Hotel Cancellation Rights...do we have any in this case?

System

hcb42 wrote: »

This is NOT the norm for weddings (although I must add I do not work in Italy, just in Hotel Management in UK!)

normally, the bride and groom book the wedding, pay the deposit for the wedding breakfastbuffet etc and their room if not complimentary and a discussion is had as to how many rooms they believe their party might need. These are usually held on Allocation - and normally released say 28 days prior to wedding date, normally at a special rate.

That way there is no financial liability on the bride and groom (who always imho vastly overestimate the number of people who will stay, as they assume all their family will stay two nights when in fact the family (who are already buying two outfits, present, hotel, flight, fuel etc, will stop at the nearest budget chain if they can find one!)

To me, there would be no way the hotel can enforce a contract here IF the OP did not agree to it. THe sticking point however is these bank details, as i the OP did not agree to it, the hotel would not have them.

So the terms of the booking are important here. To me, they should not be liable for any more than a deposit, they have given ample notice for the hotel to resell that bedroom, and if the hotel is booked on an exclusive basis, then yes, the bride and groom will have the liability....but they would have anyway....IYSWIM....

Don't take this personally but you can't be very good at your job. If you are in hotel management and agree for a bridal party to be the only guests allowed to stay in your hotel on a set date and then don't get a guarantee from the wedding organisers that all rooms will be taken then you stand to lose alot of money. Its terrible business sense.

What you say above is a different situation, they can reserve a set number of rooms in the hotel and not take them all because they get released back into the system and can be sold to other guests. Its a different situation when you want to restrict the hotel to just one wedding party

System

Flyboy152 wrote: »

I honestly have never heard of this practice.



Why?

I don't think its socially acceptable when getting married to send a wedding invitation to guests which states on it that you are invited to a wedding but you owe them £?? for a room. You would then have to enclose t & c's in the invitation asking people to not use the mini bar, pay for movies etc.. Do you ask them to send you a cheque? cash on the day, you've got enough things to worry about on your wedding day without having to worry about everyone paying you for a room!

System

Flyboy152 wrote: »

I can't see that being legally enforceable.

Depends on the contract, my mates dad booked a whole hotel out for a wedding, 2 rooms were empty but he had to pay for them as part of the contract for the wedding parties exclusive use of the hotel was all rooms would be taken.

The OP needs to ask their friend that if they don't pay who does.

Pollycat

fluffnutter wrote: »

Arrange it quickly

fluffnutter wrote: »

I know! I was being facetious. I'd never encourage someone to behave so fraudulently!

It wasn't really clear from your 1st post that it wasn't a serious suggestion.

It could have cost the OP unnecessary money if he had followed your advice.

Flyboy152

goater78 wrote: »

I don't think its socially acceptable when getting married to send a wedding invitation to guests which states on it that you are invited to a wedding but you owe them £?? for a room. You would then have to enclose t & c's in the invitation asking people to not use the mini bar, pay for movies etc.. Do you ask them to send you a cheque? cash on the day, you've got enough things to worry about on your wedding day without having to worry about everyone paying you for a room!

I have been to plenty of weddings/family events etc. and told, "a hotel can be arranged at a special rate and the cost will be........ We can make the arrangements for you, or you can book direct." I can't see any issue with that at all.

Flyboy152

goater78 wrote: »

Depends on the contract, my mates dad booked a whole hotel out for a wedding, 2 rooms were empty but he had to pay for them as part of the contract for the wedding parties exclusive use of the hotel was all rooms would be taken.

The OP needs to ask their friend that if they don't pay who does.

Just because he might have fallen for a term printed in a contract, does not necessarily make it enforceable.

System

Flyboy152 wrote: »

I have been to plenty of weddings/family events etc. and told, "a hotel can be arranged at a special rate and the cost will be........ We can make the arrangements for you, or you can book direct." I can't see any issue with that at all.

Yes but that is different, pretty much every wedding invite you get offers accomodation options and "a special rate". That is pretty standard. This is an example where the whole hotel is being booked by the OP's friend so the hotel can't sell rooms to other guests, its a completely different situation!

When they say "we can make the arrangements for you" they are not paying for your room they are just booking a room for you and you pay on checkout. You must move in very strange social circles if you are invited to weddings where they request money off you beforehand! What does the invitation you get say? "I would like to invite you to the wedding of ..... please RSVP in the envelope provided and be sure to enclose a cheque for the cost of the room"

System

Flyboy152 wrote: »

Just because he might have fallen for a term printed in a contract, does not necessarily make it enforceable.

Of course he does. If you request the whole hotel on an exclusive basis you are not allowing the hotel to sell the rooms to other people. Therefore you are responsible for filling these rooms up as you have imposed the trade restriction on the hotel. Therefore you are liable for any empty rooms that your guests don't take!

Pollycat

goater78 wrote: »

Of course he does. If you request the whole hotel on an exclusive basis you are not allowing the hotel to sell the rooms to other people. Therefore you are responsible for filling these rooms up as you have imposed the trade restriction on the hotel. Therefore you are liable for any empty rooms that your guests don't take!

I don't know if the above is true but it makes total sense to me.

sassyblue

LuciusC11 wrote: »

We did not pay any deposit. It is quite a strange set up:

The bride and groom have hired out the hotel, but instead of paying the entire bill, and then collecting money from each guest, each guest must pay the hotel directly on departure. In order to confirm our names on the list, our bank details where given to the hotel, although no money has been taken. Now that we have been removed from the guest list, the hotel have attempted to take the full payment, although it failed because funds were yet to be transferred to the account. Given that they have already attempted to take payment, I get the feeling that it is a lost cause, as I suspect they will argue that cancellation was within the 8 weeks cut off period. They cannot sell the room to anyone else, as the hotel is reserved for the wedding party...

Your best bet is to make sure NO MONEY is in that account so they can't take it, keep schtum and hope the hotel writes it off and doesn't proceed with lawyers to try and get their money back.

Contracts don't make a jot of difference in that it's upto the hotel to decide whether they're going to chase their money and that will involve solicitors fees on top of what they stand to lose - probably nothing since they still have time to fill the room, couldn't the bride and groom ask another couple in your place?