Terms and Conditions                     
This is the user agreement which governs your use of this website and the purchase by you of the services and products we provide. This website is owned and operated by The Hotel & Conference Company Limited ("The Hotel & Conference Company", "we", "us") however not all of the products or services we provide are supplied by us, therefore the contract for the product and/or service will be between you and that third party.
General Section - please note that this section relates generally to your use of the website and to all products purchased.

  1. Please take time to read these terms and conditions it is important for both of us that you understand our contractual relationship relating to your use of the website. We will not allow you to request any products or services from the website unless you have confirmed that you have read these terms.
  2. Our website operates to an agency model. This means that we act as a disclosed agent for third party suppliers, such as a hotel or venue. What this means is that the contract for the product is between you and the supplier. In most cases this will mean that there are additional terms and conditions governing the contract as each supplier will have terms and conditions relating to that product. Please make sure that you have read these terms and conditions before completing your transaction with us. You can easily request them from our Customer Relations Department by using one of the methods detailed at the end of these terms. Where we act as agent this will mean that we have no contractual liability to you in respect of that product. However, we may still be liable to you if we have been negligent, we have misrepresented important information or have been in breach of any other relevant law. On the other hand, for some products, we act as principal. This means that the contract for the product is between you and us. Don't worry we will let you know where we act as principal and where we act as agent.
  3. All products sold through The Hotel & Conference Company are not an offer by The Hotel & Conference Company to sell any product, but an invitation to you to make an offer to our suppliers. We are free to accept that offer on behalf of those suppliers or to reject it. In some cases, we may send you an email acknowledging receipt of your order. Once we have processed your order, we will send you an e-mail confirming the contract.
  4. Because the contract for the product or service is between you and the supplier any queries or concerns relating to the product or service should be addressed to them. You will see the name and address, plus contact details, for most suppliers on your confirmation for each product or service and for all suppliers in any confirmatory e-mail we send you. We will of course assist you with this if you wish - please contact Customer Services.
  5. Where your contract is not with The Hotel & Conference Company but with a third party supplier such as a venue or hotel, The Hotel & Conference Company may pass your credit card (or details of any other payment method allowed) and any other essential booking details to that third party. The placing of an order for any goods and services by you will constitute consent to us passing on such details.
  6. You undertake to us that the details you give to us are correct in particular that the credit or debit card you are using is your own and that there are sufficient funds to cover the cost of the product or service.
  7. If there are any changes to the details supplied to us by you it is your responsibility to inform The Hotel & Conference Company by contacting us as soon as possible.
  8. We won't send you e-mails which you do not want but we can't guarantee that third parties to whom your details are sent won't do so.
  9. Our system will not stop you from making impossible bookings such as two stays to the same hotel at the same time. If you make that kind of booking we won't give you a refund.
  10. We will do our best to correct errors and omissions as quickly as practicable after being notified of them. However because of the sophisticated technology that is required in operating the website there may be times when obvious errors occur. For example, very occasionally, this may result in a price, product or service or other detail displayed or presented on the website being incorrect. In this case we reserve the right to cancel that contract, but this of course will be without any liability to you.
  11. The Hotel & Conference Company does not make any warranty that the website is free from infection by viruses or anything else that has contaminating or destructive properties.
  12. Credit card companies charge us a fee when you pay with their cards and therefore a credit card fee is applied to some travel bookings made with Visa, MasterCard or American Express credit cards. Currently, credit card fees are charged on hotel/venue packages and hotel/venue bookings.

Specific Terms - Please note these terms only relate to the purchase of the specific products to which they relate. Please note if there is a conflict or ambiguity between these Special Terms and the General Terms the Special Terms shall prevail:
Terms and Conditions relating to:

  • A Data Protection and Privacy
  • B Hotels
  • C Conference, Meetings & Events
  • D Other Miscellaneous Section>

 

A. Privacy Policy

  1. General Introduction

The Hotel & Conference Company understands the importance of keeping the information about you that you entrust to us confidential and secure (“Customer Information”). The information we collect may include your personal information, in other words information capable of identifying you as a particular individual, such as your name, phone number, email address, shopping preferences, credit card information (“Personal Information”). We therefore make it our highest priority to ensure that we look after your Customer Information and use it responsibly. By visiting our website by providing your Customer Information to us over the telephone, by email or other communication method, you accept and consent to the collection, storage and processing of your Customer Information as described in this Privacy Policy.

