Please note that there is a 2% service charge for all bookings from outside the EU in order to cover the extra costs of servicing these bookings.
You can pay your deposit by bank debit card or credit card. Balance payment may be made by cash, bank debit card, credit card or cheque (providing there is time to clear it to meet the payment schedule shown above - you should allow 5 working days for clearance from the time we receive it).
You may also make payment by bank transfer :-
Payments made from within the UK banking system : Sort Code - 50-41-01 Account Number - 51284588
Account Name : Westgate Travel
Payments made from outside the UK banking system : SWIFTBIC NWBKGB2L - IBAN GB07 NWBK 504101 51284588
Last Updated: 20 October 2023
1. Your Relationship With Us and the Applicability of these Booking Conditions
These consumer booking conditions ('the Booking Conditions') apply to bookings made by consumers within the European Economic Area ('EEA') and the UK. If you made your booking by telephone, fax or post and had not seen these Booking Conditions when you made your booking and you are not happy to proceed with the booking now that you have seen them, please return all documentation to us or to your travel agent within 7 days of receiving these Booking Conditions. Your booking will be cancelled and your monies will be returned in full, provided you have not commenced your travel. This clause does not apply if your booking was made within 56 days of travel.
Overview of the terms and conditions which apply to your booking
These Booking Conditions, together with the Holiday and Flight Information (below), any applicable conditions, bye-laws, international conventions or conditions of carriage of applicable Carriers (including VSOE, E&OE, MHCL, CO, GSWRC, Perurail and ILRT (all as defined below) and national and local railway bodies (where applicable referred to herein as ‘the Carrier’)), any other written information we brought to your attention before we confirmed your booking and any other terms we may agree with you from time to time, form the basis of your contract with Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Limited (‘VSOE’) if you are making your booking from the UK (‘UK Customers’) or Belmond Luxury Travel Limited (or ‘BLT’) if you are making your booking from within the EEA (‘EEA Customers’), (collectively, ’we', 'us' or 'our’).
From time to time we may make limited time or other special offers available which are also subject to the terms and conditions stated at the time of booking (“Special Offer Conditions”). In the event of any conflict between these Booking Conditions and the Special Offer Conditions, the Special Offer Conditions shall apply.
Please read these Booking Conditions carefully before booking with us as (subject to any amendments which we may from time to time agree with you) they set out your and our respective rights and obligations. If there is anything within these Booking Conditions that you do not understand, then please contact us at the details given in clause 22 below to discuss what this means for you. If you do not agree to these Booking Conditions you must not book with us.
These Booking Conditions also apply where bookings are made via a travel agent or associate company of VSOE where they act as our authorised agent.
In the event of any inconsistency between these Booking Conditions and any applicable third party conditions and/or International Conventions etc, these Booking Conditions shall, to the extent permitted by law, prevail.
For certain types of group bookings for 14 or more persons we may agree in writing particular terms varying these Booking Conditions. Any such bookings will be subject to specific terms and conditions confirmed at the time of booking.
These Booking Conditions also apply to gratuitous carriage provided by us on one of our trains/boats except to the extent that we have otherwise provided by contract.
We do not own or provide all of the services, facilities or travel arrangements included in your booking. Some of these are provided by third parties (e.g. airlines or other companies within the same group as VSOE and BLT) whom we arrange to provide the services, facilities or travel arrangements included in your booking (the 'Travel Providers').
Bookings for Package Holidays
Package Travel Directive 2015/2302, as implemented into national law in each EEA State and in the UK (the 'Package Travel Regulations’). VSOE and BLT sell some arrangements which comprise Package Holidays, for which it is the organiser, and some arrangements which are not. As some of the terms in these Booking Conditions apply only to Package Holidays, we explain in the following paragraphs what is a Package Holiday.
What is a Package Holiday?
In general, a Package Holiday will exist if you are an EEA Customer or UK Customer and purchase a combination of at least two of the following travel services in a single booking with us, where the arrangement covers a period of more than 24 hours or includes overnight accommodation: (a) transport; (b) accommodation; (c) hire of motor vehicles; or (d) other tourist services.
If you buy a combination which includes 'other tourist services' and only one of (a), (b) or (c) above, then this will only be a Package Holiday if the 'other tourist services':
(i) are not intrinsic to (a), (b) or (c) above;
(ii) are not purchased after the start of performance of (a), (b) or (c) above; and
(iii) either account for a significant proportion of the value of the Package Holiday (at least 25% of the value of the Package Holiday), or otherwise represent an essential feature of the Package Holiday.
Which of our arrangements comprise Package Holidays?
The following arrangements, whether sold on their own or in combination with other travel services, are examples of some of the Package Holidays we sell.
Travel services operated by the following Carriers:
A combination of a flight and a hotel stay will also comprise a Package Holiday.
Which of our arrangements are not Package Holidays?
The following arrangements are not Package Holidays:
The Lead Name on the Booking
In these Booking Conditions references to ‘you’ and ‘your’ include the first named person on the booking (‘Lead Passenger’) and all persons on whose behalf a booking is made or any other person to whom a booking is added or (if permitted by these Booking Conditions) transferred.
The Lead Passenger on the booking will be the person responsible for the booking. The Lead Passenger shall be responsible for paying the deposit and the full price, for making any amendment and cancellation requests, for paying any additional charges in relation to the booking, and for all other matters concerning the booking.
By making a booking, the Lead Passenger hereby:
a. confirms that the details provided for all parties to the booking are full and accurate;
b. represents that he/she has the authority to accept and does accept these Booking Conditions on behalf of all persons in the booking;
c. confirms that he/she has read and understood these Booking Conditions and agrees (for himself/herself and on behalf of each person named on his/her booking) to be bound by them;
d. confirms that he/she has read our Privacy Policy which can be found on our website at www.belmond.com/privacy-policy and confirms that he/she will provide our Privacy Policy to each named person on his/her booking;
e. agrees to check all descriptions on the travel documentation received after booking and to inform us immediately of any errors or instances where personal details do not correspond with those shown on the passports of those travelling under the booking; and
f. confirms he/she is 18 years of age or over 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; and
g. confirms that no parties to the Booking are included on any sanctions lists maintained by any government authority worldwide.
