Booking accomodation
To make booking accommodation as straightforward as possible, you are recommended to nominate one or two people from your group to liaise with YHA. This could be the Secretary or Events Coordinator, but if you use YHA accommodation regularly, this could be an entirely separate committee role. YHA consider that this will have two main benefits:
- It will ensure that information sent to your YHA Group Contact about changes to bookings arrangements or special offers can be forwarded easily on to the person(s) responsible for arranging this
- The person(s) responsible will become (if they aren’t already) experienced at dealing with YHA to book accommodation
Making a Group Booking
- Bookings to stay at a Youth Hostel may be made by telephoning the Bookings team at the relevant Youth Hostel or, where directed in the YHA’s brochure, by telephoning the YHA Contact Centre.
- Camping Barn bookings can only be made by telephoning the YHA Contact Centre.
- All bookings made by telephone, fax or other forms of distance communication are made subject to terms and conditions and the person placing the booking warrants that he/she has the full authority to do so on behalf of all the persons they are making a booking for, and confirms that all such persons are aware of, and accept, these conditions.
- Before your booking is confirmed and the Contract comes into force, YHA reserves the right to increase or decrease prices PROVIDED THAT they notify you in writing in good time prior to delivery of such price increases/decreases. You may cancel your order within 7 working days of this notice if you are unhappy with the price increases/decreases.
- All bookings are subject to availability and YHA reserves the right to decline any booking at its discretion.
- Affiliated Group members are also free to make Individual and Family bookings on the web but please note that if you book for a maximum of nine people under the Individual/Family Terms and Conditions, you will be asked to pay in full at the time of booking (you will also be expected to pay the Non-Member Supplement on arrival if you do not travel with a current YHA Membership Card). If you would like to make a booking for a minimum of 5 people under the Group Terms and Conditions instead (and have the benefit of staggered payments and are not paying the Non-Member Supplements if you are not also an Individual YHA member) you will be directed to send an enquiry to the Hostel via the website as it is not possible to purchase Group accommodation directly from the website.
After the Group enquiry has been received by the Hostel, they will contact you by email to inform you of their availability. If you wish to make a booking with the Hostel they will then send you a Group Booking Confirmation Form, which you must complete and return within two weeks along with the appropriate deposit. If you make a booking directly with the Hostel by telephone, they will also then send you the Group Booking Confirmation Form for you to confirm the booking. The Form includes a complete version of the Terms and Conditions for you to review.
Terms and Conditions for Group Bookings
The information below about Terms and Conditions for Group Bookings is correct at the time of printing. YHA reserves the right to change these Terms and Conditions and therefore you are advised to consult the Terms and Conditions provided to you at the time of booking.
The Terms and Conditions for all types of accommodation booking are being reviewed in 2007 and changes will be implemented from November 2007. Affiliated Groups will be notified of these changes when they are approved.
General information
- In these terms and conditions:
- Camping Barns
- means the accommodation in ’stone tents’ as further described in our most recent brochures as published from time to time;
- Customer
- means any customer who makes or is making a booking with the YHA;
- Group
- means a group of 5 or more people staying at a Youth Hostel (in England and Wales) or a group of 9 or more people staying at a Youth Hostel outside of England and Wales under the group membership scheme;
- Escape to
- means the rental of an entire Youth Hostel under one booking;
- All-inclusive Packages
- has the meaning given to it in our most recent brochures as published from time to time;
- Writing
- means letter, fax or email;
- YHA
- means the Youth Hostels Association (England and Wales) Ltd;
- You
- means the customer submitting a booking;
- Youth Hostel
- means a youth hostel run by the YHA.
- The contract for the supply by us of accommodation and (where applicable) other related services (“Contract”) will be formed when we accept your order and we receive from you the appropriate deposit in cleared funds.
- Your Contract cannot be amended unless confirmed by an authorised representative of YHA and yourself.
- These conditions and any matters referred to by us form the entire understanding between you and us and supersede any prior promises, representations (unless fraudulent) or undertakings.
- Any omission or error in any sales literature, web page or site, order form, quotation, price list, order acknowledgement, despatch note, invoice or other document issued by us may be corrected by us without liability. We will advise you of any changes at the time of booking or as soon as is reasonably possible thereafter.
- The provisions of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 are expressly excluded from the Contract so that no third party may claim any rights under this contract.
About Group Bookings
- All Groups must have a minimum leader:participant ratio of one leader for every ten participants. Mixed sex groups must have leaders of both sexes. (N.B. all adult groups should nominate a leader for the trip, to liaise with the Hostel and be nominally responsible for the group, they do not have to adhere to the leader:participant ratio).
- Group leaders accompanying the Group are responsible for the discipline and behaviour of their Group. Group leaders are responsible for all damage caused by their action or the actions of those in their group.
- If any Group is given sole use of a Youth Hostel(s) it shall not offer for sale to the general public or publicly advertise the sale of Youth Hostel facilities or services without the prior written agreement of YHA.
