Terms and Conditions

The following conditions apply to all bookings made with HotelConnect Ltd. whether by phone, fax, email or online.

1. The Customer accepts that the written or emailed confirmation and voucher show the details of the booking made with the hotel. Please check it to eliminate all possibility of misunderstanding. Should any of the details be incorrect or any conditions unacceptable, please contact us within 3 working days of this confirmation. HotelConnect acts as an agent for the hotel and sets up a contract between the hotel (Principal) and the Customer. The hotel’s own terms and conditions also apply, the key aspects of which are included below. Full details of the hotel’s terms can be supplied on request.
2. Star ratings given to hotels are our own, having inspected them. These conform to the British understanding of the star system in order to provide consistency across different countries. Ratings are our opinion of the overall "package" of quality, comfort, facilities, and service. They do not automatically mean that a specific facility is present. Our ratings can also be higher or lower than official ratings, since the latter sometimes do not reflect the real standard of the hotel for bureaucratic or historic reasons.
   • 2 Star: Simple accommodation with a minimum of facilities. Rooms may not be newly decorated unless it says so in our description, but they will always be clean and of an acceptable level of comfort. Rooms are often small, and breakfast can be somewhat basic. Ideal for those for whom budget is a key consideration. Not ideal for "special" occasions or for business travellers wanting more comfort and more responsive service.
   • 3 Star: Higher level of comfort and facilities and often with a higher decorative sophistication. Very much the standard for quality accommodation at good prices, although room sizes and breakfasts can still vary quite considerably from country to country. Usually the minimum we would recommend for business travellers.
   • 4 Star: Very comfortable, good facilities and a good level of service. Usually with large and attractive public areas, a bar and often a restaurant. However, some small hotels we rate 4 Star purely on a comfort and service basis. Ideal for "special" occasions, a frequent choice for business travellers.
   • 5 Star: Luxurious accommodation, extensive public areas and very attentive service.
3. Twin/Double rooms: Since hotels often have many more twin rooms than doubles, they might occasionally allocate a twin even though a double room is reserved. If a double bed is of paramount importance to you we suggest that you advise us of this and we will ensure that this is communicated to the hotel. In many destinations and hotels, all double rooms are made up of two single beds pushed together and made up as a double bed. Twin rooms may contain 2 single beds or one single bed and a rollaway.
4. Triple/Quad rooms: A triple room usually comprises one double bed plus a single bed, or three separate beds. Single beds may be foldable or rollaway beds. Either may result in a room of restricted space. In the US, triples and quads will always comprise two double beds. (one of which may be a 'rollaway' bed.)
5. Ten persons or more is a group booking. Lower prices are often available and the hotel has the right to apply certain conditions, which will be made clear at the time of booking. Group bookings must never be split into multiple smaller bookings. The Hotel's payment and cancellation conditions for group bookings will be confirmed with each group reservation enquiry.
6. Special offers involving free nights are always for a maximum of one free night. Long stay bookings cannot be split into two to get more free nights. In both cases, such split bookings may be refused by the hotel on arrival or rack rates charged.
7. Check-in/out times vary from hotel to hotel. Check-in can not normally be guaranteed before 15:00hrs and check-out is normally necessary by 11:00hrs.
8. During trade fairs and festivals hotels often impose supplements or do not give us the usual reductions, which means that the price that you pay may be higher than the hotel's published rate. This can happen at any period when rooms are very scarce to ensure some availability for our Customers. We will only sell a room at higher than the published rate if we feel the Customer's interest is better served by having this room rather than finding nothing available at all. For such busy periods and only at the Customer's request, we sometimes find rooms in hotels which we have not seen but have been reliably recommended to us. We do this to be of service in difficult periods and the Customer accepts that we are acting in good faith, by relying on a third party for such hotels not vetted by HotelConnect.
9. Payment for reservations is due at the time of booking. Regardless of whether vouchers have been issued or not, your booking may be cancelled if payment has not been received, or if payment is still outstanding for any other unrelated reservations made by the same Customer.
10. Prices may vary due to fluid pricing from hotels resulting in additional availability, currency fluctuations, or government action. However, such variations can only apply to future bookings. Once a booking is made, the price is fixed.
    
    Despite our best efforts at times an error may result in a price or other detail being displayed or presented incorrectly. In this case we reserve the right to cancel that booking. You will be notified in such a case and if payment has already been taken you will be refunded the amount of the booking only.
    