2. Booking and Paying For Your Arrangements
When you make a booking with us, if there are 13 or fewer passengers in your party you must pay a deposit as follows:
| Paris-Istanbul/Istanbul-Paris Journeys on Venice Simplon-Orient-Express | A deposit of 50% of the price on booking, and the final balance not less than 180 days prior to departure. | The full price is payable on booking where the booking is made less than 180 days prior to departure. |
| Les Bateaux Belmond & Royal Scotsman, A Belmond Train | A deposit of 25% of the price on booking, and the final balance not less than 120 days prior to departure. | The full price is payable on booking where the booking is made less than 120 days prior to departure. |
| All Other Journeys | A deposit of 15% of the price on booking, and the final balance not less than 56 days prior to departure. | The full price is payable on booking where the booking is made less than 56 days prior to departure. |
If there are 14 or more passengers in your party, any such bookings may be subject to specific terms and conditions confirmed at the time of booking.
If any payment is not paid (and received by us in cleared funds) in full by the relevant due date, we may cancel your booking immediately and the cancellation charges set out in clause 8 below will become due and payable to us. We shall be entitled to retain any deposit or other sum paid in satisfaction of these cancellation charges. In the event of such cancellation, we shall have no liability to you and the provisions of clause 9 below shall not apply.
A contract will only come into existence between us when you pay the sum applicable upon booking and we have issued our confirmation invoice to you. A binding contract will come into existence as soon as we have issued a confirmation invoice confirming the details of your booking (and the due payment dates for any applicable balance to be paid) which will be sent to you or your travel agent. We shall be under no obligation to issue a confirmation invoice after you have placed a booking with us. We will not issue such a confirmation invoice if we discover an error in the pricing of the booking or if any part of the booking is no longer available.
If, for any reason, we are unable to accept your booking, we will inform you of this and we will not process your booking further. We will then arrange for you to be refunded any part of the booking already paid, unless you decide to use that payment towards a different booking.
If you have any special requests you must let us know during the booking process. We will consider all reasonable requests, but acceptance shall be at our sole discretion and we cannot guarantee that such requests will be met.
If you have a medical condition or a member of your party is a person of reduced mobility, please let us know before making a booking so we can ensure that the booking is suitable for you.
Upon receipt of your confirmation invoice, if you believe that any details on it (or any other travel document issued by us) are wrong you must advise us immediately as changes cannot be made later and it may harm your rights if we are not notified of any inaccuracies in any travel document within 10 days of our sending it out.
For UK Customers only
If your confirmed arrangements include a flight, we (or if you booked via an authorised agent of ours, that agent) will also issue you with an ATOL Certificate. Upon receipt of the ATOL certificate, if you believe that any details on it are wrong you must advise us immediately as changes cannot be made later and it may harm your rights if we are not notified of any inaccuracies in any travel document within 10 days of our sending it out.
In relation to ATOL protected flight-only sales or flight-inclusive Package Holidays, money accepted by our agent from you is held by the agent on behalf of and for the benefit of the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust at all times, but subject to the agent's obligation to pay it to us for so long as we do not fail. If we do fail, any money held at that time by our agent, or is subsequently accepted from you by our agent, is and continues to be held by our agent on behalf of and for the benefit of the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust without any obligation to pay that money to us. When you buy a holiday not including a flight, all monies you pay to the travel agent are held buy him on our behalf at all times.
3. Availability and Accuracy
All bookings are subject to availability at the time of booking. We try hard to make sure that our advertisements are kept up to date, but we do not guarantee that any of the arrangements we advertise will still be available at the time of booking. We will inform you as soon as possible after placing a booking if, for any reason, the arrangements you have sought to book with us are not available.
We may change the advertised price of any arrangement from time to time. We try hard to make sure that the advertised price is the most up-to-date price, but prices can change at short notice. We will confirm the actual price at the time of booking.
We advertise a large number of arrangements and we try hard to ensure that the advertised price is always accurate, but sometimes errors do occur. We will normally verify prices at the time of booking. If there is mistake, and the actual price is lower than that given at the time of booking, we will only charge you the lower amount. If the price is higher, we will contact you for instructions or reject your booking (at our sole discretion) and notify you of this so that you can decide what you would like to do.
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. Price of your Booking
We are under no obligation to supply you with arrangements which are incorrectly priced, even after we have issued our confirmation invoice, if the error should reasonably have been apparent to you. In these circumstances, we may contact you for instructions or cancel your booking and notify you so that you can decide what you would like to do.
5. Jurisdiction and Applicable Law
a. These Booking Conditions and any dispute or claim (including non-contractual disputes or claims) arising out of them, their subject matter or formation shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales, although, if you are an EEA Customer, this shall not deprive you of any mandatory consumer rights of the law of the EEA State in which you are resident. You and we both agree that the courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction to resolve any dispute or claim (including non-contractual disputes or claims) arising out of or in connection with these Booking Conditions or their subject matter or formation. However, if you are a UK Customer, you may choose the law and jurisdiction of Scotland or Northern Ireland if you live in those places and if you wish to do so. Also, if you are an EEA Customer, you may choose to resolve any such dispute or claim in the EEA State in which you are resident.
b. Legal proceedings in respect of any claim against either the Malaya Railway Administration or of The State Railway of Thailand or any other railway network over whose rail network the carriage is performed may only be instituted in the competent court of the State on whose territory the incident occurred which gives rise to the claim. Such claims will be decided in accordance with the laws of that State.
c. Legal proceedings in respect of any claim against PeruRail must be instituted in Peru and decided in accordance with Peruvian law.
6. Unavoidable and Extraordinary Circumstances
In these Booking Conditions, where we refer to Unavoidable and Extraordinary Circumstances, it means a situation beyond the control of the party who invokes such a situation and the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken. This may cover for example warfare, other serious security problems such as terrorism, significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of a serious disease at the travel destination (including but not limited to pandemics and epidemics), acts, announcements, guidance, decrees or orders by governments or local authorities or natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, weather conditions which make it impossible to travel safely to the destination as agreed in the booking and other events such as strikes or high/low water levels.
Except where otherwise expressly stated in these Booking Conditions we will not be liable or pay you refunds, price reductions or compensation if our contractual obligations to you are affected by Unavoidable and Extraordinary Circumstances
7. Alterations by You
If you wish to make a change to your booking after we have issued our confirmation invoice, please contact us at:
Belmond UK Reservations Centre
Suite 132-4 The Metal Box Factory
30 Great Guildford Street London SE1 0HS,
Toll Free Contact Numbers
UK: 0800 058 1237
Germany:0800 000 2688
Switzerland: 800 550 669
Spain : 900 751 035
Italy: 800 596 322
France: 0800 905 653
Les Bateaux Belmond: reservations.lbb@belmond.com
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: reservations.vso@belmond.com
Royal Scotsman: reservations.trs@belmond.com
The British Pullman: reservations.pul@belmond.com
The Eastern & Oriental Express: reservations.eoe@belmond.com
We do not have a legal obligation to make such changes but we may, at our sole discretion, try to accommodate your request. Please understand that it is often not possible for us to do so as changes may depend on availability and the terms and conditions of our Travel Providers.