  1. Who Controls your Customer Information?

Customer Information collected by us is controlled by The Hotel & Conference Company Limited with its registered office at 26 Sutton Mill Road, Potton, Bedfordshire, SG19 2QB. Customer Information collected by The Hotel & Conference Company is stored on a central database, hosted by The Hotel & Conference Company Limited in the UK.

  1. What Personal Information do we collect and how?

    The Hotel & Conference Company collects Customer Information supplied by you and uses it to provide you with a personalised and secure service. Although in certain instances, we will require you to provide us with your Personal Information, for example, to enable you to set up an account with us or purchase services (and we will make it clear to you at the time what we need from you), you can visit many pages on our website without the need to supply any Personal Information.

The Hotel & Conference Company may collect Personal Information about you:

  • when you apply for an account with The Hotel & Conference Company
  • when you purchase products and/or services
  • when you participate in competitions, questionnaires and surveys
  • when you contact us
  • via implicit data capture measures when you visit the website, such as studying which pages you read the most and through the use of cookies.
  • when you provide certain content to The Hotel & Conference Company, for example testimonials and customer reviews
  • from third party sources, for example credit checking agencies

Examples of Personal Information we collect in each case are:
Account Application Information
You provide us with your name, contact telephone numbers, marital status and other personal descriptions will also be retained by us and treated in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Purchaser Information
You provide us with your name, credit card details, including card number, card type, cardholder name, expiry date, billing address and delivery details when you place an order through our website or over the telephone, by email or other communication method..
Information from Competitions, Questionnaires and Surveys
When you complete questionnaires, surveys or competition entry forms you provide us with your Personal Information including your name, street address, email address and other information we might request.
Contacting us
When you contact us by email, phone or post, you provide us with your Personal Information for example, name, email address etc.
Implicit data capture
In addition to the information which you may volunteer to us, certain Customer Information is automatically collected when you visit the website via tracking technologies employed by us from time to time such as cookies, flash cookies, web bugs, javascript. These collect Customer Information including technical information from your computer whenever you visit the website such as your Internet protocol (IP) address, your operating system and platform, browser type and version and referrer website as well as providing us with information about your shopping preferences, viewed/searched-for products and on site activity. The information collected by cookies and other tracking methods placed by us is anonymous and does not contain your Personal Information but will simply identify you as a specific number by reference to your hard drive. If you are a wireless user and gain Internet access via a mobile phone you should contact your wireless provider to find out if they collect Personal Information about you.
Cookies
The website owned and operated The Hotel & Conference Company uses cookies (small text files containing a unique identification number). There are three types of cookies:

Permanent cookies
When you visit our website, we will assign a permanent cookie on the hard drive of your computer. You can view these by looking in the cookies directory of your browser installation. As the name implies, permanent cookies last for a long time and each time you visit our website you send us a copy of them allowing us to identify you from visit to visit. For instance, if you were looking at hotels in London last time you were on the website and the next time you visit us we have a great hotel deal, this cookie enables us to recognise you, so that we can show you that deal. The aim is to enhance your experience whilst on the website and make sure you don’t miss out on great offers. Cookies do not contain any Personal Information for example, your name, address, email address, or telephone number, but simply a unique identification number that identifies your computer to us.
Third party tracking devices
You will see that we carry advertising relating to third parties on our website. This advertising is served either directly by third party advertisers or on their behalf by advertising network companies. These advertisers or advertising networks may place cookies, action tags or other tracking devices on your hard drive to assess the effectiveness of their ads. They may aggregate information about your visits to our website and other websites retrieved via such cookies with other information that you may have provided directly to the relevant advertiser or ad network. This Privacy Policy does not cover the use of cookies and other tracking devices by third parties. This will be covered by that third party’s privacy policies and practice and we would recommend that you take a look at these which in most cases will be found on that company’s website.

Opting out
Although you cannot block "session" cookies you can configure your Internet browser so that it can reject both "permanent" and "third party" cookies. How you do this will depend upon the Internet browser you use (for example, Internet Explorer 5, Netscape 4 or Opera etc). Please refer to the relevant Internet browser manufacturer's website where you should be able to receive all the information you need.
Information from other sources
We may receive information about you from other sources, for example from credit reference agencies to guard against fraud or address, delivery information from third parties engaged for record correction purposes etc.

