Booking conditions

The following booking conditions together with your confirmation invoice form the basis of your contract with The Alpine Generation Limited (company number 08581888) of 264 High Street, Beckenham, Kent, England, BR3 1DZ “The Alpine Generation”, “we” “us” or “our”. These conditions set out our respective rights and obligations and you should therefore read them carefully. In these booking conditions references to “you” and “your” means all persons named on the booking (including anyone who is added or substituted at a later date) or any of them, as the context requires. “Holiday”, “booking” and “arrangements” means such holiday arrangements as we make for you. References to “departure” are to the start date of the arrangements we have contracted to provide.

Please note: We act as a principal in the sale of single-component bookings such as catered or self-catered accommodation only bookings. The single component holiday arrangements we offer and make for you do not constitute a “package” and accordingly, the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 do not apply to them. We can also offer assistance in booking additional services, such as lift passes and equipment hire. Where we do this we are acting as agent for the suppliers of these services and your contract for those arrangements will be with them and their booking conditions will apply.

1. Booking

To make your booking, you or your travel agent, must complete a guest enquiry online and then request to proceed with the booking and provide your contact details. As part of this process, you will be asked to accept our booking conditions. The first named person on the booking will be the party leader. The party leader must be at least 21 years of age when the booking is made and must be authorised to make the booking on behalf of all persons named on the booking and by their parent or guardian for all members how are under 18 when the booking is made. By making the booking the party leader confirms that he/she is so authorised and that all party members agree to be bound by these booking conditions.  The number of people listed in the ‘party details’ section must not exceed the number of persons specified in the booking. The party leader will be responsible for all payments due in respect of the arrangements purchased.

Once we receive the completed request to book we will send you an email confirming the payment terms and details of the booking. When you receive this you must log in and pay the deposit within the specified timeframe.   If booking 10 weeks or less before departure the full payment must be made at the time of booking.

Once we have received your booking details and all appropriate payments your stay with us  will be confirmed by us issuing a booking invoice. Please check the booking details contained within your online account carefully as soon as you receive access and raise any queries immediately.

If at any time prior to the start of your stay there is a change of party leader, we must be notified, in writing by the original party leader.

Under no circumstances are additional guests allowed to stay in the property, other than those specified in the party details section of your booking. Failure to comply with this may result in your booking being terminated, and you may be  asked to vacate the relevant property immediately. See clause 11.

If you agree to reserve a whole property on an exclusive use basis the party leader is liable for the full cost of that property, as stated on your booking invoice or online booking finance summary, irrespective of party size and final number of guests confirmed. Party size should not exceed the stated maximum for the property.

Any authorised travel agent of ours through whom you make a booking will relay information from you to us and vice versa. For the purposes of compliance with time limits or limitation periods as set out or referred to in these booking conditions, receipt by such an authorised travel agent of messages, requests or complaints intended for us will be treated as receipt by us. However, we are not responsible for any advice given to you by your travel agent that did not originate from us.

2. Payment

In order to confirm your chosen 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, this date will be shown on your booking invoice or online booking finance summary. Reminders are not necessarily sent. If we do not receive all payments due (including any surcharge where applicable) in full and on time we are entitled to assume that you wish to cancel your booking in which case the cancellation charges set out in clause 7 will become payable.

The party leader is responsible for making all payments. We reserve the right to charge an administration fee of €15.00 per transaction where a party choses to make  multiple payments from multiple individuals.

We will accept payment by bank transfer, credit or debit card.

We will not be held responsible for charges incurred by you  for international bank transfer costs or charges imposed on you by your bank or card issuer. This also includes payment discrepancies or additional costs caused by variations in exchange rates used by your bank or card issuer.

In the event of dishonoured payments the party leader will be contacted to make immediate payment by other means. If there is a failure to make payment by other means cancellation charges as outlined in clause 7 below will apply.

If your booking is cancelled by you, for any reason, we will re-advertise the property without further notification to you.

All monies you pay to one of our authorised travel agents for your arrangements with us will be held by the agent on your behalf until a contract between us comes into existence. After that point, your agent will hold the monies on our behalf until they are paid to us. Payments must only be made to your travel agent in sufficient time for them to be paid to us by balance due date and not earlier even if your travel agent asks you to do so.

3. Contract

A binding contract between us comes into existence when we dispatch our invoice to the party leader or your travel agent.

We both agree that English law (and no other) will apply to your contract and to any dispute, claim or other matter of any description which arises between us (“claim”) except as set out below.

We both also agree that any claim (and whether or not involving any personal injury) must be dealt with by the courts of England and Wales only unless, in the case of court proceedings, you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland. In this case, proceedings must either be brought in the courts of your home country or those of England and Wales. If proceedings are brought in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may choose to have your contract and claim governed by the law of Scotland/Northern Ireland as applicable (but if you do not so choose, English law will apply).