If we agree to make a change, you agree to pay us an administration charge as shown at clause 8, per person, for making your required change plus any cost we incur in making the change (including, without limitation, charges which are imposed on us by the Travel Providers for making the change). This could be substantial and such costs tend to increase the closer to the departure date that the change is made. For instance, certain elements of your booking (e.g. a flight) may incur a 100% cancellation charge.
We are not responsible for refunding or meeting any expenses or losses you may incur as a result of changes or cancellations made in relation to a Locally Booked Excursion (as set out in clause 14 below), whether these changes or cancellations are made by you or the provider of the Locally Booked Excursion. You may transfer a booking for a Package Holiday to another person who satisfies all the conditions applicable to the booking, subject to you and the other person accepting that you will both be liable, jointly and individually, for full payment of any balance due to be paid and any fees, charges or other costs arising from the transfer (see amendment fee in accordance with the table below at clause 8). We shall notify you of these costs upon receipt of your request to transfer. In order to take advantage of this possibility, you must inform us by email to reservations.uk@belmond.com or in writing to The Belmond Travel Centre Europe, Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Ltd, 4B Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square, London WC1B 4DA. You will need to give us reasonable notice of this change so that we can make the necessary arrangements, but 7 days before departure shall be considered to be reasonable.
8. Cancellations or amendments by You
Cancellations
You, or a member of your party, may cancel your booking at any time by giving us written notice to:
The Belmond Travel Centre, Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Ltd., 4B Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square, London WC1B 4DA; or
By e-mail to:
Les Bateaux Belmond: reservations.lbb@belmond.com
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: reservations.vso@belmond.com
Royal Scotsman: reservations.trs@belmond.com
British Pullman: reservations.pul@belmond.com
The Eastern & Oriental Express: reservations.eoe@belmond.com
We recommend that you use recorded delivery or e-mail sent to the e-mail address above. We reserve the right to request notification of consent from each member of the party in respect of whom the cancellation is made.
Cancellations attract the following charges (in order to cover our estimated costs). The cancellation charges detailed are calculated on the basis of the total cost payable by the person(s) cancelling, excluding amendment charges which are not refundable in the event of the person(s) to whom they apply cancelling.
| Written notice (cancelling a confirmed booking) received before scheduled departure date | Cancellation Fee (expressed as a % of total cost payable for the trip by the person(s) cancelling) | |
| Paris-Istanbul/Istanbul-Paris Journeys on Venice Simplon-Orient-Express | 180 days or more | 35% |
| 179-120 days | 50% | |
| 119-90 days | 80% | |
| 89 days or less prior to departure | 100% |
| Written notice (cancelling a confirmed booking) received before scheduled departure date | Cancellation Fee (expressed as a % of total cost payable for the trip by the person(s) cancelling) | |
| Royal Scotsman, A Belmond Train, Les Bateaux Belmond | 120 days or more | 25% |
| 119-90 days | 50% | |
| 89-30 days | 70% | |
| 29 days or less prior to departure | 100% |
| Written notice (cancelling a confirmed booking) received before scheduled departure date | Cancellation Fee (expressed as a % of total cost payable for the trip by the person(s) cancelling) | |
| All other Specified Products and Specified Arrangements | 56 days or more | 15% |
| 55-21 days | 30% | |
| 20-3 days | 70% | |
| 2 days or less prior to departure | 100% |
Date Changes
Date Changes attract the following charges (in order to cover our estimated costs). The Date Change charges detailed are calculated on the basis of the total cost payable by the person(s) amending.
| Written notice (cancelling a confirmed booking) received before scheduled departure date | Cancellation Fee (expressed as a % of total cost payable for the trip by the person(s) cancelling) | |
| Paris-Istanbul/Istanbul-Paris Journeys on Venice Simplon-Orient-Express | 180 days or more | 35% |
| 179-120 days | 50% | |
| 119-90 days | 80% | |
| 89 days or less prior to departure | 100% |
| Written notice (cancelling a confirmed booking) received before scheduled departure date | Cancellation Fee (expressed as a % of total cost payable for the trip by the person(s) cancelling) | |
| Royal Scotsman, A Belmond Train, Les Bateaux Belmond | 120 days or more | 25% |
| 119-90 days | 50% | |
| 89-30 days | 70% | |
| 29 days or less prior to departure | 100% |
| Written notice (cancelling a confirmed booking) received before scheduled departure date | Cancellation Fee (expressed as a % of total cost payable for the trip by the person(s) cancelling) | |
| All other Specified Products and Specified Arrangements | 56 days or more | 15% |
| 55-21 days | 30% | |
| 20-3 days | 70% | |
| 2 days or less prior to departure | 100% |
Name Changes
You may change the name on a booking by providing us with at least seven days’ written notice prior to the scheduled departure of the booking. We may charge an administration fee.
Other Changes
We will consider any other amendments (other than as set out above) at our sole discretion and may charge an administration fee.
Note: Certain bookings (e.g. for flights) may not be amended after we have issued a confirmation invoice and any alteration or cancellation could incur a cancellation charge of up to 100% of that part of the arrangements in addition to the charge below.
We will apply any monies you have already paid to us towards settling any cancellation charge(s) (and to the extent your payments exceed the sum due, we will refund the balance).
No refunds will be given for passengers not travelling or for unused services. In addition to the cancellation rights set out above, you shall have the right to cancel your Package Holiday before the start of the booking without paying any cancellation charge in the event of Unavoidable and Extraordinary Circumstances occurring at the place of destination or its immediate vicinity and we have confirmed to you that they will significantly affect the performance of the Package Holiday or the carriage of passengers to the destination. If you cancel in this circumstance, we shall provide you with a full refund of any payments made in relation to your booking but you will not be entitled to compensation or any of the rights set out in clause 12 below.
