Government to act on clearer hotel charges

01 March 2000
Government to act on clearer hotel charges

Hotels will be forced to display clearly the cost of telephone calls from guest bedrooms under a Government initiative to prevent tourists being ripped off.

The measure was announced following today's Tourism Summit between Government ministers and hospitality industry chiefs, held in London's Globe Theatre.

For a hotel to be included in the accommodation rating schemes run by the English Tourism Council, the AA and the RAC, sample charges of at least five calls will have to be displayed in bedrooms.

At least four of the calls should be based on a talk time of five minutes. There should be at least one sample of a call to a destination in the USA at off-peak rates; one to France at peak rates; one long-distance (over 100 miles) UK call at peak rates, and one local UK off-peak call.

It will be up to the hotelier to choose further examples. The rate card will have to state when the information was gathered, and the times of day at which peak and off-peak rates apply.

The British Hospitality Association (BHA) and the National Council of Hotel Associations (NCHA) will include the requirement to clearly display phone charges in their codes of conduct for members.

Hotel staff are also to be given better training in handling customer complaints. The BHA and the NCHA will advise accommodation owners and operators on minimum standards.

Measures will also be taken to ensure that customers are properly aware of what they will get for their money before booking their stay.

Tourism minister Janet Anderson said: "Accommodation is frequently the most expensive cost on a holiday or business trip. It is vital that people know what standards to expect and how much services will cost at the time they book."

Cancellation policies will also have to be made clear to guests at the time of booking, whether they book by phone, fax, e-mail, or through brochures.

Room prices displayed in reception will have to be displayed inclusive of VAT.

The current exemption from displaying prices at reception for hotels with fewer than four rooms or eight beds is to be abolished.

No resolution has been reached on the issue of single-person supplements. The working group set up to look into the matter was unable "to find an answer that would satisfy the single traveller without reducing the hoteliers' income or causing him to switch the costs on to multiple-occupancy guests."

However, extra charges for single occupancy will have to be clearly displayed at reception.

The tourism summit brought together Anderson, culture secretary Chris Smith, consumer affairs minister Kim Howells and junior ministers from eight Government departments whose responsibilities impact on the UK tourism industry.

Further progress announced at the summit include a commitment from the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions to review the rules governing the way in which tourist attractions and facilities are signposted.

The Home Office said it would be publishing a White Paper proposing to modernise licensing laws. This is expected in the next few weeks.

Internet Links:

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email

Start the working day with The Caterer’s free breakfast briefing email

Sign Up and manage your preferences below

Check mark icon
Thank you

You have successfully signed up for the Caterer Breakfast Briefing Email and will hear from us soon!

Jacobs Media is honoured to be the recipient of the 2020 Queen's Award for Enterprise.

The highest official awards for UK businesses since being established by royal warrant in 1965. Read more.

close

Ad Blocker detected

We have noticed you are using an adblocker and – although we support freedom of choice – we would like to ask you to enable ads on our site. They are an important revenue source which supports free access of our website's content, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

trade tracker pixel tracking