Devon hoteliers describes TripAdvisor's bargain hotel award as "illogical"

19 February 2013 by
Devon hoteliers describes TripAdvisor's bargain hotel award as "illogical"

A Devon hotel is bemused to find it has been listed by TripAdvisor as one of the UK's top 25 "bargain" hotels when its rates start at £135 for a double room.

The placing of the three-star, 10-bedroom Yeolden house hotel, near Bideford, Devon, in 17th place on the Top 25 Bargains Hotels list - alongside the likes of the Premier Inn Kidderminster - in TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Awards 2013 has caused confusion amongst prospective guests, according to the hotel's owner.

Brian Steele, owner of Yeoldon House, said that there was "no logic" to the award, considering that the hotel could not be described as "a bargain property" and does not discount its rates. "When you think of a bargain or a budget hotel you imagine a room rate of around £50 per night, but we would not reduce our rates to that level, it would be the slippery slope and not something we could sustain."

"We get inquiries from potential guests who are immediately put off when we tell them our rates for double occupancy starts at £135. They complain that this is not a ‘bargain' price as indicated by TripAdvisor and end the conversation."

Emma Shaw, spokesperson for TripAdvisor, said that for a hotel to qualify for the bargain category in the Travellers' Choice Awards, a property's average room rate must be less than £113 and that the average nightly rate for Yeolden House is listed as £80.

"Pricing information is sourced via TripAdvisor booking partners featured on the site, however, if a property is not listed with an OTA, information is taken from rates submitted by owners and therefore we rely on owners to submit the correct rate. In this instance we sourced the price directly from the management of Yeoldon House Hotel."

Steele said that the £80 rate is for single occupancy and has never provided TripAdvisor with any details of its rates.

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