9. If We Change or Cancel Your Booking Before Departure
As the arrangements which make up your booking are planned many months in advance, from time to time we may need to make a change to your booking. We reserve the right to do so at any time. Most changes are ‘Minor Changes’, which we are permitted to make without incurring any liability to you. However, occasionally we have to notify customers of a 'Major Change' that we are constrained to make to the main characteristic of the booking, or where we cannot fulfil any of your special requirements which we have accepted.
For the purpose of these Booking Conditions, the following shall be considered to be ‘Major Changes’ before departure:
a. a change of departure date, departure point or destination (except a change of departure point or destination within a 50 mile radius of the originally intended departure point or destination); or
b. a change of either confirmed departure time (i.e. the departure time displayed on the travel document) or confirmed arrival time by more than 12 hours (5 hours in the case of day trips); or
c. in the case of cruises, the applicable boat (or suitable alternative boat) not being available; or
d. in the case of carriage by train, the applicable train (or suitable alternative train) not being available; or
e. cancellation of the entire booking.
Any change which is not a Major Change, including the following non-exhaustive list of examples, shall constitute a 'Minor Change'. ‘Minor Changes’ include (i) any change to the route and/or stopping points (unless the change amounts to a circumstance within (a) – (e) above, (ii) a substitution of diesel or electric traction in the case of advertised steam haulage journeys, (iii) non-availability of particular dishes or ingredients, (iv) substituted excursions (for example because a particular attraction is closed), or (v) without limitation, any and all measures similar to those set out in clause 15 of these Booking Conditions. Please note that a change of flight time of less than 12 hours, a change of airline or aircraft (if originally identified) or a change of accommodation to another of the same or higher standard usually also qualify as Minor Changes.
In the unlikely event that we have to make a Major Change to your booking, we will tell you as soon as reasonably possible. You will then have the option to:
a. accept the proposed change. If this results in a booking of lower quality or cost, you may be entitled to a price reduction in accordance with clause 12 below;
b. reject the proposed change and terminate your booking with a full refund; or
c. reject the proposed change, terminate your booking and take an alternative one if we decide to offer this. If you decide to take an alternative booking, we will inform you of its impact on the price of your booking. If the alternative booking is of a lower quality or cost, you may be entitled to a price reduction in accordance with clause 12 below.
We will give you a reasonable period of time to make your decision, which will usually be 7 days from notification of the price increase. If we do not hear from you within this timeframe, we shall send a reminder to you, following which we shall be entitled to terminate the booking and provide you with a refund.
If you decide to reject the proposed change and terminate your booking with a full refund, you may also be entitled to compensation in accordance with clause 12 below.
We may not give you any of the above options in the event that a change to the booking is a Minor Change.
On rare occasions, we may have to cancel your booking and we reserve the right to do so. If we have to do so, we will notify you as soon as possible. We will also offer you an alternative booking if we are able to do so, and inform you of its impact on the price of your booking. If the alternative booking is of a lower quality or cost, you may be entitled to a price reduction in accordance with clause 12 below. If we cannot offer you an alternative, or even if you just prefer, we will provide you with a full refund of any payments made for the booking.
You may be entitled to compensation as a result of our cancellation of your booking in accordance with clause 12 below except where we are prevented from providing the booking because of Unavoidable and Extraordinary Circumstances and we notify you of the cancellation without undue delay before the start of your booking, or where the minimum number of persons enrolled for the trip is less than the minimum number informed to you upon booking and we cancel within the time limits set out to you upon booking.
Our offer of any of the above shall constitute your sole remedy against us in respect of a Major Change (including without limitation, cancellation) before departure. In particular please note that subject to these Booking Conditions and any applicable International Conventions, to the extent permitted by law, we shall not be liable for (a) missed connections or (b) any loss or damage caused to you and/or your luggage by the cancellation, non-arrival, lateness, delay or change to your trip or any other service or for any loss or damage consequential upon such cancellation, non-arrival, lateness or delay. A change in departure time will only be compensated once (i.e. we shall not be liable to compensate you separately for late departure and late arrival of the same leg).
Please note: where services with a higher price than the original services contracted for are offered by us and accepted by you, the difference in price will be deducted from any compensation payable to you.
We will not pay you compensation and the options set out above will not be available if we make any change or cancel as a result of your failure to make full payment on time or where the change(s) or cancellation by us arises out of alterations to the confirmed booking requested by you.
10. Resolving Disputes
If anything is not to your satisfaction during your holiday please immediately inform us via the details set out below:
Belmond UK Reservations Centre
Suite 132-4 The Metal Box Factory
30 Great Guildford Street London SE1 0HS,
Toll Free Contact Numbers
UK: 0800 058 1237
Germany: 0800 000 2688
Switzerland: 800 550 669
Spain : 900 751 035
Italy: 800 596 322
France: 0800 905 653
Les Bateaux Belmond: reservations.lbb@belmond.com
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: reservations.vso@belmond.com
Royal Scotsman: reservations.trs@belmond.com
British Pullman: reservations.pul@belmond.com
The Eastern & Oriental Express: reservations.eoe@belmond.com
Please also inform the relevant Travel Provider (e.g. the Train/Cruise manager), who will also endeavour to resolve your problem.
If you suffer any loss or damage to your luggage please inform us or the relevant Carrier within 72 hours.
It is important you advise us as well as the Travel Provider so we can both help to put things right without delay. We believe it is better for everyone to resolve problems that arise during your holiday promptly so that you can enjoy your holiday.
EEA Customers only can also 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.
Please note that a failure to advise of problems whilst on holiday, as described above, deprives both us and the Travel Providers of the opportunity to investigate and rectify your complaint whilst on holiday and this may affect your rights under this contract including reducing any compensation due, potentially to zero.
However, if your complaint is not resolved locally, please follow this up within 28 days of your return home by writing to us using the details set out below:
Customer Services
Suite 132-4 The Metal Box Factory 30 Great Guildford Street London SE1 0HS,
Please give us your booking reference and all other relevant information. Please keep your letter concise and to the point. Failure to do so will affect our ability to investigate your complaint, and could affect your rights under these Booking Conditions.
11. Our Responsibilities for the Performance of your Booking
Your booking with us is an agreement for services. Where we provide the services, facilities or travel arrangements which make up your booking, we have a legal duty to use reasonable skill and care in providing them to you. Where we have arranged for the Travel Providers to provide the services, facilities or travel arrangements which make up your booking, we have a legal duty to use reasonable skill and care in making the arrangements for the Travel Providers to provide the services, facilities or travel arrangements to you.