Where you book additional services a binding contract with the supplier of those services comes into existence when an invoice is issued to the party leader. Your contract(s) with the supplier of those services will be subject to the law referred to in their booking conditions. Any dispute, claim or other matter which arises between you and any supplier must also be dealt with in accordance with those booking conditions.

4. Insurance

It is a condition of our acceptance of your booking that you obtain adequate and specialist insurance cover for all persons named on the booking to cover all the activities to be undertaken on the holiday whether as part of this contract or otherwise. This insurance must include cover for (i) cancellation or curtailment of your holiday as a result of circumstances outside your control (including accident or illness and inability to travel for other reasons), (ii) personal accident, (iii) personal liability, (iv) medical expenses and repatriation in the event of medical need. Please note, it is your sole responsibility to ensure that the travel insurance purchased is suitable for your particular needs, including without limitation, in respect of any pre-existing medical condition (which must be disclosed to the insurer prior to purchasing the policy.)

Please be aware that any advice against non-essential international travel (including as a result of the coronavirus pandemic) issued by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (or equivalent authorities outside the UK for citizens of those countries) may have an impact on your travel insurance. You must check the policy terms prior to purchasing your insurance.

Please read your policy details carefully and take them with you on holiday.  It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover you purchase is suitable and adequate for your particular needs.

5. The Cost of your Stay

All prices quoted on the The Alpine Generation website include accommodation, one set of bed linen per bed, and one set of towels per person.  Prices for catered stays include breakfast on 7 mornings (5 hosted with hot option, 2 self-service), self-service afternoon tea on 7 days, evening meals with wine on 6 nights.  Prices for self-catered stays include only cleaning of the property before and after your stay; no meals are included.  Self-catered bookings are available on a sole occupancy basis only.

Prices do not include flights or travel costs, travel and medical insurance, childcare, lift passes, equipment hire and lessons.

We reserve the right to increase or decrease the prices of unsold accommodation at any time. We also reserve the right to increase or decrease and correct errors in advertised prices at any time before your arrangements are confirmed. Coronavirus and the measures taken by governments, public authorities and businesses to manage its effects (such as social distancing) is likely to have a significant effect on the price of holiday arrangements for a considerable period of time. Such measures may be introduced or changed with little or no prior notice. We will advise you of any error of which we are aware and of the then applicable price at the time of booking.  . Any ad-hoc or one-off discounts offered cannot be combined with our sole occupancy free place offers. Ad-hoc promotion discounts may not be combined with other discounts existing or offered. Club or association discounts are valid for 12 months and will expire unless renewed annually. Once your booking has been confirmed, we will guarantee not to surcharge any existing booked arrangements.

Costs charged for additional services by the supplier of those services may be subject to change.

6. Local Taxes (Taxe de Séjour)

The local council charges a tourist tax; this tax is not included in the price of your stay.  It is charged separately at a cost of €3 per person per night, and is applicable to anyone aged 18+.

7. Alterations and/or Cancellations by you

Should you wish to make any changes to your accommodation or date arrangements after they have been confirmed, you must advise us in writing as soon as possible. Whilst we will endeavour to assist, we cannot guarantee we will be able to meet any such requests. Any alterations made to the existing booking except additions, including (without limitation) a change of dates, will be deemed to be a cancellation and the charges, as set out below, shall apply. It may also be necessary to levy an administrative charge to process any alterations.

Should you or any member of your party need to cancel your chosen stay once it has been confirmed, the party leader must immediately advise us or your travel agent in writing by post or email. 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 will ask you to pay cancellation charges on the scale shown below based on your original booking departure date. In calculating these cancellation charges, we have taken account of possible cost savings and the generation of income from other bookings which may be able to utilise cancelled services to the extent this is likely to be achievable. Cancellation charges are calculated on the basis of the total cost payable by the person(s) cancelling, excluding insurance premiums and any amendment charges (which are not refundable in the event of cancellation).

Special rules usually apply to the cancellation of additional services such as prepaid equipment hire, ski lessons and lift passes. Refunds are subject to the booking conditions of the supplier of such services.  Refunds are not generally available in respect of extras that are booked but not used, or which are partially used.

Depending on the reason for cancellation, you may be able to reclaim these cancellation charges (less any applicable excess) under the terms of your insurance policy. Claims must be made directly to the insurance company concerned after you have paid the cancellation charges to us.

8. Alterations and/or Cancellations by us

We start planning the arrangements we offer many months in advance. Occasionally, we have to make changes to and correct errors in advertising and other details both before and after bookings have been confirmed and cancel confirmed bookings. Whilst we always endeavour to avoid changes and cancellations, we must reserve the right to do so.

