Terms and Conditions

BOOKING TERMS & CONDITIONS

These Booking Terms and Conditions, together with our privacy policy and any other written information we brought to your attention before we confirmed your booking, form the basis of your booking with Athena Advisers whose registered office is at 45 Holmead Road – SW62JD – London – United Kingdom Company No: 4648699 (“we” or “us”).

Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations. In these Booking Conditions references to "you" and "your" include the first named person on the booking and all persons on whose behalf a booking is made or any other person to whom a booking is added or transferred.

By making a booking, the first named person on the booking (the lead name) agrees on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking that:

  1. he/she has read these terms and conditions and has the authority to and does agree to be bound by them;
  2. he/she agrees to provide accurate and full information to the remainder of the travelling party in relation to the booking, including any changes thereto;
  3. he/she consents to our use of information in accordance with our Privacy Policy;
  4. he/she is over 18 years of age and where placing an order for services with age restrictions declares that he/she and all members of the party are of the appropriate age to purchase those services;
  5. he/she accepts financial responsibility for payment of the booking on behalf of all persons detailed on the booking.

Please Note: We act in the following capacities: as both a Principal and an Agent in the sale of accommodation bookings. Our obligations to you may vary depending upon which arrangements you book with us, and we have tried to set them out below as clearly as possible:

  1. Section A contains the conditions which will apply to all bookings.
  2. Section B contains the conditions which will apply where you make a single-element booking with us, where we are acting as Principal.
  3. Section C contains the conditions contains the conditions which apply when you make a booking where we are acting in an Agency capacity.

SECTION A – APPLICABLE TO ALL BOOKINGS

  1. Booking and Paying for your Arrangements

    In order to confirm your chosen Arrangements, you must pay the required deposit (or full payment if booking within 4 weeks of departure). You must also pay all applicable booking fees.

    Your booking is confirmed and a binding contract between you and us (where we are the Principal) or you and the Supplier/Principal (where we are acting as an Agent), will come into existence when we despatch the booking confirmation.

    Please check this confirmation and all other booking documents that you receive carefully, as soon as you receive them. You must contact us immediately if any information which appears on the confirmation or any other document appears to be incorrect or incomplete as it may not be possible to make changes later.

    Please check that all names, dates and timings are correct on receipt of all documents and advise us of any errors immediately, as changes cannot be made later and it may harm your rights if we are not notified of any inaccuracies in any document immediately. Please ensure that the names given are the same as in the relevant passport.

  2. Paying for your Arrangements

    You will be required to pay a deposit or make full payment for your booking at the time of booking. Where you only pay a deposit you must pay the full balance by the balance due date notified to you.

    If full payment is not received by the balance due date:

    1. Where you have made a booking where we are acting as a Principal, we will cancel your booking and impose the cancellation charges set out in Section B, below.
    2. Where you have made a booking where we are acting in an Agency capacity, we will notify the Supplier/Principal who may cancel your booking and charge the cancellation fees set out in their own Terms and Conditions.
  3. Accuracy

    We endeavour to ensure that all the information and prices both on our website and in any advertising material that we publish are accurate, however, occasionally changes and errors occur and we reserve the right to correct prices and other details in such circumstances. You must check the current price and all other details relating to the arrangements that you wish to book before your booking is confirmed.

  4. Special Requests

    If you have any special requests, please let us know at the time of booking. We will pass on all such requests to the supplier but we do not guarantee that they will be met and we will have no liability to you if they are not.

    We do not accept bookings that are conditional upon any special request being met.

  5. Insurance

Adequate travel insurance is a condition of your contract either with us or the Supplier/Principal in question, as applicable. You must be satisfied that your insurance fully covers all your personal requirements including pre-existing medical conditions, cancellation charges, medical expenses, medical evacuations and repatriation in the event of accident or illness. Failure to disclose relevant information, including the nature of your chosen arrangements, may affect your insurance. If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, we will not be liable for any losses howsoever arising, in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.

  • Fitness to Travel and Medical Conditions

    We are not a specialist disabled holiday company but we will do our utmost to cater for any special requirements you may have. If you or any member of your party has any medical problem or disability which may affect your trip, please provide us with full details before we confirm your booking so that we can try to advise you as to the suitability of your chosen arrangements. We may require you to produce a doctor’s certificate certifying that you are fit to participate in your chosen arrangement.