We also have a liability to you for the performance of the travel services included in a Package Holiday booking with us, irrespective of the fact that such travel services are to be performed by the Travel Providers. Our obligations in relation to Package Holidays we organise are set out below.
You must tell us immediately of any failure to perform or improper performance ('Failure') of your Package Holiday. This will give us the opportunity to resolve the Failure whilst you are on your holiday. If we refuse to do so, or if you need the Failure resolved immediately, then you may resolve the Failure yourself and request reimbursement of reasonable expenses from us. However, these rights will not arise if remedying the Failure is impossible or entails disproportionate costs. In that case, your only right will be to seek a price reduction or compensation in accordance with clause 12.
If a significant proportion of the travel services included in your Package Holiday cannot be provided as agreed in the booking, we shall offer, at no extra cost to you, suitable alternative arrangements for the continuation of the Package Holiday. The alternative arrangements shall, where possible, be of equivalent or higher quality than those specified in your booking. Where they are of lower quality you will be entitled to a price reduction as described in clause 12 below. You may only reject the alternative arrangements we offer to you if they are not comparable to what was agreed in the booking or if the price reduction is inadequate. If you do reject the alternative arrangements, or if we are not able to offer them, then you may, where appropriate, be entitled to a price reduction and/or compensation in accordance with clause 12.
If a Failure substantially affects the performance of the Package Holiday, and we have failed to remedy it within a reasonable period of time, you may decide to continue with your Package Holiday or terminate your booking without paying a termination fee. If you decide to terminate, then if your Package Holiday included carriage to the destination, we shall also repatriate you with equivalent transport without undue delay back to your place of departure and at no extra cost to you. You may, where appropriate, be entitled to a price reduction and/or compensation in accordance with clause 12.
If we are unable to ensure your return to your place of departure as agreed in your Package Holiday because of Unavoidable and Extraordinary Circumstances, we shall bear the cost of necessary accommodation, if possible of equivalent category, for a period not exceeding three nights per passenger. This limitation shall not apply to persons with reduced mobility and any person accompanying them, pregnant women and unaccompanied minors, as well as persons in need of specific medical assistance, provided that we had been notified of their particular needs at least 48 hours before the start of the Package Holiday.
If a longer period of accommodation than that referred to above is provided for in European Union passenger rights legislation (as described in the Package Travel Regulations) concerning your mode of return transport, or such legislation does not allow the transport provider to limit its obligations as described above in the event of Unavoidable or Extraordinary Circumstances, then the limits set out in such legislation will apply instead.
Please note that the measures set out in clause 15 are those required to manage the risks of COVID-19 as part of a normal safety management system. By making a booking with us, you agree that their existence shall not be considered as any form of Failure.
12. Price Reduction and Compensation for Damages
You will be entitled to an appropriate price reduction for any period during which there is a Failure of a travel service included in your booking, unless this Failure is attributable to you.
You shall be entitled to receive appropriate compensation from us for any damage you sustain as a result of a Failure of a travel service included in your booking except where the Failure is:
a. attributable to you;
b. attributable to a third party unconnected with the provision of the travel services included in the booking and is unforeseeable or unavoidable; or
c. due to Unavoidable and Extraordinary Circumstances.
We shall not be liable to pay compensation to you in connection with your booking where there are international conventions which limit the extent or the conditions under which compensation would have to be paid by us or one of our Travel Providers. These same limitations will apply to us and in an identical manner as if such limitations applied directly to us. The extent of our liability will in all cases be limited as if we (being our parent company, Belmond Ltd. and all companies where it owns from time to time at least 25% of those companies in aggregate) were Carriers under the appropriate International Conventions. These international conventions include (but are not limited to) the Montreal Convention in respect of travel by air (and all earlier related conventions), the Athens Convention in respect of travel by sea, the Berne Convention in respect of travel by rail (Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail (COTIF) of 9 May 1980), the Geneva Convention in respect of travel by road and the Paris Convention in respect of the provision of accommodation. We shall have the full benefit of any limitation of compensation which is contained in these conventions and any other international conventions which govern the travel arrangements which make up the booking. Please ask us for copies of these international conventions if you would like to see them.
You can ask for copies of these Conventions from our offices. In addition, you agree that any applicable operating Carrier or transport company’s own ‘Conditions of Carriage’ will apply to you on that journey. When arranging transportation for you, we rely on the terms and conditions contained within these International Conventions and those ‘Conditions of Carriage’. You acknowledge that all of the terms and conditions contained in those ‘Conditions of Carriage’ form part of your contract with us, as well as with the transport company and that those ‘Conditions of Carriage’ shall be deemed to be included by relevant reference into our contract with you.
Our liability to you in connection with your booking shall be limited to the following maximum amounts, except in cases involving death, injury or illness where we or our Travel Providers have caused such damage intentionally or with negligence. The limitations are: (a) Package Holidays, three times the cost of the booking; (b) luggage claims, $2,500; (c) all other claims, one and a half times the cost of the booking. These maximums will only be payable when every aspect of your booking has gone wrong (or all luggage is lost) and you have not received any benefit from your booking. Any sums received by you from the Travel Provider(s) will be deducted from any sum paid to you as compensation by us.
If you are granted compensation or a price reduction by another party in relation to the same Failure which you claim compensation or a price reduction from us, then we may deduct the compensation or price reduction you receive from the other party from that which is payable by us.
Except as set out above, we accept no liability for any claims, losses, expenses, damages or liability for your Package Holiday, except in cases involving death, injury or illness where we have caused such damage with negligence.
Please note, we cannot accept any liability for any damage, loss or expense or other sum(s) of any description which, we could not have foreseen you would suffer or incur, unless you provided the relevant information to us during your booking and prior to our accepting your booking (by way of non-exhaustive examples, if you fail to notify us of a food allergy or medical condition or if you are likely to incur any business losses).
We also cannot accept liability for any damage, loss or expense or other sum(s) of any description which arise out of or are connected with the matters described in clause 15 of these Booking Conditions.
It is a condition of our acceptance of liability under this clause that you notify any claim to us and our Travel Provider(s) strictly in accordance with the complaints procedure set out at clause 10 ('Resolving Disputes') in these Booking Conditions.
Where any payment is made, the person(s) receiving it (and their parent or legal guardian if under 18 years) must also assign to us or our insurers any rights they may have to pursue any third party and must provide us and our insurers with all assistance we may reasonably require.
