BOOKING TERMS

Book by Internet

1.	Log onto www.portlandapartmentslondon.co.uk and go to 'Availability & Booking'
2.	Complete the first page of details and click on 'Continue to Book'.
3.	Complete the second page of details, tick the box that shows you have read and understood the Terms and Conditions then click on 'Submit Booking'
4.	We will confirm your booking within 2 working hours and send you an electronic and/or physical invoice for payment.
5.	To complete your booking you should pay the amounts due in accordance with the section headed "When to Pay".
6.	If your booking is made more than 2 weeks before your arrival date payment will be requested in two stages; a first stage payment of 25% on booking, followed by a request for the balance 2 weeks prior to your arrival date.

Book by phone

1.	Phone us on 0800 231 6250 during office hours of 9:00am to 5pm UK time Monday to Friday. Outside of these hours you can leave a message on our answer phone and we will get back to you as soon as the office opens.
2.	We will take your requirements and details over the phone and confirm your booking verbally.
3.	We will then send you an electronic confirmation and an electronic and/or physical invoice for payment.
4.	To complete your booking you should pay the amounts due in accordance with the section headed "When to Pay".
5.	If your booking is made more than 2 weeks before you arrival date payment will be requested in two stages.

Book by post

1.	Write to us at: Portland Apartments - Booking 30-36 Upper York Street Bristol BS2 8QN United Kingdom
2.	Include the following details: * Your name Your contact email address * Your contact telephone (including STD code) The apartment address you would like to book (Portland, Archfiled, Elton) * Type of apartment (e.g. 1 bedroom) * Number of apartments Number of guests * The arrival date * The departure date * Name of company paying the bill (or persons name, if not company) * Contact name within company (if bill is being paid by a company) * Address of company paying the bill (including city, post/zip code, country) Names of guests Any special requirements Items marked with a * are essential if the booking is to proceed
3.	We will confirm your booking within 2 working hours of receipt and contact you by email or phone to confirm your booking.
4.	We will then send you an electronic and/or physical invoice for payment (of either the deposit or full payment).
5.	To complete your booking you should pay the amounts due in accordance with the section headed "When to Pay".
6.	If your booking is made prior to 2 weeks before your arrival date payment will be requested in two stages.