Please bear in mind that Covid-19, Brexit and the measures and other action being taken by governments, public authorities and businesses to manage their effects is likely to have an impact on holiday arrangements for a considerable period of time.

We may, for example, be unable to provide certain advertised services or facilities as a result. Such measures / action may be introduced or changed with little or no prior notice. Greater flexibility is therefore likely to be required for the foreseeable future which we would ask you to bear in mind at all times, both before and after departure.

Any impact which such measures / action has on your arrangements will not constitute a significant alteration to your contracted arrangements and will not entitle you to cancel without payment of the applicable cancellation charges as a result.

In the event that your arrangements cannot proceed because your accommodation is not available for any reason and we are unable to provide a reasonable alternative, we will refund the payments you have made to us for your booking. We will not be responsible for any other expenses including without limitation, the cost of flights or any other form of transport.

Please note, a refund will only be provided where we are unable to provide your contracted accommodation in the circumstances referred to above. Without limitation you will not be entitled to a refund and cancellation charges are likely to apply where you are unable to travel on holiday for any reason.

Very rarely we may be forced by force majeure (as outlined in clause 9) to change or terminate your arrangements after they have commenced by before their scheduled end. This is very unlikely but if this situation does occur, we regret we will be unable to make any refunds (except where refunds are obtained from a supplier), meet any cost or expenses you may incur as a result or pay any compensation.

9. Force majeure

Except where otherwise expressly stated in these booking conditions, we regret we cannot accept liability or pay any compensation where the performance or prompt performance of our obligations under our contract with you is prevented or affected by, or you otherwise suffer any damage, loss or expense of any nature as a result of, force majeure.  In these booking conditions, force majeure means a situation which is beyond our control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. Such situations are likely to include (whether actual or threatened) war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural disaster, significant adverse weather conditions, fire, flood, an outbreak of a serious illness at your holiday destination, closure, restriction or congestion of airports, other transport hubs or airspace, flight restrictions imposed by any regulatory authority or other third party and volcanic activity. Force majeure circumstances also include the covid-19 pandemic and its impact on travel.  When we refer to the covid-19 pandemic in these booking conditions, we mean the pandemic resulting from the illness or disease caused by the novel coronavirus which is now called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and any mutations or variants of the same and/or any other coronavirus (and its mutations and variants) which is treated as part of the same pandemic and/or another pandemic however described.

10. Our Liability

We do not own, operate or control most of the services included in the booking which we arrange for you. These services are usually contracted by us with independent suppliers who are themselves responsible for the performance of their own services. We undertake to use our reasonable skill and care in the provision of any services which are provided by our employees in the course of their employment. For all services which are provided by any person or entity other than our employees, we undertake to use our reasonable skill and care in the selection of those suppliers, we will be responsible for booking the service, paying for it and passing on any essential information. Providing we have done this we are not responsible for their acts and omissions or for the actual performance of those services.

We operate a booking service for additional services. We are not recommending or endorsing a particular provider and we can offer you alternative provider information if required. Where we facilitate the purchase of additional services such as ski hire, ski lift passes, or ski lessons we are not liable for the acts and defaults of the third parties who provide those services, including, without limitation, transfer companies, ski hire providers or ski lift providers. Therefore, providing we have selected the agent or supplier with reasonable skill and care, we will have no liability to you for anything that happens during the provision of such arrangements or any acts or omissions of the agent or supplier or others.

We will not be responsible for any injury, illness, death, loss (including loss of enjoyment or possessions), damage, expense, cost or other sum or claim of any description whatsoever which results from any of the following: –

– the act(s) and/or omission(s) of the person(s) affected; or

– the act(s) and/or omission(s) of a third party not connected with the provision of your arrangements; or

– ‘force majeure’ as defined in clause 9 above

Please note, we cannot accept responsibility for any services which do not form part of our contract. This includes, for example, any additional services or facilities which any supplier agrees to provide for you where we have not agreed to provide these as part of our contract and any activities which we arrange for you during your holiday. Regardless of any wording used by us on our website, in any advertising material or elsewhere, we only promise to use reasonable skill and care as set out above and we do not have any greater or different liability to you.

Where we are found liable for loss of and/or damage to any luggage or personal possessions (including money), the maximum amount we will have to pay you is £250.00 per person affected. Any payment is subject to your producing appropriate proof of the contents and value of the luggage or personal possessions concerned and demonstrating that you have taken proper care of your property. For all other claims which do not involve death or personal injury, we limit the maximum amount we will have to pay you in the event that we are found liable to you on any basis to twice the cost paid by the person(s) affected.