13. Prompt Assistance During Your Trip
We shall provide you with appropriate assistance without undue delay if you are in difficulty, in particular by providing appropriate information on health services, local authorities and consular assistance; and by helping you make distance communications and helping you find alternative travel arrangements. Typically, we do not charge for this assistance, although we do reserve the right to charge a reasonable fee for such assistance if the difficulty has been caused intentionally by you or through your negligence.
If you are in difficulty during your trip with us and you need our assistance, please contact us at any of our reservations offices or via our emergency duty number for the train or cruise you are travelling on, each as set out below:
Belmond Reservations Offices:
Les Bateaux Belmond: reservations.lbb@belmond.com
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: reservations.vso@belmond.com
Royal Scotsman: reservations.trs@belmond.com
British Pullman: reservations.pul@belmond.com
The Eastern & Oriental Express: reservations.eoe@belmond.com
UK: 0800 058 1237
Germany:0800 000 2688
Switzerland: 800 550 669
Spain: 900 751 035
Italy: 800 596 322
France: 0800 905 653
Singapore Reservations Office
Singapore: 00 852 8636
Australia: 1800 959 926
New Zealand: 0800 423 139
USA Reservations Office
US: 1 800 237 1236
Mexico: 0800 077 0804
Brazil: 0800 761 0096
Trains:
Venice Simplon-Orient-Express: +39 335 756 5967
Belmond British Pullman: +44 (0)7557 759 197
Belmond Royal Scotsman: +44 (0)7799 647626
Eastern & Oriental Express:
Singapore: Tel +65 8139 6008
Bangkok: Tel +66 81 825 6804
Belmond Andean Explorer and Perurail:
+51 084 581400
+51 1 981285777
Cruises:
Les Bateaux Belmond: +33 649 424 291
14. Locally Booked Excursions and other Third Party Services
It may be possible for you to book a local excursion or other third party services during your trip, such as a local tour, experience, concert, activity, sports, adventure experience or any other service or facility which your train, cruise or any other supplier agrees to provide for you which do not form part of your booking or were not advertised in our brochure or on our website. For example, any excursion you book (other than with us) or you ask us to book on your behalf before or while on the trip, any service or facility which your train, cruise or any other supplier agrees to provide for you, any doctor, dentist or other medical attendant called to attend to you during the trip and any services, products or transportation not provided by us (collectively, in these Booking Conditions, we shall refer to these as “Locally Booked Excursion(s)”).
These Locally Booked Excursion(s) will be bookable and payable by you locally or via us (if we are instructed by you to act as an agent on your behalf). You will be entering into a contract directly with the provider of the Locally Booked Excursion, not us, and the Locally Booked Excursion shall not form a part of your booking or any contract with us. The Locally Booked Excursions will be provided by third parties over whom we have no control or relationship with. We do not have any responsibility for their provision, nor do we accept any liability if you suffer loss or damage whilst on a Locally Booked Excursion or any other service or facility which your train, cruise or any other supplier agrees to provide to you. We shall not be held responsible to reimburse any expenses, costs and charges imposed upon you by the provider of the Locally Booked Excursion under their contract with you.
If you cancel your Locally Booked Excursion with the provider of the Locally Booked Excursion, or the Locally Booked Excursion is cancelled because your booking has been cancelled, you shall reimburse us for any deposits, cancellation costs or other expenses we incur in respect of booking such services on your behalf. To the extent that we hold funds on your behalf which would otherwise be returnable to you, we shall be permitted to use these funds to meet these charges and expenses.
15. Covid-19
We both acknowledge and agree that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected travel throughout the world and that we both have responsibilities to comply with various laws, regulations and guidance issued by governmental or regulatory authorities which seek to manage the risks caused by COVID-19.
You acknowledge that laws, regulations and the travel suppliers providing your holiday (such as airlines, train operators, cruise operators, hoteliers and other travel suppliers) may require you and their employees to comply with various measures which have been introduced to manage the risk of COVID-19. These may include (without limitation) a requirement to undergo temperature checks, provide health information or certificates, wear personal protective equipment such as face-masks and gloves and abide by social distancing requirements. There may also be limitations on the number of persons who may use facilities or services at any particular time, limitations on the availability of certain facilities and services (e.g. buffet and self-service restaurants may be replaced by a-la-carte, spas and pools may be closed), requirements to pre-book facilities and services, sanitisation and other hygiene requirements.
You also acknowledge that certain travel suppliers including ports, airports, border control or other third parties may require you to undertake certain health formalities or satisfy other requirements aimed at managing the COVID-19 risks as a condition to you travelling, departing, entering or residing in a particular place. You agree that it is your obligation to obtain details of these requirements ahead of your travel departure date and to comply with and satisfy these requirements. If you fail to meet these requirements, or refuse to complete them, you may be denied boarding, exit, entry or the use of some other facility or service which forms part of your booking. We shall not be liable to you for any refunds or compensation in relation to such matters.
You also acknowledge that certain countries may impose quarantine or self-isolation measures upon travellers, whether in the place of destination or upon return.
We strongly recommend that you familiarise yourself with the advice from your national authority for overseas travel before departing. For UK Customers, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s latest advice for travel to other countries is available here.
You agree to notify us if you test positive for COVID-19 , if you consider that you may have COVID-19 symptoms or if you become aware that you may have come into close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or who may have COVID-19 symptoms, in each case prior to commencing your trip with us, and/or if you test positive for COVID-19 within 14 days of the end of your trip with us. We may share this information with the relevant travel suppliers for your booking in accordance with the terms of our privacy policy.
If you notify us before travelling and we (or the relevant travel suppliers) conclude that you are no longer able to travel because of the COVID-19 risks, then your booking will be treated as having been cancelled by you and our standard cancellation charges will apply. We will, however, explore with you whether it is possible for you to postpone your booking to a later date, which may incur further charges. It might also be possible for you to transfer your booking to another person, subject to the terms of transfer set out in these Booking Conditions.
If you notify us during travel, you acknowledge that we or your travel suppliers (or local laws and regulations) may require you to follow certain measures designed to manage the risk of COVID-19 and may refuse to provide you with the relevant service(s). You may, for instance, be required to self-isolate for a period of time. You agree to comply with these requirements. In this instance, we will provide you with such reasonable assistance as we are able to in the circumstances. However, we will not be responsible for meeting any costs incurred by you or for refunding or compensating you for the curtailment of your holiday, cancelled or rebooked transportation, additional accommodation or other associated costs you incur in connection with the same.