  1. How do we use your Customer Information?

The Hotel & Conference Company will use your Customer Information for a number of different purposes including:

  • For opening your account with The Hotel & Conference Company
  • For fulfilling orders
  • For responding to your queries
  • For improving your onsite experience and providing you with information about products and services, special offers and promotions.
  • For internal operations and analysis

Fulfilling orders
When you place an order for products or services via the website, by email, over the telephone or other communication method, we will use your purchase information to process the requested transaction, fulfil your order and provide you with the products and services you expect.
Responding to communications
We may use your Customer Information to respond to your queries for example, about an order or problems navigating the website. In order to address your query, you may be contacted by email, over the telephone, or other communication method by us. We may also use your contact details to send you follow up information about a booking (for example, regarding changes to booked accommodation or unavoidable disruptions affecting your stay in order to help you make alternative arrangements). We may contact you via email, phone or other communication channel to respond to suggestions you may send to us (for example about our website, products and services) and to assess and announce the results of surveys, competitions and other contests you may have participated in. Some information including customer e-mails received by The Hotel & Conference Company may be used by us for testimonials though your Personal Information, such as e-mail address or contact details, will never be displayed publicly by us.
Internal administration and fraud prevention
We may also use your Customer Information for internal administration, analysis and quality assurance purposes, including fraud prevention.
We use your Customer Information to help us guard against fraud. When you make a booking or purchase products or services offered by us, we will automatically pass certain Customer Information which you provide to us (for example, your name, credit card, billing address details) to third party credit reference agencies, payment processors or other third parties for the specific purpose of verifying that information. If your Customer Information cannot be satisfactorily verified (for example, your stated billing address does not match your credit card details), we will contact you to notify you that your purchase request has not been confirmed and to request corrected details, if they can be provided, before we can process your order.

  1. Who do we share your information with and why?

We are happy to say that we are not in the business of selling or renting your Customer Information to third parties. The Hotel & Conference Company does however share your Customer Information with its carefully selected third party partners and providers as necessary for business administration, customer delivery, marketing and operational, analytical or other purposes as set out below. Except with your expressly given consent, we will only share your Customer Information as described in this Privacy Policy.
Third party suppliers and group companies
The Hotel & Conference Company engages other group companies and/or carefully selected third party partners, including service providers, joint venture partners and outsource providers to perform various functions on our behalf. To the extent required to perform such functions on our behalf, these companies may process your Customer Information. Such functions include, processing bookings and confirming reservations for products and services and providing associated information (for example, local area information relating to a hotel booking), delivering products and services, processing credit card payments, providing search results, communicating with you, including providing customer service, via telephone, email, post or otherwise and for promotional activities.
We may also share your Customer Information with third parties for the purpose of data analysis, quality assurance (including fraud prevention) and, though this will not include your Personal Information, for marketing assistance (for example, to explore consumer trends).
Various pages on our website contain links (including via ads) to third party websites. Once you have exited our website via such a link, any further data you provide will be collected by or on behalf of the third party responsible for that website and therefore subject to the privacy policy and practices of that third party rather than to this Privacy Policy. We cannot be responsible for any third party’s use of your Customer Information and recommend that you check the specific terms on the relevant third party’s websites relating to the use and disclosure of your Customer Information.
To the extent that any third party has access to your Personal Information to provide functions on our behalf, their use of this information will be limited solely to providing those functions and for no other purpose.
Business restructuring
Like any other organisation, from time to time The Hotel & Conference Company may restructure its business operations by selling its business (or part of its business) to a buyer. In such transactions, your Customer Information could be transferred as part of the relevant sale. If this is the case, we would contact you to let you know.
Compliance with laws and regulations
We may disclose your Personal Information to third parties, such as official bodies and our professional advisers, as far as we believe necessary (i) to comply with relevant laws, orders or regulations, (ii) to enforce our customer terms and conditions of use or other contractual agreements and (iii) to protect the property and other rights of The Hotel & Conference Company, its customers and others (for example, in any way relating to protection against fraudulent activities in respect of The Hotel & Conference Company).
Transfers outside the UK
For any of the above purposes, we may need to send your information internationally including to countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Some of these jurisdictions offer differing levels of protection in respect of personal information and may, in certain instances, be less protective than UK data protection requirements. We will however take steps to ensure that your Personal Information is transferred, stored and processed in accordance with appropriate security standards and in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws.

  1. How do we keep your Customer Information secure?

In the UK we operate in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation.
We use security measures to ensure the safety and confidentiality of your Customer Information through collection, storage and disclosure. Such measures include maintaining a secure encryption based transmission system, intrusion detection and prevention software and virus protection software in respect of Customer Information.

