlezza (Carrefour). This is open on a Sunday and literally has a fantastic range of food and wine. He really went out of his way to help us and make us feel welcome. The villa gave us the sense of being home sweet home but being beside the most incredible Lake Como!! The villa and the gardens were spacious for our family. Airy big rooms, very clean with classic Italian furnishings. The garden had plenty of outdoor furniture for us to dine al fresco or just mosey around with a book. We thank Happy Holiday Homes for supplying us with this super villa and recommendations from the team. We would also love to take advantage of your 10% returning guest discount. Will be in touch. Thanks again, from the Allen Family.

As soon as we arrived in Alassio we immediately felt at home because we were welcomed so nicely. The apartment was equipped with everything you need and it is in a very quiet location. We found the beach to be just 400 metres and a gently 10 minute stroll.
The welcome basket of brioche, newspaper, water and bottle of sparkling wine for the next morning as well as gifts for my children was so kind and generous.
Thank you so much for the perfect week and see you soon!

Rented through Happy Holiday Homes of Mennagio, Lake Como, "luxury" villa, from 5th to 12th Aug17, booking 220147, cost 1770Euros. The description of this villa (Magnolia) and the photos were false. The place was dirty and spartan. Complained the day we arrived with a very long list of problems (blocked shower, dirty bathrooms, faulty electric switches, broken kitchen appliances, swimming pool area with cheap plastic "decking" that shrunk in areas and our grand son got his foot cut in one of the gaps, Argegno village accessed via very steep walk, had good restaurants and a little family shop, that is it !, TV in Italian only, kitchen work- top with ONE socket for 6 appliances !, two cooker rings too small to cook for family of six !, no air conditioning, if one wants to iron, one has to switch all other appliances off as the electricity is too weak, etc, etc, etc. Asked for compensation from their Manager Ms Sara Cilia but no response. Entered my review in their Facebook page with photos but they deleted it ! They only leave the Reviews that show them in good light. Have filed complaint with the UK European Consumer Centre it in Rome and await their answer.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------After the intervention of the Swiss Tourist Ombudsman in Zurich, in March 2018, I have received fair compensation from Happy Holiday Homes of Lugano and this case is now closed.

Riva Bella Margherita 3 on Lake Como. Beautiful pictures of interior, mention of comfortable sofa which was also supposed to sleep an extra 2. It was completely broken, it could not be used to seat 3 never mind sleep 2. Completed the booking form with number of guests etc. On arrival only one bedroom had been made up. There were poor quality pillows and sheets so we could make up our own! Had to roll up extra duvet/ bed cover under the pillows. A mended and ripped sheet on the double bed. Dirty oven had not been cleaned. Washing machine smelled of foul water, needed 2 complete cycles before we dared use it. No soap or dishwasher tablets of course!
Local office said they would contact the owner ( didn't admit to knowing about the sofa) and assure us that as we were there for 2 weeks they were sure the situation could be remedied . They also promised a CEO would contact us to discuss compensation. The promise was repeated throughout the 14 day holiday and also since then. There has been no response at all from the CEO, there appears to be no official complaints procedure and as the company is registered in Switzerland it has probably excluded itself from European arbitration ....

The CEO copied in is the wife of the managing director.
From the top comes the leadership and standards.
Beware of using this company anywhere they operate!

We left the property with the sofa still not mended, the oven still not cleaned and the many other problems not listed here but notified to the company still not having been addressed.

When a holiday company gets let down by the owner of a property, that is disappointing. To then withhold that information from a party of 12 travelling from various locations until they arrive, that is truly shocking.
But don't worry they had a solution - an inferior property with bunk beds. Ok, no that's just not going to work. But wait, it's only 5pm, the guests have only been travelling 12 hours so far, they can wait whilst they keep looking.
Ok, found something. Choice now is accept or a refund will follow.
Not much of a choice, and a fair number of the party accepted the property as they were just so relieved.
Wait though, the holiday company say they will make it up to us
- No air conditioning, no worry, fans will be delivered. 6 promised, 2 delivered half way through the week, the rest ignored;
- Someone would come and cook for us, we just pay for food. Arrived ok, food ok, bill doubled to cover, wait for it, their time;

Holiday company on return say "We were very sorry that the villa you had booked was not available when you arrived. Unfortunately this can sometimes happen."

AVOID AVOID AVOID - no customer service

Porto Letizia, Lake Lugano.

The property is a great disappointment. It is extremely poorly appointed in several respects;

- old and cheap furniture and fittings (clearly no investment has been made in the property in years). The table on the first floor terrace has only a single chair!
- very poorly equipped kitchen (e.g. Only two wine glasses in a property that is supposed to accommodate up to 9)
- absolutely no basic supplied provided whatsoever. We will need to waste time and money on bin bags, dish washing cloths, washing up liquid, hand soap etc etc - which would be so simple to provide
- on checking in we were greeted with a hidden and laughably excessive charge for cleaning on departure.

This is a terrible shame because the lakeside location means that with more care and attention the property has the potential to be a great place.

Beware of booking with Happy Holiday Homes at Como.
Our dissatisfaction with our use of their services in June 2017 has never been responded to. Various issues with the apartment which should have been resolved before we arrived. Maintenance of the building, cleaning standards and admissions of fault on the day by their own team have never been acknowledged. I am waiting for some type of contact to discuss compensation. This problem could be resolved if they had the courtesy to contact me.

Be aware when booking with Happy Holiday Homes. Our very expensive apartment in Bellano at Lake Como was far from as promised and described on the web page even though we had been extra, extra careful to inquire on details. So, very disappointed upon arrival. Contacted them for compensation but as expected no reply.

-> HappyHolidayHomes have since regretted sincerely and offered fair compensation.