Terms and Conditions

1.	General These conditions set out the basis upon which Portland Apartments Limited ("Portland") accepts bookings to rent its apartments ("apartments"). References in these conditions to "we", "our" or "us" are references to Portland. References to "you" or "your" are references to the person making the booking and all members of the rental party who have been accepted by us. These conditions set out the basis of your contract with us. By placing a booking with us you are accepting these conditions. All offers and bookings are subject to availability.
2.	Confirmation A contract will come into effect between you and us when we issue to you a written confirmation of your booking. The contract is subject to these conditions. We have the right to refuse any booking prior to the issue of your written confirmation and, if we do this, we will tell you in writing and promptly refund any money you have paid us. When you receive your confirmation, you must check the details carefully and if anything is not correct you should notify us immediately.
3.	Late Bookings You may book your stay at any time, right up to the day of arrival. No extra fees are charged for late bookings but payment must be made in advance and in full, and the total cost must be paid by cleared funds in this case (see section 6 below).
4.	Prices All prices are quoted in UK Pounds Sterling. They are based on costs prevailing at the time of quotation and may be subject to change. However, once a booking has been confirmed by us we will not change the price quoted unless you change the booking. Unless otherwise stated, prices are exclusive of VAT. VAT will be charged at the rate in force at the time of invoicing. Should any additional taxes or levies be introduced which affect the price of your apartment, you may be required to pay the extra amount. Telephone calls are also charged for separately as are additional services provided at the individual apartment location. Details of additional services and rates are available on request.
5.	Security Deposit In addition to your payment of the price of the apartment you will be required to pay a security deposit of £250.00 against any additional expenses you may incur and any damage to the apartment suffered during your stay. The most likely expenses are telephone charges, but you may also wish to purchase some of our additional services, e.g. shopping. Your deposit, less any expenses you have incurred and the cost of any damage suffered, will be refunded to you following departure, once a full inventory of the apartment has taken place and the telephone authorities have presented us with their account. Details of any deductions from your deposit will be provided upon request, which should be made to us in writing. We may require credit card information in case expenses or damages exceed the security deposit. If it is necessary to charge your credit card in these circumstances, you will be notified prior to the transaction.
6.	Payment (a) Subject to section 6(b) below, an initial payment of 25% of the total cost of your stay is payable when you book your apartment. Payment can be made by any of the methods outlined in section 7 below. Upon receipt of the initial payment we will, providing the booking can be confirmed, send you written confirmation of your booking as soon as reasonably possible, showing your booking details, the total cost of your stay, the initial amount paid and how much remains to be paid. The balance of the total cost, together with the security deposit referred to in section 5, is payable in full no later than 2 weeks before your arrival date at the apartment. (b) If you book within 2 weeks of your arrival date your booking, together with the security deposit referred to in section 5, must be paid for in full by cleared funds at the time of booking. If any payment you make is not honoured for any reason whatsoever, we are entitled to recover any reasonable costs we incur as a result up to a maximum of £25. If any payment due in relation to your booking is not paid by the appropriate date, we are entitled to assume that you wish to cancel your booking and you may be liable to pay the cancellation charges shown in the table in section 8 depending on the date we reasonably treat your booking as cancelled. We normally send out a reminder to you before we cancel your booking in these circumstances.
7.	Methods of Payment
7.1.	Credit Cards: We accept all major credit cards including, Visa, Access, Mastercard, Diners, American Express, Switch, Maestro, Delta. Credit and debit card payments can be taken as follows: 1. By phone on 0800 231 6250 2. By fax on 0117 924 9222 3. By posting your details to: Portland Apartments 30 - 36 Upper York Street Bristol BS2 8QN United Kingdom Your letter should include the following details: * Name of card holder * Address of card holder * Card holder contact telephone number (including STD code) * Card holder email address * Card type (VISA, Mastercard) * Card number * Amount to be taken (including currency) * Issue date of card (month and year) * Expiry date of card (month and year) * Security code (if one exists) * Card holder's signature Once your details have been processed onto our system your letter will be destroyed.
7.2.	Cheques: Cheques can be used for UK POUNDS STERLING payments only and should be made payable to Portland Apartments Limited. They should then be sent, with your Booking Reference number, to: Portland Serviced Apartments 30-36 Upper York Street Bristol BS2 8QN United Kingdom Seven days should be allowed for your cheque to arrive and for the funds to clear. Accordingly, payment cannot be accepted by cheque within a week from the arrival date.
7.3.	Banker's Drafts: We are pleased to accept banker's drafts.
7.4.	Bank transfers: Our bank details are available on request. If you intend to pay by bank transfer this should reach our account net of all bank charges. Please ask your bank to show your name and Booking Reference on the transfer. A copy of the transfer should also be sent/faxed to us.
7.5.	Credit facilities: Corporate credit facilities with us may be obtained on application. Credit facilities must be agreed prior to the date of your arrival at the apartment. For full details, and an application form, please write to Portland Serviced Apartments at 30-36 Upper York Street, Bristol BS2 8QN.
