Hotels
Guide for hotels
Hotel owners and managers and guesthouse proprietors should be aware of their obligations to consumers and ensure that they comply with particular regulations relating to their trade.
If you run a hotel
The responsibilities on hotel owners and managers towards their guests are spread across a number of regulations and legislation.
Hoteliers should read about their obligations when providing a service as consumers have various rights when they buy a service. If your guests book online or by phone, you will need to follow the rules on remote shopping.
If you run a restaurant, café or pub offering food for sale and consumption on the premises, there is specific legislation about how you display these food prices. In the case of a hotel the notice can be displayed either at the entrance to the premises or at the entrance to the catering area. The price also has to be displayed on the menus. If you don’t give out individual menus, you will need a clear display in the room, such as a blackboard. The particular regulations are called the Retail Price (Food in Catering Establishments) Display Order, 1984 and are enforced by the CCPC.
In relation to the licensed premises section of your hotel, don’t forget that there is a separate regulation about how you must display your drinks prices. The particular piece of legislation is called the Retail Price (Beverages in Licensed Premises) Display Order, 1999.
If your hotel offers a hairdressing service you must display a notice setting out the prices of your services and where a hotel has goods for sale all products must display the prices of these products.
Where you sell other items, eg grocery items, reading materials, clothing, you must display the prices of these items, and the prices charged must be the same as those displayed.
Like other services, you are obliged whenever you display your prices or charges to give the final price, inclusive of taxes and charges.
Learn more
- Read about your obligations under selling services to consumers
- Read the full legislation about price displays and food establishments – the Retail Prices (Food in Catering Establishments) Display Order, 1984
- Find out about the obligations on hotels which have a licensed premises and read the full legislation about drinks display – Retail Price (Beverages In Licensed Premises) Display Order
- You will need to follow the rules on selling online or off-premises
- Learn about the rules on advertising your hotel
- Read about your responsibilities if your hotel offers hairdressing services
- Discover what to expect if a consumer decides to take a dispute with you to the Small Claims Court
