Broadway Hotel Blackpool

I read that story, the hotel manager took £100 from their credit card when he read the negative review. Absolutely scandalous behaviour.

A trader can't take money from someone's credit card account without their permission. So they won't be able to keep the money anyway.

This kind of publicity could finish the hotel. They must be mad. 
They certainly won't get any business from people who are aware of what they've done here.

I told Mrs CMAT about this at about 9-00 a.m. but she didn't believe me.

I showed her the BBC news page on telly, and just for a change the moron had it under the right county.

The guest was on the radio yesterday.  She booked online and there was no mention at that point, but there may have been something when she registered on arrival.  Apparently the credit card company refunded her the £100 but later took it back.

Its clearly not legal and the hotel has most probably bankrupted itself now anyway.

It's an appalling place according to the reports here on Tripadviser.

Ranked #858 of 894, based on 257 reviews.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g186332-d554701-Reviews-Broadway_Hotel-Blackpool_Lancashire_England.html

The photos are damning as well.

Alex Polizzi to the rescue.

Slightly worrying that there are 50 worse places in Blackpool.

I am they have the same PR advisors as milliband.

Me too.

and they say Blackpool is on the up

Jack Hacksaw • November 19, 2014 1:31 PM GMT
Slightly worrying that there are 50 worse places in Blackpool.

..but not surprising in that sh!thole

A trader can't take money from someone's credit card account without their permission. So they won't be able to keep the money anyway.

Guests give permission when signing the registration form on check in. However it is good practice to inform a guest that they are to have monies deducted from their card. The hotel PDQ machines allow for such transactions to be completed without the guest being present.

^Of course only when in breach of contract. Always check the small print.

I can understand hotels being concerned about malicious reviews but a place like this which has about 2 average ones in the first 20 with the others all being negative is clearly getting what it deserves.
Tbh I have stayed at a couple of places which got quite a few bad reviews on Trip Advisor (including one in Blackpool) but reading between the lines they were mainly written by people who expected the Ritz for £20 a night and indeed they were basic but OK. I wouldn't go near this place though even without knowing about their "fines".

Guests give permission when signing the registration form on check in.

Shouldn't that be if not when you sign a registration card?
Even then it depends on the small print.
I'd certainly not give permission to debit any card of mine in that way.

It does appear to have been in the VERY small print when you sign in. When I looked an hour or so ago this place was still on one of the well-known hotel-broking sites. It was labelled popular now as 255 people were viewing it     

Shouldn't that be if not when you sign a registration card?
Even then it depends on the small print.
I'd certainly not give permission to debit any card of mine in that way.

You sign the registration form then you are liable under what ever the terms and conditions are. If you leave your room smelling of smoke you have your card deducted the fine, if you have caused disturbance where another guest has received a refund etc etc...the hotel do not need your permission to fine you, they can take it from your card.

Hotel policy.

Simply pay with cash.
Let them chase you for the fine.

I always holiday abroad these days.
I'd better check the terms and conditions of the travel agents I use when booking a hotel.
This case has opened a can of worms.

I'd be interested to hear how they're proving that the reviews are actually written by the people they're fining. If you're lucky tripsadvisor reviews give a first name and surname but even that's purely circumstantial, it could be anyone. Unles of course "GreenArmy2010" registered at the hotel under that name.

My brother owns a very successful pub and when a barman from his main competitor came in and got a bit sloshed after several complimentary drinks he admitted that the staff there were instructed by his management to write derogatory reviews about his place on Trip Advisor.

Simply pay with cash.
Let them chase you for the fine.

You can pay cash but only if a card is authorized to the room Crippen and probably a £10 pre auth at that.

No flies on hotel procedure these days Crippen.

Slippy,
I believe every word of that.
I use Tripadviser a lot to research hotels.
I always ignore the very bad reviews and the over the top good ones. Reviewers photographs are a big help too.
I look for constructive reviews with tips and advice.
Things like ''food very bad, rude staff, rooms noisy have to be balanced with the general comments and the prices.

