To expect MoH to refund hen accommodation after we were refused access?

[Hennightmare]

I attended a hen party at the weekend - Friday to Sunday, staying close to a seaside resort in a private accommodation. I paid my share in advance - nearly £300.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by the owner who refused entry on the basis that hen parties (and same sex groups/stags) are not allowed and this is stated in the booking terms and conditions and elsewhere on the website. Despite reasoning, the owner was not backing down, and said there’d been an incident with a same sex group two weekends ago which required costly repairs.

MoH said she was aware of other hens who had stayed and this is how she found the place on instagram. She was told no refund would be given as there wouldn’t be time to let it again for the weekend.

We managed to find budget hotel rooms in the area but this scuppered the plans which were in place for the house - games etc.

I have looked myself and it is prominent on the website about the rules around hen parties etc. It is clear there has been inconsistent approaches in the past though.

Should the MoH cover us for her mistake? I am out of pocket after the hotel booking.

YABU - suck it up, it happened
YANBU - her mistake, she should offer to cover it

Who is moh. Mother of the Hens? I wish folk wouldnt use those random acronyms

You have got to wonder at the owner - if she had a bad experience with a hen do just a couple of weeks earlier then surely she would check, double check, triple check and then check again that new customers were quite clear about the no parties condition.

Maid of honor

Maid of Honour. The acronym has been around for decades.

OP did the MoH pay on a credit or debit card ? If so can she put this in the hands of her bank/card provider to investigate ? They would have a better chance of finding out exactly when the policy changed and whether the website was updated before or after she booked the venue. It’s an awful lot of money to lose and if it transpires that the website was changed after she booked and the owner won’t refund voluntarily, the card provider or bank may do a chargeback. If not, maybe small claims court is the answer.

Ok thanks. It is late!

If there was an Incident with a same sex group a couple days weeks ago, it must mean they had accepted their booking, other wise surely they would have been turned away?

Debit card (someone asked her at the weekend).

This.

Good point

Then the first port of call is her bank to explain what’s happened and that it’s not clear whether the terms and conditions changed before or after she booked. The bank should investigate and if the owner is at fault there should be a chargeback.

The owner has admitted that there was a hen party a couple of weeks ago, which suggests that up to that point they were still taking bookings for these types of events. If, as you say, MoH booked long before that, then the question becomes, why their stay went ahead while yours was refused. If the T&Cs changed after you booked it was on the owner to bring that to her attention and offer a refund.

You have said I have looked myself and it is prominent on the website about the rules around hen parties etc. but also I did see the listing prior to booking, but was looking at the key details such as photo’s and whether bedding/towels are provided as opposed to trawling the T&C’s

So was it prominent on the website or was it hidden in the T&C’s?

It's a necessary rule because many people during these parties act like arseholes and behave dreadfully. The same people who will stay at a venue with their family and friends on a trip will be have very different when they are on a stag or hen do. Sad but true. And, as stated, the venue did say no stag or hens so why do they deserve to be slated?

Excellent point.

And as previous posters have pointed out - was this added before or after the booking if the owner allowed a hen party just a few weeks before?

Wll of the ages were 2, 6, 12, 34, 38 then I think anyone would safely assume that's not a hen do

That I don’t know.

@Hennightmare when the MoH booked this, did she get a confirmation email with the T&C’s attached?

If I had lost £300 I would not be being so passive about this. I would be contacting the accommodation owner ASAP for a refund. I can’t believe none of you queried this when you were turned away!

Which is why your best bet is to put it into the hands of the card provider to investigate.

How did they know you were a hen party and not 5 same sex couples? What if half of you identified as male?

We did query - MoH was vague and very much in ‘let’s concentrate on having a good time’ mode.

As I’ve said before, I’m seeing my friend tomorrow (who is bride to be) and I will ask her about it as with MoH being her best friend, if anyone knows the details she will.

How did the owner find out it was a hen do?

I'd rather cut my finger off then be a maid of honour in this day and age if people are expecting a professional party planner.

Please just accept it was an honest mistake and make the bride's weekend as nice as it can be

Agreed, but I can’t make that decision, only MoH can. Depending what my friend says tomorrow, I’ll push for that route to be taken.

Did they offer for some of the hens to stay? Not sure if that would have scuppered the trip even more. Wonder what constitutes a large group. Anyway providers refusing to book for hen/stag parties has been a thing for a long as I can remember. It should have been checked.

No they didn’t, that wasn’t an option and I doubt it would have been taken up anyway as we wanted to all be together.