8.	If you cancel your booking If you have to, or wish to, cancel your booking you must notify us in writing as soon as possible at: Portland Serviced Apartments - Cancellation 30-36 Upper York Street Bristol BS2 8QN United Kingdom or by email to bookings@portlandapartments.co.uk The booking will be cancelled on the day that the written notice of cancellation is received by us. Bookings for properties such as our apartments are almost invariably made well in advance and for relatively lengthy stays in comparison with hotels or other travel accommodation. It is very difficult, therefore, to re-let an apartment after a booking has been cancelled particularly at short notice. However, we will make every reasonable effort to re-let your apartment if we receive a notice of cancellation from you and if we are able to re-let it for the whole of the period of your booking we will refund all money you have paid (including all booking fees but excluding, where applicable, any amendment charges, and credit card charges you have already incurred) after deducting any costs (such as marketing and/or administration costs) reasonably incurred by us in connection with the re-letting. If it is not possible to re-let the apartment for the full period booked then a cancellation charge will be payable, based on the number of days before your arrival date that we receive written notification of your cancellation, as shown in the following table. This means that if you have paid the balance of your total cost and then have to, or wish to, cancel, you may receive a refund of part of such cost. However, if you have not paid your total cost by the time of your cancellation, you may be required to make a further payment by way of cancellation charge. For the purpose of this table, cost means the total cost of the booking, including any extra items already booked by you. Number of days before arrival date that written notification of cancellation is received by us Amount payable More than 28 days £25 Administrative charge 28 - 15 days 75% of total fee due 14 - 0 days 100% of total fee due In addition, any security deposit paid by you will be refunded in full, unless there are any outstanding charges due to us, in which case you agree that we are entitled to use the security deposit towards such outstanding charges. We strongly recommend that you obtain appropriate and adequate travel and personal insurance cover as, depending on the reasons for your cancellation, you may be able to reclaim our cancellation charges from your insurance company. Regrettably, for the reasons given above, we have to treat any curtailment of your stay as a cancellation in accordance with this section 8.
9.	If you alter your booking If you wish to alter your booking once your written confirmation has been issued (e.g. change the dates of your stay or the accommodation requested), we will use all our reasonable efforts to comply with your request, and an administration fee of £25 may (at our discretion) be payable to us once any change has been made. However, it is important to realise that a change may have to be treated as the cancellation of one booking and the making of another. In such cases cancellation charges may be incurred in accordance with section 8 above, which may be as much as the total cost of your booking. We will advise you if this is the case when the change is requested. You must then inform us as soon as reasonably possible whether you still wish to change your booking. If you advise us that you do or you fail to contact us as soon as reasonably possible, your booking will be treated as having been cancelled by you and section 8 will apply.
10.	If Portland cancels your booking We do not expect to have to make any changes to your booking, but occasionally problems occur and bookings have to be changed or cancelled. If this does happen, we will contact you (by telephone where reasonably possible in the case of a significant change or cancellation) as soon as is reasonably practical, to explain what has happened and inform you of the cancellation or change. If a significant change has to be made (and the change is not acceptable to you) or your booking has to be cancelled, we will, if possible and as soon as reasonably practical, offer you an alternative apartment of similar type and standard in a similar location for the same dates. In such circumstances, the advertised cost of the alternative apartment will be payable. Obviously, if the alternative apartment is advertised at a lower price, you will receive a refund (if you have already paid the balance of your total cost) of the price difference. If you do not wish to accept a significant change or any alternative apartment offered or we cannot offer you a suitable alternative apartment, you will receive a full refund of all monies paid to us. You should tell us as soon as reasonably possible whether you wish to accept any change or alternative apartment offered, or alternatively whether you want a refund. In the unlikely event that you fail to tell us that you wish to accept any change or alternative apartment we are entitled to assume you wish to cancel your booking and receive a full refund of all monies paid to us.
11.	Occupants Only persons notified to us prior to your arrival date and listed on our written confirmation of your booking may occupy the apartment. You may not re-let/sublet the apartment to any other third party without our prior written approval. The number of persons permitted to occupy the apartment is limited to the number listed on our written confirmation of your booking. You must not allow this limit to be exceeded neither can you change during, your occupation of the apartment, the composition of the occupants notified to us. If you do either of these things, we can refuse to hand over the apartment to you, or can repossess it. If we do so, this will be treated as a cancellation by you and section 8 will apply. No refund of any monies you have paid in respect of your booking will be made and we will not have any liability to you as a result of this situation arising (including, for example, any costs or expenses you incur due to not being able to occupy the apartment, such as your incurring the cost of securing alternative accommodation). In this situation, we are not under any obligation to find any alternative accommodation for you.