Payment for Group Bookings
- In order to secure your booking you must pay us the appropriate deposit, as set out below:
- For Group bookings (including multi hostel bookings) made more than six months in advance a deposit of £1 per person, per hostel is required as an initial deposit. A further deposit of 25% of the full cost of the booking is required 6 months prior to your arrival date. The balance must be paid 8 weeks before your arrival date;
- For Group bookings less than six months in advance of your arrival date a deposit of 25% of the full cost of the booking is required. The balance must be paid 8 weeks before your arrival date.
- Groups can make other type of bookings for which different payment schedules apply:
- For Escape To bookings, Camping Barn group bookings, multi hostel bookings, walking or activity holidays a deposit of 25% of the full cost of the booking is required. The balance must be paid 8 weeks before your arrival date (these are not subject to Group Booking Terms and Conditions);
- For bookings for the all-inclusive packages (Flexi and Explorer packages) full payment is required to secure your booking (these are not subject to Group Bookings Terms and Conditions).
- Payments shall be made in such format as we may agree with you when you place an order.
- If any payment under these terms and conditions is overdue, then without prejudice to our other rights and remedies, we may cancel your booking; and/or we may suspend the supply and/or deliveries of any other services being provided to you by YHA.
- Deposits payable as above are non-refundable in the circumstances set out below in the section on ‘Cancelling your booking’.
Changing a Group Booking
- Subject to availability, you may change a Group booking to a different location or date up to 6 months before your arrival date.
- If, less than 6 months before your arrival date, you wish to change a Group booking such change shall be treated as a cancellation, please see section ‘Cancelling a booking’ below.
- A Group booking can decrease its numbers by up to 10% up to 28 days before arrival, without incurring cancellation fees. Thereafter any additional decreases in Group numbers will be subject to our standard cancellation charges. Changes are subject to availability.
- All changes shall be subject to the availability of a suitable alternative.
- Please refer to the Terms and Conditions for changing Escape 2 and all-inclusive packages as these may differ from standard Group Bookings.
Cancelling a Booking
- All cancellations are subject to a cancellation charge.
- Cancellation charges for all Group bookings, where less than 56 days notice is given, are set on the sliding scale below:
No. of days Amount you must pay More than 56 days Varies according to the booking – see section c) below 55 – 42 days 30% of the total cost of your stay 41 – 28 days 60% of the total cost of your stay 27 – 15 days 90% of the total cost of your stay 14 days or less The total cost of your stay All cancellation charges are calculated from the day written notification is received by YHA. These charges are based on how many days before the date of the first night of your stay we receive your cancellation notice and on the total cost of your stay.
- Cancellation charges for all cancellations more than 56 days in advance vary according to the booking. If you cancel a Escape To, Camping Barn, Group Bookings, multi-hostel booking, walking or activity holiday YHA will retain the deposit paid. If you cancel an all-inclusive package (Flexi / Explorer package) YHA will retain 10% of the deposit payment made.
If YHA changes your booking
- In the unlikely event it becomes necessary to change your booking, in total or in part YHA will inform you as soon as is reasonably possible of any necessary changes. You shall have the choice of either accepting the changed arrangements, purchasing another booking from YHA (and paying or receiving a refund in respect of any differences), or cancelling your booking and receiving a full refund of all payments made.
Delay or Failure to Perform
- We shall not be liable to you if we are prevented or delayed in the performing of any of our obligations to you if this is due to any cause beyond our reasonable control including (without limitation): an act of God, explosion, flood, fire or accident; war or civil disturbance; strike, industrial action or stoppages of work; any form of government intervention; a third party act or omission; failure by you to give us a correct delivery address or notify us of any change of address.
Our liability to you
- YHA shall ensure that the accommodation and/or other services you order from us are in accordance with these terms and conditions and shall be performed by us with reasonable skill and care.
- Where an element of your booking is not provided as stated in section (a) above you must notify us within 28 days of the alleged breach. We shall then investigate the matter and if we have not delivered the services you shall be entitled to either a full refund of the cost of your order (or, where appropriate, the relevant section of it) less any fees charged for changes requested by you or a free stay to the equivalent value of the services complained of, where such dates are agreed in writing by us.
- We will not be liable to you by way of representation (unless fraudulent), common law duty or under any express or implied term of the contract for: any losses which are not foreseeable by both you and us when the Contract is formed arising in connection with the supply of the services or their use by you; any losses which are not caused by any breach by us; business or trade losses.
- Our entire liability in connection with the Contract will not exceed the purchase price of the services booked less any amendment charges paid to us.
- Except in relation to death or personal injury caused by our negligence YHA’s liability remains, at all times, limited to the value of the services booked, excluding any amendment charges paid to us.
Behaviour
- If your behaviour is deemed to be unacceptable or causes damage, your booking may be terminated and you may be asked to leave YHA premises. Your membership card will be retained pending further enquiry. No whole or part refunds will be made under these circumstances.
Governing Law and Jurisdiction
- The contract is subject to English law and the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.
Your Information
- We shall only store and use the information you supply to us or which is supplied to us for the purposes of carrying out our contact with you and to inform you of other services and offers which we make available from time to time. If you do not wish to receive such information, please let us know by contacting Customer Services.