A MUM is desperately trying to contact a travel agency as her holiday hotel is closed during the week she planned to go.

Hundreds of travellers are either being stranded abroad or are unsure whether their holidays still exist as hotels in places like Spain are not open despite people having paid for them through travel agencies.

Catherine Aspin, 33, from Blackburn, is one of the customers who booked a holiday with On The Beach for Tenerife on September 9, for seven days.

However, the family have since learned the Royal Muthu Grand Plaza Hotel they were supposed to be staying at in Golf del Sur is closed, but have not heard anything about it from On The Beach, despite attempts to contact them.

The mum of two boys, aged eight and 11, booked the holiday with her husband in the second week of lockdown and had planned to see her sister who lives in Tenerife.

She said: “It is like they are selling holidays that don’t exist and no email address is working and they have shut the phone line.

“I was looking at Trustpilot and saw that a woman went on holiday to Spain only to find her hotel was not open and she was not aware and could not get hold of anyone.

“Yesterday I found out our hotel was closed. I tried ringing On The Beach, but there is an automated message.”

Mrs Aspin accessed a live chat for the hotel, who confirmed they were closed.

The agency put out a statement on its website reassuring customers they would be in touch if their hotels were closed.

A statement read: “It is our responsibility to make sure that your holiday goes to plan, and that you and your fellow holidaymakers are looked after for the duration of your stay.

“Therefore, if – for any reason – your chosen hotel is unavailable, we will look to find you a suitable alternative, to the same or better standard, and we will be in touch if this is the case.”

Mrs Aspin said: “I am really worried because so many people have not heard anything and I have children with me so I don’t want to be stranded without a place to stay.”

“If I do not pay the final amount then I might lose everything, but if I pay it then I would have paid for the full holiday and end up not going.”

In total the family have paid £470, with £350 remaining as a final payment.

Consumer site Which? also reported about holidaymakers being left stranded when their hotels were shut and they were not told.

On The Beach have been contacted for a comment.