12.	Checking in and out Unless otherwise agreed with us in advance, you can arrive at your apartment from 3pm (local time) on the start date of your rental. If your arrival is likely to be delayed beyond 5.30pm (local time) on the start date of your rental you must contact us so that alternative arrangements can be made. If you fail to do so, you may not be able to gain access to the apartment. We are entitled at our sole and absolute discretion to refuse to hand over to you, or to repossess, the apartment (which includes the fixtures, fittings, furnishings and decorations) if we reasonably believe that any damage is likely to be caused, has been caused or is being caused by you or any occupants of the apartment. These circumstances will be treated as a cancellation by you and section 8 will apply. No refund of any monies you have paid in respect of your booking will be made and we will have no liability to you as a result of this situation arising (including, for example, any costs or expenses you incur due to you not being able to occupy the apartment, such as you incurring the cost of securing alternative accommodation). In this situation, we are not under any obligation to find any alternative accommodation for you. On arrival you may be required to provide photographic proof of your identity (e.g. a passport or photo-card driving licence) and proof of address. Copies may be taken of these for our records. Unless otherwise agreed in advance, all apartments must be vacated by 10am (local time) on the due date of departure. If there is any delay in vacating the apartment beyond the agreed time, a full day's rental may be charged to you for each additional day's (or part thereof) occupation.
13.	Facilities and services All apartments are furnished to a high standard and include a kitchen equipped with appliances, cutlery, crockery, and kitchen utensils. Food is not provided unless agreed in advance. Please ensure that neither you nor any of the occupants are allergic to any food that is provided. A welcome pack is provided on arrival. This consists of a bottle of wine, chocolates, milk, tea, coffee, sugar and washing machine products. Please ensure that neither you nor any of the occupants are allergic to any of the items provided. A full inventory of equipment and utensils will be in the apartments. No items may be removed from the apartment. Unless otherwise specified, the prices quoted include a twice weekly maid service, heating, electricity, gas, water, internet connection, council taxes, television license and telephone line rental charges. The price also includes linen which is changed twice a week and towels which are changed daily. The price does not include usage charges for phone calls made. Any extra facilities are provided solely at our discretion and may be subject to additional charges. We cannot be held responsible for any failure or interruption of services to the apartment, including electricity and water or any damage, disruption or noise caused as a result of repair works being carried out in another part of the property.
14.	Pets Regrettably no pets, other than registered guide and hearing dogs belonging to those with visual and hearing impairments, are allowed in any of the apartments under any circumstances.
15.	Smoking We operate a NO SMOKING POLICY. Smoking is not permitted in the apartments or in any other area of the apartment block. If, in our reasonable opinion, smoking has occurred in the apartment during your stay we reserve the right to charge you for additional cleaning of the apartment.
16.	Damage You are responsible for taking all reasonable care of the apartment and its contents during your stay. You and anyone who occupies the apartment with you agree both to keep the apartment (including all equipment, utensils, furniture etc) clean and tidy and to leave the apartment in a similar condition as you found it upon your arrival. You and anyone who occupies the apartment with you further agrees not to use the apartment for any commercial purpose, including without limitation assigning or subletting it or otherwise allowing anyone to occupy it who has not previously been accepted by us. Except in the case of normal wear and tear you are responsible for any damage to the apartment or its contents suffered during your stay which has occurred due to the negligence, wilful default or irresponsible behaviour on the part of yourself or those occupying the apartment or their guests. Any damage must be reported to us, without delay. You are responsible to us for the actual costs of any breakage or damage in or to the apartment - along with any additional costs that may result - which are caused by you and/or any members of your rental party, and if your security deposit does not cover the damage caused you will be invoiced for the remaining costs or your credit card will be charged as per section 5.
17.	Data Protection For the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998, we are the sole data controller of all personal data provided to us by customers and prospective customers. In order to process your booking we need to collect certain personal details from you, for example names and addresses of occupants, credit/debit card or other payment details, special requirements such as those relating to any disability or medical condition which may affect any occupant's arrangements and any dietary restrictions which may disclose religious beliefs. If we need any other personal details, we will tell you before we obtain them from you. We need to pass on your personal details to the companies and organisations who need to know them so that your rental can be provided such as your credit/debit card company or bank or for verification of details relating to your rental and any additional services booked. Such individuals, companies and organisations may be outside the European Union, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Data protection legislation in those countries may differ from that in the UK. We also need to process and store your personal details for our own administration, market analyses and operational reviews. We would also like to store and use your personal details for future marketing purposes (for example, sending you brochures or details of promotions and offers which we feel may be of interest to you). All details you give to us at any time will be kept, but only names, contact details and any booking preferences will be used for marketing purposes unless you are informed otherwise when you provide the information. Except where expressly permitted by the Data Protection Act 1998, we will only deal with the personal details you give to us in accordance with the above, unless you agree otherwise.
18.	Rights of Access You must allow us and any representative of ours (including workmen) access to the apartment at any reasonable time during your occupation (except in cases of emergency or where a problem needs remedying quickly and you cannot be contacted in time - in these situations we are entitled to enter the apartment at any time without giving you prior notice).
19.	Security of tenure As the apartments are used as serviced holiday accommodation they are exempt from security of tenure legislation. You acknowledge that you have the right to occupy the apartment for the purposes of a holiday or other short term stay and that you are not using it as a dwelling house.
