Premier Travel Inn profteering from Alton Towers closure

[TheGrocer]

Hi there
I have a new story you may be interested re Premier Travel Inn at Rugely profiting from many customers who had planned to visit Alton Towers last weekend 6/6 and 7/6.

I had pre booked a room at the Rugely Travel Inn using the Whitbread web site and booked 2 rooms under their lowest cost offer Non Flexaible Premier Saver Rate to £232. The sole purpose of driving myself and my 3 kids 300 miles each way to the Hotel was to treat the kids to a weekend break at Alton Towers. Im not currently working and so couldn’t afford to book the Alton Towers hotel or though now I wish I had.

After making the booking the terrible accident at Alton Towers occurred and the park announced it would be closed for several days while the investigation continued. On Friday 5/6 the Alton Towers web site announced it would not be open over the weekend and I therefore called the Hotel and the Customer Service line to try and re-arrange the booking due to the tragic accident and the fact the park would be closed. I met with a brick wall and blank refusal of any type of re-booking. I have attached my letter to them and their response and Im sure many families for the Premier Travel Inn hotels would have met with the same fate. While they hide behind the T&Cs of the booking they aren’t doing the RIGHT thing and its disgusting behaviour.

I have contacted BBC and Watchdog - Has anyone else been affected by this??? Thanks for reading

Whitbread Customer Services letter below and my original letter below that.:

Hi [name removed by MNHQ],

Thanks for your email.
Your reservation [removed by MNHQ] was booked under the Non Flexible Premier Saver rate.

Although we appreciate no one books a hotel room with the expectation to cancel or amend, the only reason we're able to offer these discounted rooms is by adhering to strict booking terms. This is why customers are informed at the time of booking that they will not be able to cancel or amend the reservation, once confirmed.

For these reasons, we regret that we would not be able to assist with your request on this occasion.

Please note that any pre-paid supplement charges for breakfast, meal deals etc will be refunded back to the card held on the booking.

Kind Regards
[name removed by MNHQ].
Email Support Team
Premier Inn - Central Reservations
Telephone: 0333 003 0025 (option 2)
Email: [email protected]
Write to us at: Oakley House, Oakley Road, Luton, LU4 9QH.

-----------------

Hello
I have contacted you today in relation to my reservation [removed by MNHQ] held in the name of [removed by MNHQ] for two room on the night of Friday 5/6/15 and Sat 6/6/15. The rooms were booked under the Premier Saver Rate at a total cost of £232 at your Rugely Hotel. The purpose of travelling 300 miles from my home in Kent with my children was to enjoy a weekend at Alton Towers. As you will know after the tragic events earlier this week the park has now announced that it will remain closed over the weekend thus making my trip a waste of time.
I contacted your reservations team and your guest relations team speaking to [name removed by MNHQ] to be told that nor change of reservation can be made! While I understand the T&Cs of the booking surely you have been inundated by customers who through no fault of their own have literally nowhere to go.

The team at Alton Towers have been great in breaking their T&Cs and re-issuing tickets etc. and to be honest it seems as if Whitbread is taking advantage of a situation which has been a personal tragedy for those involved in the accident. The two hotels closest to Alton towers appear fully booked when I made the booking and I’m sure over 50% of those staying over the weekend had planned to visit Alton Towers. Yes I know the T&Cs which have been quoted to me but come on Whitbread let’s look at this from the angle of what may be the right thing to do and prove that you have some feelings for the situation that I and many other families find themselves in. From a PR point of view you could take this two ways - one show your loyal customers some flexibility due to the problems that have beset the theme park or two you could provide some great local TV and radio negative press when they are contacted as the perception is your taking advantage of an unusual set of circumstances!

I’m not asking for a refund just the opportunity to rebook to an alternative date when they re-open?

Yours hoping you will do the RIGHT thing please??

YABVU. Rugeley is miles from AT. Premier inn is nothing to do with AT. You should have gone anyway, there are loads of things to do locally. Drayton manor park, Twycross zoo, Cannock chase, Snow dome, Go Ape, Museums, West Midlands safari park etc. The only hotel I'd expect to refund you due to what had happened, would be one of the AT hotels, not one unconnected and miles away.

Agree with everyone else. Very unreasonable. You bought non-refundable tickets.

YABU. I just booked a stay in a Premier Inn an hour ago and booked the slightly more expensive flexible rate because, as you noted, the cheapest room rate means your booking can't be cancelled or amended. This is hardly "hiding behind the T&Cs" or "profiteering".

It's a shame that you weren't able to spend your weekend as planned but as other posters pointed out, there are lots of other things to do nearby. Also, Alton Towers being closed is in no way the responsibility of the Premier Inn.

Yabu, as many others have said

Def YABU for all the reasons previously stated.

In fact I think you've done a great job of advertising this Premier Inn cos there seems like loads to do in the area. Might look at booking it myself

I think you are out of order, you accepted the T & Cs when you booked a non flexible rate. While they could have made an exception in this case I don't see why they should.

I don't know if anyone else has suggested this OP, re insurance (sorry if I'm repeating information). If you do not have actual travel insurance, but paid by credit card, it may well be that your credit card insures the purchase of a hotel booking in these circumstances.
If you didn't pay by credit card, still check the terms and conditions of all bank accounts you hold. A few do provide free travel insurance.