In my experience of hotels abroad, they're never that bad because of the competition.
They'd soon go out of business if they weren't value for money.
Especially these days.

AG I don't see why you can't block further payment to the hotel from the credit/debit card after you've signed the form.
It only takes a phone call.

Unfair Terms in Consumer Contract Regulations Act 1999.

Would seem applicable.

I'm the same, best to ignore the extreme opinions but ultimately people are not stupid and vote with their feet. As of Saturday when I last spoke to him he has had to turn away many people for Christmas dinner as he is packed out already. Have a look, both the "terrible" reviews were from the other local pub.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186389-d3768918-Reviews-King_William_IV-Dorking_Surrey_England.html

Yes you could block further payment, i guess which is why Hotels don`t like to inform a guest that money is about to be taken out/or give them time to block.

This is the latest review

I spent two nights for my son's 18th birthday at this hotel, but had I read the reviews 1st I wouldn't of stayed at this hotel. The breakfast was disgusting, the tables and cutlery were filthy and the dining room looked as it hadn't seen a hoover in months. In our bedroom the shower head was useless cause you had to hold it yourself as the holder on the wall was broken also I don't think they clean the showers regular cause it was filthy, we couldn't turn the TV on, the floor was dirty. In my son's room he couldn't turn the heating off so had to be too hot all night

Ranked #858 of 894 Blackpool B&B and Inns.  There's 36 places worse!!

Yes CLYDEBANK29,
I was staying at a hotel in Malta last week.
I stood behind a woman who was taking a waiter to task because the dinner plates weren't hot.
Not cold mind you, they were warm but not warm enough for her.

She boomed out ''rubbish'' and proceeded to pile up her plate with food.

UTurn
UTurn

The Blackpool hotel has now said it will refund the money and vowed to improve the facilities.

It introduced the policy of charging people who wrote bad reviews to prevent "customers from defaming" the business, a spokesman said.

In a statement, the hotel said: "We exercised this policy with Mr and Mrs Jenkinson as we felt extremely upset by their actions and insulting comments towards our staff.

"We agree there is room for improvement at our establishment and we desperately want to turn things around."

I wonder how many bookings they've taken today?

The reviews are quite something.

I think they have burnt their bridges

Had to smile tonight when the blond haired bird representing the Blackpool hotels asked "What else can the hotels do when they get the bad comments"?

I wonder if she'd thought, the best way would be not to get bad reviews in the first place.Treat people decent & give them good accomodation instead of expecting them to stay in shyte holes like this.

They may as well rename it The Broadmoor Hotel

allpionts

That takes the biscuit.
She must think it's okay to turn it into a tit-for-tat battle between hotels and their customers.

And there will only be one loser there in the long run.

Im not sure what they were expecting for £18 a night. Should had gone to a hostel.

I stayed in Newquay,on average a fair bit dearer than Blackpool,this summer for £18. That was for a decent-sized single ensuite room. Basic but clean.It WASN'T cleaned for the 4 days I was there but I am capable of making a bed. No breakfast but ample parking and a McDonalds a couple of miles away. Thought that was fair enough tbh.

I'd expect hot water, a clean room, a functional wardrobe and a tv and kettle that works to be fair.  They had none of those.

Serves them right for staying in Blackpool

They only came from Cumbria, may as well have driven home.

According to the latest NHS analysis Blackpool is the least healthy council in England.  The Broadway Hotel clearly doing their best to make sure Blackpool wins something.

the gay capitol of the north,beats brighton into a c0cked hat,just saying.

I can't understand people holidaying in Britain if they're on a budget.
It's cheaper abroad, and the hotels, food and service are so much better than here.

Some of us aren't keen on flying Crippen.

Apparently the hotel did word something in very very small print that guests who wrote any bad reviews would be fined, (and this couple who did get a fine....the hotel already had their credit card details and they just took £100 from their account when they wrote that bad review).  And the attitude of the hotel, 'well, what do you expect for £36 a night'