    Acting reasonably, if we (or the Supplier/Principal, where we are acting in an Agency capacity) are unable to properly accommodate the needs of the person(s) concerned, we will not confirm your booking or if you did not give us full details at the time of booking, we will cancel it and impose applicable cancellation charges when we become aware of these details.

  • Complaints

    Where we are acting in an Agency capacity, the contract for your arrangements is between you and the Supplier/Principal and any queries or concerns should be addressed to them. If you have a problem during your stay, this must be reported to the representative / Supplier/Principal or their local supplier or agent immediately. If you fail to follow this procedure there will be less opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint. The amount of compensation you may be entitled to may be reduced or you may not receive any at all depending upon the circumstances.

    Where you have made a booking where we are acting as the Principal, we make every effort to ensure that your arrangements run smoothly but if you do have a problem during your stay, please inform both ourselves and the relevant supplier immediately who will endeavour to put things right. If the matter cannot be resolved in resort, you must notify us in writing to info@athenacollection.com within 28 days of the end of your stay giving your booking reference and all other relevant information. Please keep your letter concise and to the point. This will assist us to quickly identify your concerns and speed up our response to you. Failure to follow the procedure set out in this clause may affect ours and the applicable supplier’s ability to investigate your complaint, and will affect your rights under this contract.

    Please note that we do not offer an Alternative Dispute Resolution service. You can however access the European Commission Online Dispute (ODR) Resolution platform at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr/. This ODR platform is a means of registering your complaint with us; it will not determine how your complaint should be resolved.

  • Force Majeure

    Except where otherwise expressly stated in these booking conditions we will not be liable or pay you compensation if our contractual obligations to you are affected by any event which we or the supplier(s) of the service(s) in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. These events can include, but are not limited to (actual or threatened) war, civil strife terrorist activity and its consequences, riot, the act of any government or other national or local authority including port or river authorities, industrial dispute, lock closure, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, chemical or biological disaster and adverse weather conditions, epidemics and pandemics, unavoidable technical problems with transport and all similar events outside our or the supplier(s) concerned’s control. Advice from the Foreign Office to avoid or leave a particular country may constitute Force Majeure.

  • Excursions

    Excursions, trips or other tours that you may choose to book or pay for whilst you are taking part in your trip are not part of your contracted arrangements with us. For any excursion or other tour that you book, your contract will be with the operator of the excursion or tour and not with us. We are not responsible for the provision of the excursion or tour or for anything that happens during the course of its provision by the operator.

  • Passport, Visa and Immigration Requirements and Health Formalities

    It is your responsibility to check and fulfil the passport, visa, health and immigration requirements applicable to your itinerary. We can only provide general information about this. You must check requirements for your own specific circumstances with the relevant Embassies and/or Consulates and your own doctor as applicable. Requirements do change and you must check the up to date position in good time before departure.

    Most countries now require passports to be valid for at least 6 months after your return date. If your passport is in its final year, you should check with the Embassy of the country you are visiting. For further information contact the Passport Office on 0870 5210410 or visit https://www.gov.uk/browse/citizenship/passports.

    For European holidays you should obtain a completed and issued form EHIC prior to departure.

    Up to date travel advice can be obtained from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, visit https://www.gov.uk/travelaware.

    Non British passport holders, including other EU nationals, should obtain up to date advice on passport and visa requirements from the Embassy, High Commission or Consulate of your destination or country(ies) through which you are travelling.

    We do not accept any responsibility if you cannot travel or incur any other loss because you have not complied with any passport, visa, immigration requirements or health formalities. You agree to reimburse us in relation to any fines or other losses which we incur as a result of your failure to comply with any passport, visa, immigration requirements or health formalities.

  • Conditions of Suppliers.

    Many of the services which make up your booking are provided by independent suppliers. Those suppliers provide these services in accordance with their own terms and conditions which will form part of your contract with us. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the supplier's liability to you, usually in accordance with applicable International Conventions. Copies of the relevant parts of these terms and conditions are available on request from ourselves or the supplier concerned.

  • Foreign Office Advice

    You are responsible for making yourself aware of Foreign Office advice in regard to the safety of the countries and areas in which you will be travelling and to make your decisions accordingly. Advice from the Foreign Office to avoid or leave a particular country may constitute Force Majeure (see clause 8).

