A blind-booking strategy used by tour operators to fill unsold hotel inventory. The buyer pays a discounted rate for a guaranteed standard or star rating in a specific resort town, but the exact property is kept secret until they land at the airport. This allows hotels to sell cheap rooms without undercutting their published rates.
Heard on the job
We booked an accommodation on arrival package to Mallorca and ended up in a decent three-star place right on the beach.
Also heard as
- AOA
- allocation on arrival