Travel to Leicester

Sconeyj

Morning all
My partner's cousin was due to get married in Leicester later this month, so we booked accommodation ages ago - well before lockdown. The wedding's now been postponed and the accom is non-refundable, so we'd resigned ourselves to losing the money, but if the lockdown continues in Leicester do we potentially have a claim on our travel insurance? Just wanted to see if anyone else had been in the same boat before enquiring with the insurers.
Cheers

bradders1983

From various threads on here not a single person has returned to the forum to say their insurer would cover them for the Leicester thing.

However if the hotel is unable to operate due to it and they then cancel your booking as a result, they should at least offer you a change of date, if it is a chain hotel with other locations this may not be too bad. I suspect by the end of the month though they reopen the town.

elsien

Will the accommodation be open at the time you are due to stay there? If not then I think your insurer would expect to try to retrieve your money from the hotel first. 

Sconeyj

Thanks both. The booking is after the proposed lockdown review date of the 18th so we'll play it by ear as hotels may have reopened after that date. But even if it is open yet travelling there would contravene government advice, it seems like a grey area. I'll explore it with the insurers nearer the time and let you know what they say.

bradders1983

Sconeyj said:

Thanks both. The booking is after the proposed lockdown review date of the 18th so we'll play it by ear as hotels may have reopened after that date. But even if it is open yet travelling there would contravene government advice, it seems like a grey area. I'll explore it with the insurers nearer the time and let you know what they say.

Assuming Leicester is still "locked down" in late July.....

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/closing-certain-businesses-and-venues-in-leicester

Do you fall under any of these categories?

Hotels and other accommodation businesses may provide services to those listed below:

• People who live in the accommodation permanently as their main residence.
• Any person who is unable to return to their main residence, including non-UK residents who are unable to travel to their country of residence during this period.
• Those isolating themselves from others as required by law.
• Any critical worker that is part of the effort to deal with coronavirus, if the stay is necessary for their work. The list of critical workers was published by the Cabinet Office and Department for Education on 19 March 2020 and updated on 5 May 2020.
• An elite sportsperson, their coach, or (in the case of an elite sportsperson under the age of 18) the parent of an elite sportsperson, if they need accommodation for the purposes of training or competition.
• Those permitted to attend a funeral as per Regulation 6(2)(b), who need temporary short term accommodation for that purpose.
• To support or provide accommodation to homeless and other vulnerable people such as those who cannot safely stay in their home, including through arrangements with local authorities and other public bodies.
• To those who need accommodation while moving house.

If not, the hotel will HAVE to cancel your stay, and therefore sort you out themselves. No insurer intervention required.  A chargeback with your bank/credit card should also succeed based on the above if the hotel do not play ball.

Sconeyj

Thanks Bradders, I'd been looking for something official from the government but hadn't seen that. As much as I'd like to consider myself an elite sportsman, I don't fall under any of those, so I'll use this if the lockdown is still in place. Thanks very much for that.