General Terms and Conditions of Sale: Switzerland

1. Scope of application

The current terms and conditions apply to all accommodation contracts concluded between B&B Hôtels Switzerland GmbH (hereafter referred to as “B&B Hôtels”) as a management company for B&B Hôtels in Switzerland with third parties (hereafter referred to as “client”, as well as to all other services provided by B&B Hôtels.

2. In the absence of a booking

Subject to availability, B&B Hôtels is happy to welcome you on site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

3. In case of a booking

Guaranteed reservation

Your hotel room reservation is guaranteed as soon as you pay for your stay in advance (by check, bank card, or in cash) directly with the B&B Hôtels property, or once you have provided your credit card details during the booking process for your stay (except if the bank card details provided are not valid or if your transaction cannot be processed for other reasons).

Providing bank card details to guarantee your reservation does not serve as payment for your entire stay, but authorises B&B Hôtels to charge your account for the amount due for the first night of your stay in case of a no-show, in the event that the reservation was not cancelled in accordance with the conditions listed in article 6 of these general terms of sale.

In all cases of guaranteed reservations, a booking number is provided to you. This reservation number allows you to arrive at the hotel any time you like. If you arrive when the hotel reception is not open, you can enter your reservation number into the automatic room distributor, which will give you (if necessary, after your stay has been paid for) a ticket stating your room number and access code.

Simple reservation

A simple reservation is made when you reserve without providing bank card details:

• either directly with the hotel, for a stay in Switzerland;
• or, when possible, on the www.hotel-bb. website and B&B Hôtels mobile services, for a stay.

In this case, the reservation number provided by B&B Hôtels allows you to obtain a room either outside the reception hours for the selected hotel, or through hotel reception up to 6:00 p.m. on the day of arrival. After 6:00 p.m. on the day of arrival, your reservation will not longer be valid, and your hotel room will be automatically considered available for booking by anyone.

The reservation of special and/or promotional offers

Special and/or promotional offers, available only on the www.hotel-bb.eu website, on the B&B Hôtels mobile apps, or on the websites and mobile services of B&B Hôtels’ commercial partners, include rates which may not be combined with any other offers, cancelled, modified, nor reimbursed (including hotel rooms and any other additional services).

Unless stated otherwise in the specific conditions of an offer, payment for the duration of the stay and any additional services must be made in advance online in order to validate this reservation.

4. Reservation process on www.hotel-bb.com or through B&B HOTELS mobile services

By accepting a room booking, an accommodation contract is created. This does not include any right to rebooking a specific room. B&B Hôtels reserves the right to define restrictions that are customary in the hotel industry, such as minimum stays or deposits for specific dates. The hotel room booking process is as follows:

• 1.  Search for a hotel and choice of room and rate;
• 2. Selection of possible additional services, such as breakfast, except when the additional service is included in the rate mentioned in Step 1;
• 3. Verification of the booking details, of its total cost, of applicable conditions of accommodation, and possible adjustment according to your selections (room, rate, additional services), then filling out of contact details;
• 4. Entry of bank card details, consultation and acceptance of general conditions of accommodation, of accommodation conditions at the booked rate, and confirmation of the booking;
• 5. B&B Hôtels acknowledges receipt of the booking by immediately sending out an e-mail summarizing the offer in this contract, the additional services booked, the prices, the conditions of accommodation related to the selected rate, duly accepted by the client, the selected booking dates, any information related to Customer Service, as well as the hotel’s address or contact where the client may submit their claims.

5. Cancellation or modification of your booking

You are kindly reminded that, since it relates to accommodation services, you are not entitled to the right to cancel outlined in article 16 of the Federal Law on Consumer Credit.

Guaranteed (number 3.a above), simplified (number 3.b above) bookings may be cancelled before 6:00 p.m. on the day of arrival. In case of cancellation, you must inform the relevant hotel as soon as possible; this hotel will confirm your cancellation, and a cancellation number will be provided to you.

Promotional and/or special offers (number 3.c above) cannot be modified, cancelled, nor refunded (this applies to the cost of the stay and any additional services). In this case, it will be mentioned in the specific terms and conditions of the offer.

For bookings during fair and event periods, different cancellation deadline shall apply. These will be shown during the booking process and on the booking confirmation.

To extend any stay, you must contact B&B Hôtels before noon to find out about any availability. If the stay can be extended, you must immediately pay the amount due for your room so that the hotel can provide you with a new access code.

In case of early departure, you must notify hotel reception before noon, in order for the departure to be taken into account. As part of a simplified or guaranteed booking, the reimbursement for the part of the stay that has been cancelled will be made by a cheque for the corresponding amount. No reimbursement will be made if this is part of a booking based on a promotional and/or special-event offer.

6. No-shows

In the event of a no-show, any guaranteed booking:

• by providing your bank card information and not cancelled before 6.00 p.m. the day of arrival will result in your being automatically billed and charged for the price of the first night as flat-rate compensation to the hotel, and the rest of your stay will be cancelled free of charge.
• by payment in advance for the totality of your stay at the hotel and not cancelled before 6.00 p.m. will result, upon your request, in reimbursement of the totality of your stay, minus the price of the first night.

7. The rate

Rates are indicated before and during the booking process for hotel rooms. The rates apply to each room for the number of persons and the dates selected. The rates as confirmed to the client in Swiss Francs and are only valid for the duration indicated on the website. Unless otherwise stated, additional services (breakfast, parking, etc.) are not included in the rate.

