Brits warned of Spain ‘chaos’ due to brand new rules being introduced across hotels

HOTELIERS in Spain are warning tourists, including Brits, of new “chaos” when they arrive at their accommodation from this autumn.

From October 1st, anyone in Spain who rents out accommodation or a hire car to tourists will have to fill in a traveller’s report.

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Brits face chaos at hotels this summer, experts have warned[/caption]

This will require details not available on the normal form of identification ie a passport.

The new information will include things such as payment methods, bank details, email addresses, telephone numbers etc.

The Spanish hotel association, Cehat says this new requirement is going to cause chaos as hoteliers just can’t cope with this workload at reception.

And they point out that a huge percentage of travellers arrive at accommodation where there is no reception at all.

The new regulations were first announced on October 27th, 2021 but were postponed twice.

It was initially delayed until November 2nd, 2023 and then to October 1st, 2024.

This was because the tourism industry said a website set up to input data was inefficient and it was impossible to comply with the requirements.

Cehat is now launching a legal challenge against the new rules, saying they are not legal, and has demanded an urgent meeting with the Ministry of Interior.

Cehat said: “The regulations impose new requirements for the registration of travellers staying in tourist establishments, as well as the transmission of this data through a platform designed by the Ministry of the Interior.”

“Tour operators pointed out that this platform had proven to be very inefficient, making it impossible to collect and transmit this data.

“This led to the Ministry deciding to extend its entry into force on two occasions, in response to protests from companies, allowing the submission to be made through the traditional electronic system.”

“Cehat points out that the persistence of those responsible for the Ministry of the Interior, under the direction of Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, in causing chaos for the Ministry’s collaborators and in generating a threat of large fines and sanctions to all those who do not act under new parameters that, in our opinion, are unenforceable and illegal, and that will cause the certain loss of sensitive information about travellers and an increase in responsibility for unverifiable data, is incomprehensible.”

“Royal Decree 933/2021 expands the obligations of companies to collect data that is not limited to that which appears in official documents (such as ID and passport), such as payment methods, financial transactions, contract data, updated address, mobile phone or email of the user, which can only be collected manually.

“For hoteliers, it is impossible to collect and certify the authenticity of some of these data, which would cause organisational chaos at receptions to the detriment of users and flagrantly contravening the data minimisation rules of European directives and their protection.”

CEHAT also points out that more than 70 per cent of accommodation companies are small businesses and don’t have adequate cybersecurity protection to protect guests new data.

Cehat adds that according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), in Spain 83 per cent of Spaniards who stay outside their usual residence and 33 per cent of foreigners do not go through an establishment with a reception. 

Jet2 also issued a warning for Brits heading to Spain this week due to a staff walkout at Alicante Airport.

And a number of tourists missed their flights in Lanzarote due to new rules at the airport regarding passport stamps.

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Millions of Brits who visit Spain will be affected by the new rules[/caption]