We both agree that the measures set out above are a necessary part of keeping you, other travellers, employees and the public safe. You are making your booking in full knowledge that such measures are likely to form part of your trip and do not amount to Major Changes or other changes to your booking, nor do they amount to any Failure.
We shall have no liability to you for any refunds, compensation, losses, costs, expenses or damages you incur in connection with the matters described above or if you are unable to travel or make use of all or part of your booking because of these matters. These are risks which you must protect through obtaining comprehensive travel insurance.
16. Your Financial Protection
For UK Customers – Package Holidays
We provide full financial protection for our Package Holidays which include a flight and ATOL protected flight only sales by way of our Air Travel Organiser's Licence number 3141 issued by the Civil Aviation Authority, Gatwick Airport South, West Sussex, RH6 0YR, UK, telephone +44 (0)333 103 6350, email claims@caa.co.uk.
When you buy an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive Package Holiday from us you will receive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information on what this means for you and who to contact if things go wrong.
We, or the Travel Providers identified on your ATOL Certificate, will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In some cases, where neither we nor the Travel Provider are able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with the services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable).
If we, or the Travel Providers identified on your ATOL Certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons for insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us, the travel agent (or your credit card issuer where applicable). You also agree that any such claims may be reassigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.
When you buy a Package Holiday that does not include a flight, protection is provided by way of an insurance policy with Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe SE (LMIE) trading as Liberty Specialty Markets, a member of the Liberty Mutual Insurance Group.
For EEA Customers – Package Holidays
We have arranged full financial protection for your Package Holiday through an insurance policy with Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe SE (LMIE) trading as Liberty Specialty Markets, a member of the Liberty Mutual Insurance Group.
For further information on these insurance policies, including details of how to make a claim (in the event of our insolvency), please see the Appendix at the end of these Booking Conditions.
Non-Package Holiday Bookings
Bookings which do not include a flight or are otherwise not a Package Holiday are not protected by these arrangements.
17. Conditions of Travel Providers and carriage
a. Some of the services which make up your trip are provided by independent Travel Providers. Those Travel Providers provide these services in accordance with their own terms and conditions which will form part of our contract with you. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the Travel provider’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 us or the Travel Provider concerned.
b. Each of VSOE, E&OE, MHCL, CO, ILRT, GSWRC and Perurail have their own conditions of carriage which are applicable to this contract where services are provided by them and which are obtainable from us or from their respective web sites.
18. Your Obligations
a. Travel Documents. You must be in possession of a valid travel document before boarding the applicable train/boat. Travel documents are only valid for the dates and for use only between the points of departure and destination (or stopover, see (c) below) shown on the travel document and by the route or routes shown on the travel document. Travel documents are not transferable (other than as expressly permitted by these Booking Conditions). Travel documents bearing unauthorised alterations are not valid for travel. Travel documents remain our property and if you fail in any material respect to comply with any condition (including but not limited to these Booking Conditions) governing its use, your travel document may be withdrawn or invalidated by our staff or agents and you may be required to pay the full fare. There may be an administration charge for replacing any lost or damaged travel documents.
b. Boarding, alighting or changing Trains/Boats.
When boarding, alighting or changing trains/boats during your journey you should make sure that:
(i) you board the correct train/boat;
(ii) if appropriate, you travel in the correct part of the train/boat;
(iii) you alight from the train/boat at the correct destination, including any destination where you need to change onto another train/boat/means of transport;
(iv) you keep your possessions with you at all times (other than luggage which has been checked–in with us (see (h) below);
(v) you check-in as we advise and are ready to board the train/boat (having loaded all luggage to be deposited with us) at or before the time shown on your travel document;
(vi) promptly following arrival at any destination, you alight the train/boat and (if applicable) remove all luggage.
If you require assistance to board/alight a train/boat, you must please advise us not less than one week before departure so that arrangements can be made (please also see (e) below).
We will not delay departures or otherwise make provision for late boarding and we will not be responsible for any loss or delay to your journey arising from any failure by you to comply with any of (i – vi) above.
If you miss the train/boat, or are refused boarding, you will be treated as if you had cancelled without notice (and the cancellation charges at clause 8 will apply).
c. Stopovers.
If you make a break in carriage other than as permitted you shall not be entitled to onward carriage or to a refund or any other compensation from us.
d. Special Diets.
Please notify us (not less than 14 days prior to departure) of any dietary requirements. It may not always be possible to offer you an alternative meal, but, provided we have been notified of your requirements, we will use reasonable endeavours to notify you of any meals you should avoid.
e. Disabilities and Medical Conditions.
If you or any member of your party has any medical condition 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. Acting reasonably, if we are unable to appropriately 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.
If your fitness to travel may be in doubt as a result of recent illness, surgery, injury, medical treatment or an existing medical condition which may require treatment or assistance on board (including but not limited to additional oxygen, wheelchairs, assistance to use the bathrooms, assistance to get in or out of bed, medication administered via a needle other than well-managed diabetes) you must (i) provide us with an up-to-date certificate from your doctor no later than 5 days prior to departure certifying that you are fit to travel and (ii) be accompanied by another passenger who is able to provide you with all the appropriate assistance you may need (our staff cannot provide such assistance). We may refuse you carriage (and no refund or compensation shall be paid to you) if you have not provided the applicable certificate and/or are not accompanied by a suitable passenger.
f. Passport, Visa and Immigration Requirements and Health Formalities.
It is your responsibility to check and fulfil the passport, visa, health (including vaccinations) and immigration requirements applicable to your itinerary. Please note that we can provide general information about the passport and visa requirements for your trip, but your specific passport and visa requirements, and other immigration requirements are your responsibility and you should confirm these with the relevant embassies and/or consulates. Any information supplied by us on these or related matters (such as climate, when to travel, clothing, baggage, personal items etc.) is given as general guidance and in good faith but we do not accept liability for any decisions made on the basis of the information supplied.
For UK Customers, the visa and health requirements at the time of booking can be viewed on the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office website (www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice). It is your responsibility to ensure that you and all members of your party are in possession of all necessary travel and health documents, and in compliance with any other immigration requirements, before you travel. If you or any member of your party is not a British Citizen or holds a non-British Passport, you must check passport and visa requirements with the embassy or consulate of the country(ies) you are travelling to or through. Most countries now require passports to be valid for at least six months after your return date. If your passport is in its final year, you should check with the Embassy of the countries you are visiting. Please note that UK residents should also ensure that they hold passports which have been issued within the last 10 years, which are valid for at least 6 months from the date of travel (note that if you renewed your current passport before the previous one expired, extra months may have been added to its expiry date. Any extra months on your passport over 10 years will not count towards the 6 months needed). For further information for UK nationals, contact the Identity and Passport Service, on 0300 222 0000, visit www.direct.gov.uk or email info@passport.gov.uk.
