General Terms and Conditions of Sale: Switzerland

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Last updated on : 06/01/2023

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

a.    Guaranteed booking

Your hotel room booking is guaranteed as soon as you pay for your stay in advance (by 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. This does not apply if the credit card details provided are not valid or if your transaction cannot be processed for any other reason.

Providing credit card details to guarantee your booking does not serve as payment for your stay, but authorises B&B Hôtels to charge you for the amount due for the first night of your stay in the event of a no-show or if booking has not been cancelled in accordance with the conditions listed in article 6 of these general terms and conditions.

After a successful reservation, you will be given a reservation number. This reservation number allows you to arrive at the hotel at a time that is convenient for you in hotels that are open 24 hours a day or in hotels with an automatic room dispenser, which will give you a ticket with your room number and access code.

b.    Simple booking

A simple booking is made when you reserve without providing credit card details:

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

In this case, the reservation number provided by B&B Hotels will allow you to obtain a room at the hotel reception until 6pm on the day of arrival. Please note however that after 6 p.m. on the day of arrival, your booking will no longer be valid, and your hotel room will be automatically considered available for booking by anyone.

c. Promotional and special offers

Promotional and special offers, available only on the www.hotel-bb.com website, on the B&B Hôtels mobile apps or on the websites and mobile services of B&B Hôtels’ commercial partners, include rates for hotel rooms and additional services that may neither be combined with other offers, nor cancelled, modified or reimbursed. 

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

4.    Booking 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 customary in the hotel industry, such as minimum stays or deposits for specific dates. The online booking process is as follows:

1. Search for a hotel, 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, total cost, applicable conditions and any adjustment according to your choice (room, rate, additional services);
4. Filling out of contact details;
5. Entry of credit card details, review and acceptance of general terms and conditions, of specific accommodation conditions at the booked rate, and confirmation of the booking;
6. Confirmation Email. B&B Hôtels acknowledges receipt of the booking by immediately sending a confirmation e-mail summarising the room, the additional services booked, the price, the selected booking dates, the conditions related to the selected rate, the hotel’s address and contact details and any additional information related to customer service.

5.    Cancellation or modification of your booking

Guaranteed (number 3.a above) and simple (number 3.b above) bookings may be cancelled before 6 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. A cancellation number will be provided to you.

Promotional and/or special offers (number 3.c above) can neither be modified, cancelled, nor refunded (this applies to the cost of the stay and any additional services). Unless explicitly stated in the specific terms and conditions of the offer, promotional and special offers cannot be modified, cancelled or refunded."

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 a stay, you must contact B&B Hôtels before noon to check 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 the event of early departure, you must notify the hotel reception before noon, in order for the departure to be taken into account. For simple and guaranteed bookings, the refund of the part of the stay that has been cancelled will be made by bank transfer for the corresponding amount. No refund will be made for bookings based on a promotional and/or special-event offer.

6.    No-shows

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

• Made by providing credit card information and not cancelled before 6 p.m. on the day of arrival will result in your credit card being automatically charged for the price of the first night as flat-rate compensation to the hotel. The rest of your stay will be cancelled free of charge.
• Made by the advance payment of the totality of your stay and not cancelled before 6 p.m. will, upon request, lead to the reimbursement of the totality of the stay, minus the price of the first night.

7.    Rates

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 are only valid for the duration indicated on the website. Unless otherwise stated, additional services (breakfast, parking, etc.) are not included in the rate.

Any city or tourist taxes 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. Depending on the city or country, some taxes may be added to the rates. Rates include the VAT applicable on the day of booking. Any change in the applicable VAT rate will be automatically shown as part of the rate indicated on the date of billing.

In the event of a change in taxes, fees and charges, or in the event of new taxes, fees and charges, B&B Hotels reserves the right to adjust the rates offered.

8.    Payment

Online payment is conducted by credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express cards) using a secure payment system. You will be asked for your credit card number, the security code on the back of the card, and its expiry date. Any irregular, inoperative, incomplete, or fraudulent booking 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 shall be deemed 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 cards cannot be used to guarantee a reservation, but can be used to pay at the hotel. In hotels with an ATM, only credit cards with a chip can be used to pay for your stay at B&B Hotels on this system. If your credit card only has a magnetic stripe, you must come to the hotel during the opening hours of the reception to pay for your stay.

9.    Complaints

For any stay in Switzerland, any complaint or claim must be addressed directly 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. According to article 489 of Swiss Code of Obligations, claims in relation to damaged property in a hotel have to be notified immediately after becoming apparent towards the hotel operator. 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.

Hotel rooms and facilities should be used with the utmost care. The client is responsible for any damage to the property of B&B Hôtels.

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

B&B Hôtels is responsible for damage to life, body, or health in line with the applicable laws. 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 behaviour or gross negligence by B&B Hôtels or its employees. Any further liability, in particular in case of slight or medium negligence as well as liability for indirect damages is excluded.

11.    Your stay at the hotel

The maximum duration of the room rental is defined by each B&B Hôtel. You can find this information on the hotel pages.
Pets are welcome at B&B Hôtels for an additional fee. They must be under the constant supervision of the client, must not be carry any diseases and must not pose any danger to other hotel guests or hotel staff. Pets are not allowed at breakfast, except for guide dogs or other assistance dogs. In case of damage caused by an animal, the owner will be held responsible. 

Depending on the legislation in force, you may be asked to fill in a police card on arrival at the hotel. To do this, you will be asked to show identification to check whether you need to fill in a police card.

The client accept and commits to use the room in a reasonable manner, in accordance with its purpose. The use of the hotel room for purposes other than accommodation is explicitly forbidden. In addition, any behaviour 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. We do not warrant that the Wi-Fi network will be uninterrupted, timely, secure or error-free at all times or will meet your requirements. Clients agree not to use the WiFi 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 or for any unlawful or otherwise prohibited purpose. 

12.    Prohibitions

The resale, (sub)rental and/or transfer of booked rooms is prohibited. 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.
Any audiovisual recording, photo shoot, reproduction or representation of images including the premises and buildings B&B Hôtels other than for strictly private use is subject to our prior approval.

13.    Displacement and force majeure

In the event of unavailability of the booked room, or by force majeure, B&B Hôtels reserves the right accommodate the client for part or all of the stay 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 hotel initially booked. B&B Hôtels cannot be held liable for non-fulfilment of its obligations as a result of a force majeure event. What constitutes a force majeure event or unforeseen circumstances shall be based on the legal precedents of the Swiss Courts. 

14.    Privacy Policy

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

15.    Final Provisions

These general terms and conditions are subject to change without prior notice. Disparate modifications or additions by the client shall be deemed ineffective.
All legal relationships arising from the contract between the parties are exclusively subject to Swiss law; the place of jurisdiction is Zurich.

These general terms and conditions apply starting on 12 October 2022 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 group stay in Switzerland, the B&B Groups department is at your disposal at tel. +33 02 98 33 76 18, or by e-mail at groupes@hotelbb.com.