  1. How can you control your Customer Information?

The Hotel & Conference Company understands that it is important that you have control over your Customer Information.
You can change your information, including your contact email address by emailing or writing to us.

  1. Changes to this Privacy Policy

The Hotel & Conference Company may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time and will notify you of any material changes by displaying the revised Privacy Policy on our website.

 

B. Hotels

Please note: Photo identification of the person whose name is on the booking may be requested when checking in.

Hotel Cancellations / Amendments
In the event that you would like to cancel or amend your hotel booking, the cancellation policy will be available on your confirmation email or as stated at the time of booking.
If the cancellation policy is not displayed within your confirmation email and you wish to cancel your reservation, it is your responsibility to notify The Hotel & Conference Company verbally and/or in writing at least 48 hours prior to the expected check in date.
The Hotel & Conference Company applies an administration fee of 5% per booking for any modifications, changes or cancellations to your reservation. This will be regardless of the price of your reservation. Any booking fees or credit card charges are non-refundable.
In addition to The Hotel & Conference Company charges, most hotels may also have a penalty or cancellation fee for any changes or cancellations to reservations. This can be calculated from the date of amendment / cancellation to the date of arrival, alternatively one set fee. We will advise you if you decide to proceed with the changes.
If you send us your cancellation in writing, cancellation is not immediate, The Hotel & Conference Company will respond to you within 4 hours of receipt of your email if received within office hours. Please note that individual hotel cancellation policies can vary. Please take this 4 hour turnaround time into consideration when putting your cancellation in writing.

2. All hotel discounts advertised are based on the discounts from the full "rack rate" including VAT and are correct at the time the offers are first advertised. However, please note that some hotels in other countries may also charge local or other taxes, which may not be included in the offer.

3. "Rack rate" is the rate published by a hotel which is the maximum it will charge for any room.

4. If you wish to cancel your hotel room, please contact us verbally and/or in writing. In the event of cancellation for whatever reason you shall be liable to pay The Hotel & Conference Company an administration fee of 5%. This could be in addition to any cancellation charge any hotel may impose.

5. Prices stated are on per room, per night basis and include VAT unless otherwise stated.

6. Please be aware that the hotel room photos are only a depiction of the type of rooms on offer and may not represent the actual room described.

7. Unless otherwise stated, breakfast, lunch and dinner are not included.

8. Star ratings may differ according to the country where the hotel is located and are out of the control of The Hotel & Conference Company. Please note that all ratings advised are The Hotel & Conference Company ratings and not official ratings. Therefore The Hotel & Conference Company cannot be held responsible for any misconceptions relating to star ratings.

9. Please note foreign hotel room advertisements displayed via The Hotel & Conference Company may have room rates identified in both GBP sterling as well as the local currency, or any other currency as requested by the specific hotel supplier. Unless stated otherwise, at the time of final payment, the room rate you will be charged by the hotel shall be as expressed in the local currency (or in any other currency as determined by the hotel) and not in GBP sterling. Please be aware any subsequent conversion of the local currency to GBP sterling by the hotel on your behalf may differ from the GBP sterling room rate advertised via The Hotel & Conference Company.

10. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy and availability, some errors might still occur. Once aware of such incidents we will make all reasonable effort to advise you within 48 business hours of the booking being made. We reserve the right to cancel the reservation and refund all monies paid, but this of course will be without any liability to you.

11. In the unlikely event of the supplier cancelling or amending your reservation after the booking has been made, we will make all reasonable effort to advise you as soon as possible. Should the supplier be unable to fulfil your hotel reservation, you will have the choice of accepting an offered alternative or cancelling your reservation with a full refund of all monies paid. In cases where the supplier is unable to provide an alternative, we reserve the right to cancel your reservation with a full refund.

C. Conference, Meetings & Events

Conference, Meetings & Events Cancellations / Amendments
In the event that you would like to cancel or amend your booking, the cancellation policy will be available on your Venue Terms & Conditions, confirmation email or as stated at the time of booking.
If the cancellation policy is not displayed within your confirmation email and you wish to cancel your reservation, it is your responsibility to notify The Hotel & Conference Company verbally and/or in writing at least 1 month prior to the expected event date.
The Hotel & Conference Company applies an administration fee of 5% per booking for any modifications, changes or cancellations to your booking. This will be regardless of the price of your booking. Any booking fees or credit card charges are non-refundable.
In addition to The Hotel & Conference Company charges, most venues may also have a penalty or cancellation fee for any changes or cancellations to reservations. This can be calculated from the date of amendment / cancellation to the date of arrival, alternatively one set fee. We will advise you if you decide to proceed with the changes.
If you send us your cancellation in writing, cancellation is not immediate, The Hotel & Conference Company will respond to you within 4 hours of receipt of your email if received within office hours. Please note that individual venue cancellation policies can vary. Please take this 4 hour turnaround time into consideration when putting your cancellation in writing.