20.	Information We aim to ensure that the information provided by us is accurately conveyed in the web site/brochure and other promotional literature or material produced and circulated by us. However, the information and prices in this web site/brochure/other material may have changed by the time you come to book. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the web site/brochure/other material and prices at the time of printing, changes and errors occasionally occur. You must therefore ensure you check all details of your chosen apartment and arrangements (including the price) with us at the time of booking. There may be small differences between the actual apartment and its description, as we are always seeking to improve services and facilities. Occasionally, problems mean that some facilities or services become unavailable or subject to restriction. If this happens, we will tell you as soon as reasonably practical after we become aware of the situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any changes or closures to area amenities or attractions mentioned in the web site/brochure, or advertised elsewhere. We make reasonable efforts to ensure that information supplied to you in relation to the apartment or its facilities and/or services is accurate and complete as at the date given. We cannot accept responsibility for any inaccurate, incomplete or misleading information about any property or its facilities and/or services, except in the case of our negligence. We will, however, use our reasonable endeavours to notify you of any changes to or inaccuracies in any information contained in the web site/brochure or otherwise provided to you as soon as reasonably practical after we become aware of the change or inaccuracy.
21.	Circumstance beyond our control Except where otherwise expressly stated in these conditions, we will not be liable for any changes, cancellations, effects on your stay, loss or damage suffered by you or for any failure by us to perform or properly perform any of our obligations to you which is due to any event(s) or circumstance(s) beyond our reasonable control. By way of example, such events or circumstances include fire, flood, exceptional weather conditions, epidemics, destruction or damage of the property by any cause (other than our negligence) and all similar situations. In appropriate cases (for example where your booking has to be cancelled before departure) we will, however, refund to you all monies paid to us by you for your booking. No compensation, expenses, costs or other sums of any description (including without limitation the cost of securing alternative accommodation) will be payable by us in such circumstances.
22	Liability Nothing in these conditions shall affect your statutory rights. We will have no liability for any death or personal injury unless it results from our negligence or that of our employees (providing they were at the time acting in the course of their employment). You must take all necessary steps to safeguard your personal property. No liability is accepted by us in respect of damage to, or loss of, such personal property except where the damage or loss is caused by our negligence or that of any of our employees (providing they were at the time acting in the course of their employment). In no circumstances shall we be liable to you, in contract, tort (including without limitation negligence) and/or breach of statutory duty, or otherwise, for any losses, costs, claims, damages or expenses including without limitation loss of profits, revenue or income (whether actual or potential), loss of business (whether actual or potential) or for any indirect or consequential (including economic) loss of any kind. Our total liability to you, howsoever arising, as a result of or in connection with your booking shall be limited to the total amount paid by you to us for such booking.
23.	Complaints Every effort has been made to ensure that you apartment meets your expectations. If, however, you have any cause for complaint we are anxious that remedial action is taken as soon as possible. It is essential that you contact us immediately if any problem arises so that it can be speedily resolved. It is often extremely difficult (and sometimes impossible) to resolve difficulties properly unless we are promptly notified. Discussion of any criticisms with us whilst you are in residence will usually enable shortcomings to be rectified straightaway. In particular, complaints of a transient nature (for example, regarding heating of the property) cannot possibly be investigated unless registered whilst you are in residence. If you remain unhappy with our response, then you must, within 30 days of the end of your stay, put your complaint in writing to us by recorded delivery. This procedure is designed to ensure the speediest possible investigation and rectification of complaints. Please help us to help you by following it. If you fail to do so, it may affect your entitlement to claim compensation where this would or may otherwise have been appropriate.
24.	Law, Jurisdiction and General These conditions and all matters arising in relation to your booking shall be interpreted, construed and enforced in all respects in accordance with English law and you and we each irrevocably agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts over any matter or claim arising from or in connection therewith. The place of performance shall be England. If any provision of these conditions is held to be unlawful, void or unenforceable then that provision shall be deemed deleted and its deletion shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions. Your booking is personal to you may not assign or transfer it in whole or in part. These conditions and the documents referred to in them set out the entire agreement between Portland and you and supersede any previous agreements between us relating to the subject matter of these terms. By booking accommodation through us you are acknowledging that you have not relied on any representation, warranty, agreement or statement which is not set out in these conditions and that you will not have any right or remedy arising out of any such representation, warranty, agreement or statement.

These conditions apply to all bookings to the exclusion of all other terms and conditions, including any terms and conditions that you may purport to apply. Your acceptance of these conditions is acknowledged by making a booking or sending us a completed booking application form. Payment of deposit or rental charge also indicates acceptance of these terms and conditions.