With regards to the (non) action of Premier Inn, I'm afraid I agree with others. You specifically booked your rooms at a stated 'no refund' special price and are BU to expect Premier Inn to refund your payment regardless.

Would insurance cover it?

There was nothing preventing OP using the accommodation she had booked, she just chose not to because one of the nearby attractions was closed.

YABU op, as everyone else has said.

You should have just gone and done other things in the area. Tretham Monkey Forest for one. We loved it when we went, and it was a bit like going into Jurrasic Park when you go through the gates.

You were in Rugeley - Drayton Manor Theme Park is within spitting distance, and Go Ape on Cannock Chase. A little bit of research would have solved this problem

Sorry, but YABU.

It's called non flexible because it is just that. The terms and conditions were clearly stated.

They are not profiteering, if anything they have most likely lost thousands as anyone who booked with a more expensive flexible booking will have either cancelled or rearranged. As others have said, there is plenty to do in the local area.

Moral of the story, book a flexible holiday/get travel insurance.

According to you OP the Rugeley premier inn runs only for AT!! yabu op and you probably worked that out by now, hemce why you havent come back

YABVVVU

Do you even understand this is a forum you've posted on? I hope that the local news etc get to see this thread to see how unreasonable and actually quite distasteful you are being.

Insurance would not cover it; a flexible rate would. In economic terms the difference between the two rates is the premium on an insurance policy which covers you against an uninsured and uninsurable event leading you not to go. (Please, nobody tell the Exchequer or they'll claim IPT on it!)

The OP chose not to pay that premium and buy that policy and is out of pocket. My heart bleeds . . .

YABTotallyUtterlyU

And entitled.

Silence of the Grocer indeed!

OP hasn't even been back recently. Says it all really

You booked the saver rate which is non refundable. Did you read the terms and conditions when you booked?

What a load of bollocks OP

I book a few PI rooms a year, mainly to visit theme parks as it happens Drayton Monor, Legoland and Chessington so far this year and always pick the cheapest but fixed booking rate. I figure if I miss a night sometime I'll have made the savings over the other nights.

As it happens I had plans to visit AT in the near future and have a PI room booked. If AT remains closed I will find other activities to do in the area. If we are ill then I'll take the hit.

It's not like it wasn't completely clear on the booking options.

Lone voice of dissent here, but legally, YANBU.

If the primary purpose for you entering into a contract suddenly, and for reasons beyond your control ceases to exist, then the contract can be set aside under the doctrine of frustration (i.e. it is treated as if the contract never existed in the first place)

See here for more info.

If you want to complain, the case you need to cite as authority is Krell v Henry

"Subsequent development occurred in the case of Krell v Henry,[9] a case arising out of the coronation of King Edward VII. The defendant here agreed by contract to rent a flat located at Pall Mall from the plaintiff, for the purpose of watching the coronation procession of Edward VII scheduled for June 26 and 27.[10] Despite the fact that there was no mention of the coronation ceremony in any of the parties written correspondence, the court held the contract frustrated in purpose by the cancellation of the coronation. It could be inferred from the dealings of the parties that the principal aim of the hiring was the witnessing of the coronation."

Sorry to quote wiki, bit I think they put it clearly. Frustration would not apply, because as in Herne Bay Steamboat Co v Hutton, days out at local attractions were still possible.

"Subsequent development occurred in the case of Krell v Henry,[9] a case arising out of the coronation of King Edward VII. The defendant here agreed by contract to rent a flat located at Pall Mall from the plaintiff, for the purpose of watching the coronation procession of Edward VII scheduled for June 26 and 27. Despite the fact that there was no mention of the coronation ceremony in any of the parties written correspondence, the court held the contract frustrated in purpose by the cancellation of the coronation. It could be inferred from the dealings of the parties that the principal aim of the hiring was the witnessing of the coronation.

"This result can be contrasted with that of Herne Bay Steamboat Co v Hutton, another coronation case. In this case, an individual hired a steamboat for the purposes of travelling to Spithead to cruise round an assembled fleet, and to witness the naval review of King Edward's coronation. The courts subsequently held that following the cancellation of the coronation, the entire purpose of the contract had not been frustrated, as the cruise was still possible."

Hmm, I have to disagree, in Herne Bay the reason for the contract was twofold:

1. The Cruise as an entertainment in and of itself and
2. Witnessing the Naval Review

As one of these was still possible, frustration was not held.

In the OP's case, there is only one purpose of her trip, and that sole purpose is no longer possible so I think the facts of Krell v Henry are a better fit.

If the whole park was open, apart from the Smiler ride, then yes, I would agree that Herne Bay would be applied, as there would have been other rides for OP to enjoy, but as it is, the whole park was closed...

Just out of interest, what else is there to do near Alton Towers? That might have some bearing on it...

Anyway, these things are never clear cut; it's impossible to say with any certainty which was it would go on the day in front of the Judge.

My point is that the chorus of YABU isn't quite as justified as it seems - OP does have an arguable case...

It could be inferred from the dealings of the parties that the principal aim of the hiring was the witnessing of the coronation."

I very much doubt that the OP booked in a way that in any way made it possible to infer that the primary purpose of his visit was to go to Alton Towers. Unless the hotel only accepts bookings for those intended to go to Alton Towers. An online booking form which is completed without any requirement for a PI operative to even look at it would probably not be considered indicative of an inferred understanding of the OP's principal aim.