2. All rate discounts advertised are based on the discounts from the full "rack rate" including VAT and are correct at the time the offers are first advertised. However, please note that some venues in other countries may also charge local or other taxes, which may not be included in the offer.

3. "Rack rate" is the rate published by a venue which is the maximum it will charge for any meeting space or delegate package..

4. If you wish to cancel your event, please contact us verbally and/or in writing. In the event of cancellation for whatever reason you shall be liable to pay The Hotel & Conference Company an administration fee of 5%. This could be in addition to any cancellation charge any venue may impose.

5. Prices stated include VAT unless otherwise stated.

6. Please be aware that conference room photos are only a depiction of the type of rooms on offer and may not represent the actual room allocated.

7. Unless otherwise stated, refreshments, meals, stationery, equipment, technical services etc. are not included.

8. Star ratings may differ according to the country where the venue is located and are out of the control of The Hotel & Conference Company. Please note that all ratings advised are The Hotel & Conference Company ratings and not official ratings. Therefore The Hotel & Conference Company cannot be held responsible for any misconceptions relating to star ratings.

9. Please note foreign venue advertisements displayed via The Hotel & Conference Company may have rates identified in both GBP sterling as well as the local currency, or any other currency as requested by the specific venue supplier. Unless stated otherwise, at the time of final payment, the room rate you will be charged by the venue shall be as expressed in the local currency (or in any other currency as determined by the venue) and not in GBP sterling. Please be aware any subsequent conversion of the local currency to GBP sterling by the venue on your behalf may differ from the GBP sterling room rate advertised via The Hotel & Conference Company.

10. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy and availability, some errors might still occur. Once aware of such incidents we will make all reasonable effort to advise you as quickly as possible. We reserve the right to cancel the booking and refund all monies paid, but this of course will be without any liability to you.

11. In the unlikely event of the supplier cancelling or amending your reservation after the booking has been made, we will make all reasonable effort to advise you as soon as possible. Should the supplier be unable to fulfil your booking, you will have the choice of accepting an offered alternative or cancelling your booking with a full refund of all monies paid. In cases where the supplier is unable to provide an alternative, we reserve the right to cancel your reservation with a full refund.

 

D. Miscellaneous

  • You accept financial responsibility for all transactions made under your name or account.
  • In order to make a purchase you must be over 18 years old be purchasing for yourself and have the legal capacity to make the transaction.
  • You must make sure that all the information you provide to us is true and accurate.
  • You must not use the website for speculative, false or fraudulent bookings.
  • Failure to supply the correct credit or debit card billing address information and/or cardholder details may result in delays to the issue of your confirmations and may make the fare(s) subject to increase. Please ensure that the details you give match those on your credit card billing statement. We also reserve the right to cancel bookings after issue if payment is declined or incorrect cardholder details and billing information have been supplied.

Further, in an effort to minimise the effects of credit card fraud, we reserve the right to carry out random checks, including checks of the electoral roll, and may request you to either fax or post to us proof of your address and a copy of the credit card and recent statement before issuing any confirmation.

  • The transmission of threatening, defamatory, pornographic, political or racist material or any material that is otherwise unlawful is expressly prohibited.
  • The site and any content may not be modified, copied, transmitted, distributed, sold, displayed, licensed, or reproduced in any way by you, except if you wish to make copies of the website for your own personal and non-commercial use.
  • This user agreement is between you and The Hotel & Conference Company and is governed by the laws of England and Wales.
  • If you wish to contact us on any issue detailed in these terms you may do so by contacting us by any of the following methods:

    1. by online email
    2. by writing to Customer Relations Department, The Hotel & Conference Company Limited, Sutton Mill Road, Potton, Bedfordshire, SG19 2QB; or
    3. by calling us on +44 (0)1767 262 546

    In order for us to assist with your query as quickly as possible, please make sure that you have your confirmation number before you call us. In most cases we can only discuss order information with the person who made the booking, or one of the guests on a booking.