  • Jurisdiction and Applicable Law

    These Booking Terms and Conditions and any agreement to which they apply are governed in all respects by English law. We both agree that any dispute, claim or other matter which arises between us out of or in connection with your contract or booking will be dealt with by the Courts of England and Wales only.

  • SECTION B – PRINICIPAL BOOKINGS

    This section applies to all bookings that you make with us when we are acting in a Principal capacity. Please read this section in conjunction with Section A of these Booking Conditions.

    1. Pricing

      Price increases may occur any time prior to departure you will be liable to pay any such increases in full. If, before you book, we know of circumstances that may cause an increase in the price of your booking after you have paid, we will endeavour to provide details to you.

    2. Changes Made by You

    If you wish to change any part of your booking arrangements after our confirmation invoice has been issued, you must inform us in writing as soon as possible. This should be done by the first named person on the booking. Whilst we will do our best to assist, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet your requested change. Where we can meet a request, all changes will be subject to payment of an administration fee of £100 per person per changes well as any applicable rate changes or extra costs incurred as well as any costs incurred by ourselves and any costs or charges incurred or imposed by any of our suppliers. You should be aware that these costs could increase the closer to the departure date that changes are made and you should contact us as soon as possible. Where we are unable to assist you and you do not wish to proceed with the original booking we will treat this as a cancellation by you. A cancellation fee may be payable (see clause 16 below).

    Please note: Certain arrangements may not be amended after they have been confirmed and any alteration could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements.

  • If You Cancel Your Booking

    If you or any other member of your party decides to cancel your confirmed booking you must notify us in writing. Your notice of cancellation will only take effect when it is received in writing by us at our offices and will be effective from the date on which we receive it. We recommend that you use recorded delivery. Since we incur costs in cancelling your arrangements, you will have to pay the applicable cancellation charges up to the maximum shown below. The cancellation charge detailed is calculated on the basis of the total cost payable by the person(s) cancelling excluding insurance premiums and amendment charges which are not refundable in the event of the person(s) to whom they apply cancelling:

    Period before departure within which notice of Cancellation by you is received Amount of cancellation charge
    More than 90 days prior to departure Loss of Deposit
    60 to 90 days prior to departure 50% of total booking cost
    30 to 60 days prior to departure 75% of total booking cost
    Less than 30 days prior to departure 100% of total booking cost

    We will deduct the cancellation charge(s) from any monies you have already paid to us.

    Please note: Certain arrangements, once confirmed, may incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements, when cancelled.

  • If We Change or Cancel Your Booking

    We may in exceptional circumstances be required to cancel your booking in which case a full refund of all monies paid will be made to you. We regret we cannot meet any expenses or losses that you may incur as a result of change or cancellation.

    Very rarely, we may be forced by "force majeure" to change or terminate all or some of your arrangements after departure. If this situation does occur, we regret we will be unable to make any refunds, pay you compensation or meet any costs or expenses you incur as a result.

  • Our Responsibilities
    1. Subject to the remainder of this clause, we have a duty to select the suppliers of the services making up your booking with us with reasonable skill and care. We have no liability to you for the actual provision of the services, except in cases where it is proved that we have breached that duty and damage to you has been caused. Therefore, providing we have selected the suppliers/subcontractors with reasonable skill and care, we will have no liability to you for anything that happens during the service in question or any acts or omissions of the supplier, its employees or agents.
    2. We will not be responsible or pay you compensation for any injury, illness, death, loss, damage, expense, cost or other claim of any description if it results from:
      1. the act(s) and/or omission(s) of the person(s) affected; or
      2. the act(s) and/or omission(s) of a third party unconnected with the provision of the services contracted for and which were unforeseeable or unavoidable; or
      3. unusual or unforeseeable circumstances beyond ours or our supplier(s) control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised; or
      4. an event which either ourselves or suppliers could not, even with all due care, have foreseen or forestalled.
    3. We limit the amount of compensation we may have to pay you if we are found liable under this clause:
      1. loss of and/or damage to any luggage or personal possessions and money,

        The maximum amount we will have to pay you in respect of these claims is £25 per person in total because you are assumed to have adequate insurance in place to cover any losses of this kind.

      2. Claims not falling under (a) above and which don’t involve injury, illness or death

        The maximum amount we will have to pay you in respect of these claims is twice the price paid by you in total. This maximum amount will only be payable where everything has gone wrong and you have not received any benefit at all from your booking.