    When we are notified of, or discover, an error or omission we will do our best to correct it as soon as is practicable.
11. Cancellations: Hotels have their own cancellation policies and you will be liable to pay any cancellation charges which the hotel may levy. In most cases, these charges are equivalent to the first night of the stay when cancellation is later than 48 hours prior to arrival in the hotel. If any charges more stringent than this apply, then you will be advised at the time of booking. (The same charge applies to a non-arrival, in which case the room is automatically released the following morning). For practical reasons, 48 hours means by 1700 hrs (UK time) two days before arrival. In addition to any charge which the hotel levies, HotelConnect will charge its own administrative fee where cancellation is earlier than 48 hours prior to arrival: in these circumstances, a flat fee of £15.00 per person, per destination will be charged.
    
    Cancellations outside of office hours should be sent direct to the hotel with a copy to HotelConnect.
    
    For groups of 10 persons or more, different cancellation conditions always apply, these will be advised at the time of booking.
    
    The hotel and HotelConnect reserve the right to cancel any bookings which we suspect, with good reason, to be fraudulent.
    
    Customers must provide a full billing address and landline telephone number - P.O. Boxes are not acceptable. If a booking is made using a P.O. Box, we will contact you and if a valid, current address cannot be provided, we will either ask for an immediate bank transfer or we reserve the right to cancel your booking and refund any monies paid.
12. If Customers wish to alter their stay directly with the hotel, this office should be contacted: a) immediately, if the Customer wishes to avoid higher rates being payable for extra nights. b) within 21 days of the end of the stay to obtain any form of financial adjustment, if the stay is being reduced for example.
13. Reductions for children. Infants under two years are accommodated free of charge in a cot, unless otherwise advised at the time of reservation. Pricing policies for children vary from one hotel to another. Children over 2 years and under 12 years who are free of charge may still be charged for breakfast at checkout. Children paying 50% of the adult rate normally have breakfast included. Children aged 12 and over are normally charged as adults.
14. HotelConnect must be advised of any children under the age of 18 planning to travel alone (or with similar aged friends) prior to booking, and this must be agreed by the hotel, before the reservation can be fully confirmed. Failure to notify the hotel in advance may lead to children under the age of 18 without an accompanying adult being refused accommodation.
15. Prices mentioned for trains, buses, taxi, parking etc. are approximate. HotelConnect does not accept any responsibility for transfers or other services which the Customer arranges directly with the hotel.
16. In the very unlikely event that the hotelier cannot provide the booked accommodation, the Customer accepts that the hotelier's responsibility is limited to finding an alternative of a similar standard and to provide transportation as appropriate to this hotel. HotelConnect takes every precaution to select hotels which are professionally managed so that any such occurrence is exceptionally rare. The Customer also accepts that early notification of such a change cannot be guaranteed. HotelConnect shall have no liability in respect of any costs, losses or damages existing out of or in connection with a relocation of accommodation, since such relocation is outside of HotelConnect's control. Should the Customer reject a satisfactory alternative, this is at their own risk.
17. If the Customer is dissatisfied with any aspect of his hotel, this MUST be brought to the attention of the hotel management immediately and the hotel management must be given adequate opportunity to rectify the situation from the outset. If the hotelier cannot resolve matters to the Customer's satisfaction, HotelConnect must also be contacted at the earliest opportunity in order to be able to assist. A 24 hour on call service is provided outside office hours (please listen to our answering machine message). If having taken the above action the Customer is still dissatisfied, complaints should be received in writing within 14 days of the Customer's return.
18. Passport, visa and health requirements are entirely the Customer’s responsibility. The appropriate Embassy or Government advisory website have up-to-date information. Travel insurance against cancellation and for medical cover is strongly recommended.
19. All vouchers issued by HotelConnect are subject to ours and the hotel’s terms and conditions. HotelConnect is acting solely as agent for the Hotel and does not have any liability for any failure by the hotel to provide any element of the Customer's booking and/or for anything which may go wrong at the hotel and which causes damage, loss, personal injury or death to the Customer whether as a result of negligence or otherwise by the hotel, its servants or agents and HotelConnect only has liability to the Customer for claims which arise solely as a result of HotelConnect's own negligence. Every care is taken to ensure that hotel descriptions are accurate. Descriptive material on facilities provided at the hotel is drawn from information provided by the hotel. HotelConnect can not be held responsible for any inaccuracies in such information, nor can liability be accepted for changes to facilities, which are not communicated to us by the Hotel.
20. All services offered by HotelConnect are governed by English Law and subject to the jurisdiction of the English Courts. Calls may be recorded for training purposes.

If you have any questions, please call the number on our website. Outside office hours, an emergency telephone number is announced on our answering machine.