Tag: holiday lets

Hogmanay Heights

Edinburgh Castle to become student accommodation and will double as exclusive holiday lets

There has been a furious reaction to news that Edinburgh Castle has been sold – and will be converted into top of the range student accommodation.

The city council says the sale will do much to change the capital’s old-fashioned image but heritage groups say the sale of the castle is an act of barbarism

Glen Morangie, marketing director of Historic Environment Edinburgh, confirmed: “The decision was a no brainer. The building has been lying idle for over a year and it’s beginning to show it’s age.

“The city council has ambitious plans for the city centre so we have decided that now is the time to think outside the box and jump on the bandwagon. Make no mistake, this plan is a win, win.

“The building, which will be renamed Hogmanay Heights, will be converted into as many student flats as we can legally get away with – and as a major plus we have negotiated a deal with the city council to take over Princes Street Gardens.

“The gardens will be coverted into a huge drying space – which we’ll call The Back Green – to enable students to dry their laundry. This is to compensate for the lack of space in the flats – to be honest you won’t be able to swing a cat in them, but students don’t really care about that sort of thing. Laundry, I mean.”

Essential Edinburgh also has plans for Hogmanay Heights during the summer and winter breaks.

Mr Morangie continued: “We’ll send the students packing at end of term, give the flats a quick spruce up and let them out – at exhorbitant rates – to tourists. Visitors to Edinburgh are used to being ripped off so they’ll lap it up – it’s all part of the unique Edinburgh experience!”

Rupert Morningside-Merchiston, a ‘change champion’ consultant for City of Edinburgh Council, said: “There are exciting times ahead in the capital. After a year of pandemic misery this is just the tonic that the citizens of Edinburgh want and need – not that we’ve asked them, of course.

“Rest assured, the city centre will be transformed. The boring old fuddy-duddy stuff will be gone for ever – the trees, the flowers and the statues will be replaced with line after line of crisp clean laundry blowing in the breeze. Auld Reekie no more: and Edinburgh – sponsored by Persil – will lead the way once again.”

The Esplanade will become a massive bicycle shed, which causes a major problem for the organisers of Edinburgh’s world famous Tattoo.

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo’s Pipe Major Ruaridh Bannockburn said: “Of course we’ll miss Edinburgh Castle but times are changing, everyone’s cutting back and shows of miltary might ain’t what they used to be.

“Oddly enough, our very first Tattoo was a small event staged at the Ross Bandstand back in 1949, and it seems that we must now go back to our roots and stage a drastically scaled down Tattoo once again.

“With Underbelly’s permission we will be performing ‘Twa’ Pipers Ana’, Ana’ in a phonebox near the Ross Bandstand this August. Buy your tickets now, but remember to bring your own seat – the prices Underbelly charge are eye-watering!”

Archie Brunstane-Bingham, chairman of the Old Town Preservation Society, was unavailable for comment. It’s understood he’s moved to Glasgow.

Which? reports holiday letting companies to regulator

Which? has reported some of Britain’s biggest holiday lettings companies to the competition regulator after an investigation by the consumer champion raised concerns that they could be using unfair contract terms to deny customers refunds for coronavirus cancellations.

Frustrated customers of companies including Sykes Holiday Cottages and Hoseasons have complained to Which? about problems in securing a refund for holidays cancelled as a result of the UK lockdown.

Some have complained about terms and conditions that make the refund claims process difficult, if not impossible. Others describe being unable to contact the company they booked through or being passed between the company and property owner as neither accepts responsibility.

Which? checked the terms and conditions of five of the UK’s biggest holiday letting companies – Sykes Holiday Cottages, Holidaycottages.co.uk, Hoseasons, Cottages.com and English Country Cottages – to understand consumers’ entitlement to a refund for cancellations under these circumstances, and found terms that could potentially be challenged as unfair under the Consumer Rights Act.

In four of the five companies’ contracts, the terms set out how owners of properties rented through the sites are allowed to cancel the holiday if circumstances outside of their control prevent them from being able to provide the property, but do not explain what the consumer’s right to a refund would be in these circumstances.

Which? is concerned that if the right to a refund isn’t provided by additional terms between the property owner and the customer this term gives property owners too much leeway to keep a customer’s money if a booking is cancelled – making it potentially unfair according to the law. The Holidaycottages.co.uk contract was the only one to not contain this potentially unfair cancellation clause.

Hoseasons, Cottages.com and English Country Cottages also tell customers that bookings are subject to the additional terms and conditions of the property owner and that these are “available from the suppliers if you ask”.

While the booking terms say other information may be provided to the consumer during the booking process, if this doesn’t include these additional terms and they are only available on request, Which? believes this could also potentially be challenged as legally unfair.

Jessica Tappin has been waiting for over a month for a full refund from Sykes Holiday Cottages, after receiving a partial refund and being told the remaining balance would be credited to her account.

When she still had not received the outstanding sum and heard of other customers getting full refunds, she tried sending a letter from a solicitor – but she told  Which? that she has still not received the remaining payment.

Adam Kemp is also waiting for a refund from Hoseasons, who told him he cannot claim a refund without cancellation insurance, despite not cancelling the holiday himself. The company sent him a voucher for the value of the holiday instead.

Adam told Which? that Hoseasons pointed him to its terms and conditions about compensation in the event of circumstances beyond its control, which state that the company doesn’t cover additional losses. But Hoseasons did not point to any terms around refunds for cancellations made by the owner of the property.

Which? has reported its findings with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which this week launched an investigation into unfair terms and bad practice in the UK holiday lettings sector.

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “With the coronavirus outbreak wreaking havoc on holiday plans, it’s extremely concerning to hear of so many people being refused refunds from some of the UK’s biggest players in the holiday lettings market.

“The CMA must investigate, and where terms are unfair, take action to ensure that companies act fairly so that holidaymakers are not left out of pocket for their cancelled holidays.”