Hotel service charges criticised
Last updated at 10:47 06 October 2008
The Good Hotel Guide called the practise of adding a gratuity when settling the bill electronically 'insidious'
Hotel bosses who impose a service charge on guests' bills are acting in an "iniquitous" way, the editors of the The Good Hotel Guide said today.
Some hotels were guilty of the "insidious" practise of offering guests the choice of adding a gratuity when settling the bill electronically, the editors said.
They went on: "Our view is that service is the first thing we expect a hotel to provide.
"Apart from the issue of transparency (how much of these payments reach the staff?), the imposition of a service charge suggests that hotels are not paying proper wages. The payment of a gratuity should be at the discretion of the guest."
The views of editors Desmond Balmer and Adam Raphael came in the introduction to the 2009 edition of The Good Hotel Guide.
They also attacked the Government for cutting the budget of tourist organisation VisitBritain and were also critical of Tourism Minister Margaret Hodge.
Lindeth Fell in Cumbria was named best English country hotel
The editors said: "After the dreadful summer, the last thing hoteliers needed was to be told by Ms Hodge that they were too expensive and of worrying quality.
"The Government should be looking at ways of promoting hotels rather than attacking them. British hotels pay one of the highest rates of VAT in Europe, more than three times the level of those in France."
These were the 10 outstanding hotels which claimed the 2008 Cesar awards, named after the famous hotelier Cesar Ritz:
English country hotel - Lindeth Fell, Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria
Restaurant with rooms - The Great House, Lavenham, Suffolk
Newcomer of the year - Hotel TerraVina, Netley Marsh, Hampshire
Island hotel - Star Castle, St Mary's, Scilly Isles
Cumbrian inn of the year - The Bay Horse, Ulverston
Dining pub - The Gurnard's Head, Zennor, Cornwall
Luxury hotel - Tresanton, St Mawes, Cornwall
Scottish guest house - Bealach House, Duror, Argyll and Bute
Welsh country hotel - Gliffaes, Crickhowell, Powys
Irish heritage home - Ballyvolane House, Castlelyons, County Cork
Hotel TerraVina in Hampshire won Newcomer of the Year
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