    4. It is a condition of our acceptance of liability under this clause that you notify any claim to ourselves and our supplier(s) strictly in accordance with the complaints procedure set out in these conditions.
    5. Where any payment is made, the person(s) receiving it (and their parent or guardian if under 18 years) must also assign to ourselves or our insurers any rights they may have to pursue any third party and must provide ourselves and our insurers with all assistance we may reasonably require.
    6. Please note, we cannot accept any liability for any damage, loss or expense or other sum(s) of any description: (a) which on the basis of the information given to us by you concerning your booking prior to our accepting it, we could not have foreseen you would suffer or incur if we breached our contract with you; or (b) relate to any business.
    7. We will not accept responsibility for services or facilities which do not form part of our agreement or where they are not advertised in our brochure. For example any excursion you book whilst away, or any service or facility which your hotel or any other supplier agrees to provide for you.
  • Your Behaviour
  • All guests staying with us are expected to conduct themselves in an orderly and acceptable manner. If in our opinion or in the opinion of any person in authority, your behaviour or that of any member of your party is causing or is likely to cause distress, danger or annoyance to any third party or damage to property, we reserve the right to terminate your booked arrangements with us immediately. In the event of such termination our liability to you and/or your party will cease and you and/or your party will be required to leave your accommodation or other service immediately. We will have no further obligations to you and/or your party. No refunds for lost accommodation or any other service will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of termination. You and/or your party may also be required to pay for loss and/or damage caused by your actions and we will hold you and each member of your party jointly and individually liable for any damage or losses caused by you or any member of your party. Full payment for any such damage or losses must be paid directly to the supplier prior to departure. If you fail to make payment, you will be responsible for meeting any claims (including legal costs) subsequently made against us as a result of your actions together with all costs we incur in pursuing any claim against you. We cannot be held responsible for the actions or behaviour of other guests or individuals who have no connection with your booking arrangements or with us.

    SECTION C: AGENCY BOOKINGS

    This section applies to bookings we make for you when acting as agent. We will inform you during the booking process where we are acting in an agency capacity. Please read this section in conjunction with Section A of these Booking Conditions.

    1. Your Contract

      When making your booking we will arrange for you to enter into a contract with the Supplier/Principal named on your booking confirmation. As an agent we accept no responsibility for the acts or omissions of the Supplier/Principal or for the services provided by the Supplier/Principal.

      The Supplier/Principal’s Terms & Conditions will apply to your booking and we advise you to read these carefully as they do contain important information about your booking. Please ask us for copies of these if you do not have them.

    2. Cancellation and Amendment

      Any cancellation or amendment request must be sent to us in writing and will take effect from the day we receive it. Please ensure that you have received written confirmation of any changes to your booking prior to travel. Amendments and cancellations can only be accepted in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Supplier/Principal of your arrangements. The Supplier/Principal may charge the cancellation or amendment charges shown in their Terms and Conditions (which may be as much as 100% of the cost of the travel arrangements and will normally increase closer to the date of departure).

    3. Changes or Cancellations by the Supplier

      We will inform you of any changes or cancellations made by the Supplier/Principal as soon as reasonably possible. If the Supplier/Principal offers alternative arrangements or a refund, you will need to let us know your choice within the stipulated time frame. If you fail to do so the Supplier/Principal is entitled to assume you wish to receive a full refund. We accept no liability for any changes or cancellations made to your arrangements by the Supplier/Principal under your contract with them.

    4. Administration Charges

      In certain circumstances we apply an administration charge for the services we provide:

      SERVICE ADMINISTRATION CHARGE
      Cancellation or Amendment Supplier/Principal’s charge + [£100]
      Special requests after booking has been confirmed Supplier/Principal’s charge + [50£]
    5. Our Responsibility for Your Booking

      Your contract is with the Supplier/Principal and its booking conditions apply. As agent, we accept no responsibility for the actual provision of the arrangements. Our responsibilities are limited to making the booking in accordance with your instructions. We accept no responsibility for any information about the arrangements that we pass on to you in good faith. However, in the event that we are found liable to you on any basis whatsoever, our maximum liability to you is limited to twice the cost of the commission earned in relation to your booking (or the appropriate proportion of this if not everyone on the booking is affected). We do not exclude or limit any liability for death or personal injury that arises as a result of our negligence or that of any of our employees whilst acting in the course of their employment.