Tourist tax must be paid directly on site to B&B Hôtels, except in case of a special-event and/or promotional rate, where this amount shall be included.

It is specified that, depending on the city or country, some taxes may be added to the rates. Rates include the VAT applicable on the day of booking, and any change in the applicable VAT rate will be automatically shown as part of the rates indicated on the date of billing.

If taxes, fees, and charges are modified, or if there is an actual collection of new taxes, fees, and charges without precedent, B&B Hôtels reserves the right to adjust the rates offered.

8. Payment

Online payment is conducted by bank card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express cards) using a secure payment system. You will be asked for your bank card number, the security code on the back of the card, and its expiry date. Any irregular, inoperative, or incomplete payment, or one that is fraudulent for a reason attributable to the client, will lead to the cancellation of the booking at the client’s expense, without prejudice to any civil or criminal action against it.

Once your booking has been confirmed and the online payment has been completed, you will receive a detailed booking confirmation and a payment receipt for your stay at the e-mail address you have provided. The confirmation is considered to represent the agreement between the parties. Upon your arrival at the hotel, a summary invoice for the total amount of your stay, including, if relevant, any tourist tax due, will be provided to you.

Visa Electron and Maestro bank cards may not be used to guarantee a booking, but may be used to pay at the hotel. When using an ARD, only bank cards with an electronic chip may be used to pay for your stay at B&B Hôtels. If your bank card only has a magnetic strip, in order to pay for your stay at B&B Hôtels, you must arrive at the hotel during front desk opening hours, or use a different payment method.

9. Complaints

For any stay in Switzerland, any complaint or claim must be addressed to the hotel using the contact form.

In order to be considered, any dispute must be sent by e-mail using our contact form, within 8 days of your check-out from the hotel, under penalty of forfeiture. In case of dispute, data saved in our computer systems has evidentiary value. You must notify the hotel of any problems during your stay in order to limit any potential damage.

Subject to the applicable rules of procedure, B&B Hôtels will provide a response to the client within 7 days.

10. Liability

Photographs and information presented on the website are not contractually binding.

The hotel room must be utilized by the client with the greatest possible care. The clients is responsible for any damage to the property of B&B Hôtels.

B&B Hôtels cannot be held responsible for the non-fulfillment or inadequate fulfillment of a booking in the case of force majeure or due to a third party, the client, a faulty internet connection or if the bank refuses to pay for the bearer of a bank card.

B&B Hôtels is responsible for damage to life, body, or health. Moreover, the responsibility of B&B Hôtels related to other damage, notably the deterioration, destruction, or removal of personal effects, is limited to cases in which damage results from intentional behavior or gross negligence by B&B Hôtels or its employees.

11. Your stay at the hotel

Unless expressly provided otherwise, room hire lasts from noon (12.00 p.m.) on the day of arrival to noon (12.00 p.m.) on the day of departure.

Pets are welcome at B&B Hôtels, for an additional fee. Animals must be under constant client supervision, must not be carrying any illnesses, and must represent no hazard for hotel clients and personnel. Pets are not permitted to be present at breakfast, except as guide dogs for sight and hearing-impaired persons or other service dogs. In the case of any damage caused by an animal, its owner shall be held liable. Depending on relevant legislation, you may be asked, upon arrival at the hotel, to fill out a police card. To do this, you will be asked to present a form of identification in order to verify if you need to complete a police card.

The client accept and commits to using the room in a reasonable manner, in accordance with its purpose; the use of the hotel room to other ends than for accommodation is expressly forbidden. In addition, any behavior contrary to common decency and public order shall lead B&B Hôtels to ask you to leave the establishment without compensation and/or without reimbursement, if a payment has already been made.

B&B Hôtels offers free Wi-Fi access. Clients agree not to use the computer resources to reproduce, present, provide or share with the public any property protected by copyright or similar rights without the authorisation of the rights holders or in violation of their rights.

12. Your stay at the hotel

In Switzerland, clients are entitled to a contractual service guarantee known as the “Guest/Reimbursement Guarantee”, which the service provide may present to you.

13. Prohibitions

The resale/rental and/or transfer of booked rooms is prohibited, notably to third parties at higher rates. In addition, the transfer or sale of rights against B&B Hôtels is not permitted. In this case, B&B Hôtels has the right to cancel the booking, particularly if the client has provided false details on the type of booking or payment of the transfer/sale to the third party.

14. Displacement and force majeure

In case of non-availability of the booked room, or in case of force majeure, B&B Hôtels reserves the right to totally or partially accommodate the client in a hotel of the same category offering the same level of services; any possible surcharge for the room and for transport between the two hotels shall be paid by the initially booked hotel.
B&B Hôtels cannot be held liable for non-fulfillment of its obligations as a result of a force majeure event. What constitutes a force majeure event or unforeseen circumstances shall be based on legal precedents from the Swiss Courts and Tribunals.

15. Privacy Policy

Please refer to the legal notice on the www.hotelbb.com website and on B&B Hôtels mobile services.

16. Final Provisions

These general terms and conditions for accommodation are subject to change without prior notice. Disparate modifications or additions by the client shall be deemed ineffective.
Any legal relationships stemming from the contract among the parties are exclusively subject to Swiss law; the place of jurisdiction is Zurich.
These general terms and conditions for accommodation apply starting on 24 December 2015, for bookings of a maximum of 10 rooms.
Bookings of more than 10 rooms shall be subject to a group contract. For any details on a stay in Switzerland, the B&B Groups department is at your disposal at tel. 02 98 33 76 18, or by e-mail at groupes@hotelbb.com.