Neither we, nor the Travel Providers, accept any responsibility if you cannot travel because you have not complied with any passport, visa or immigration requirements. Please ensure that all your travel, passport, visa and insurance documents are in order and that you arrive in plenty of time for checking in at the airport. It may be necessary to reconfirm your flight with the airline prior to departure.
If you are a national of an EU country and your trip includes a trip to another EU country you are advised to obtain a European Health Insurance Card (‘EHIC’) prior to departure.
You agree to reimburse us on demand 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.
We shall have the right to inspect your passport, visas and travel documents/permissions to travel to ensure that you fulfil all entry requirements for any country in or through which your trip is to take place. If you are unable to fulfil any such requirements then we shall have the right to refuse you carriage and you will not be entitled to any refund in respect of any unused services.
g. Behaviour.
It is important that you behave responsibly and with consideration for others during your booking. All passengers travelling with us are expected to be appropriately dressed (as advised in the Passenger Travel Information sent with your travel documents), to conduct themselves in an orderly and acceptable manner, and not to disrupt the enjoyment of other passengers. Accordingly, to the extent that we, or one of our Travel Providers, believe that your actions could or have caused disruption or annoyance, or a risk of safety, or damage to property, to us, our Travel Providers or other customers, or if it is believed that you are not fit to travel, then we may cancel your booking without further liability to you. In these circumstances, the provisions of clause 9 shall not apply. Full payment for any such damage or losses must be paid directly to us or the applicable Travel Provider prior to your ejection from the service in question. In the event that your behaviour (or any articles carried by you) causes loss or damage to any person or property for which we are liable, you agree to compensate us for such loss and damage, together with any legal costs which we may incur in pursuing this claim against you. We cannot be held responsible for the actions or behaviour of other passengers or individuals who have no connection with your arrangements with us.
h. Luggage on Trains and Boats.
Your luggage must not contain any items which in our opinion are dangerous, illegal, liable to harm or annoy other passengers or are otherwise unsuitable. Animals and livestock will not be carried, except guide-dogs in certain restricted circumstances (please ask at the time of booking). Luggage deposited with us for carriage must not contain (and we shall have no liability for) any fragile or perishable articles, cash money, jewellery, precious metals or other valuables (including but not limited to bearer securities, business documents, trade secrets or samples).
We will accept the carriage of your luggage subject to any applicable laws, regulations, and conditions of carriage and subject to: (i) the luggage not being excessively heavy, bulky, dangerous, inadequately packed, in a defective state or otherwise unsuitable for carriage; (ii) luggage being correctly labelled with your name, destination address and cabin/seat/berth number; (iii) you accompanying your luggage onto the boat or train.
Unless we otherwise agree in advance, luggage allowances per passenger are as follows:
You shall be responsible for supervising any luggage you do not deposit with us for carriage.
The Lead Passenger on behalf of himself/herself and each member of the party hereby authorise us and our employees, servants and agents to inspect any luggage deposited with us for carriage, to check compliance with these Booking Conditions.
You must comply fully and promptly with any instructions in respect of your luggage given by train or cruise staff or security and border control authorities in any jurisdiction.
We may refuse carriage to any passenger whose luggage does not comply with these Booking Conditions, in which case, you shall not be entitled to any refund. We shall not provide storage (other than for checked-in luggage on the trains/boats, in accordance with these Booking Conditions) for any of your possessions.
We shall not be required to:
(i) verify that a person claiming luggage is the owner of such luggage or otherwise entitled to take delivery of it;
(ii) verify that luggage complies with these Booking Conditions;
(iii) hand over any luggage to any person unless the person claiming it can demonstrate to our satisfaction that he is entitled to take delivery of such luggage;
(iv) store any luggage not collected promptly when we require.
We may destroy, sell, otherwise dispose of or make a charge for storage of any luggage not collected on completion of carriage.
If you suffer any loss or damage to your luggage, please inform us or the relevant Carrier within 72 hours. Porters at railway stations and ports, transfer agents and hotel staff are not employees or agents of ours and consequently you use their services entirely at your own risk. Trolleys and other equipment available for passenger use at railway stations and ports are not our property and consequently you use such equipment entirely at your own risk.
i. Cabins, Seats and Berths. The Carrier shall have the right to allocate seats, cabins and berths as it thinks, and subject to these Booking Conditions, to vary any bookings made in respect thereof and to transfer you from any such seats, cabins and berths to any alternative ones, provided such allocated seat, cabin and/or berth is commensurate with the class of accommodation you have booked.
j. Insurance. It is important that you have sufficient insurance in place to cover you (and your group) whilst you are away. Your insurance should also include cover against COVID-19 and other health related incidents which may affect or curtail your booking. It is a condition of your booking that you have such suitable insurance cover in place. Please ensure that you have a valid travel insurance policy in place from the time of booking, to cover you for the countries and activities you may be undertaking on your holiday. You should contact us to discuss this if you do not already have insurance in place. Details of a policy suitable to cover the arrangements you book are available from an adviser at RHG Insurance Broker on 01438 345714 or 01438 345719 (please quote ‘VSOE Travel’ when calling). If requested you must provide details of your policy to us before you travel. Any liability which we may have to you shall not be increased as a result of your choice to travel without adequate insurance cover.
19. Brexit Event and Your Booking With Us
On 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom withdrew from the European Union (“EU”) pursuant to Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, otherwise known as "Brexit" and entered into a transition period. On 31 December 2020, the transition period ended.
In light of these changes, there is a risk that Brexit may have a substantial adverse impact on our or our suppliers' ability to perform your booking ("Brexit Event"). For instance, it may be that the airline operating the flight element of your booking will not be able to operate the flight because of the loss or restriction of air traffic or transit rights or the right of the airline to enter any airspace. Or, it may be that one of our Carriers will no longer able to travel into a particular region within the EU.
For our customers who have yet to depart, our obligations to you under your booking are conditional upon there not being a Brexit Event. If, in our reasonable opinion, a Brexit Event has occurred, we will inform you as soon as possible in writing, upon which we will both be relieved of any further obligations in relation to the booking. If this happens, we will return to you any payments you have made in respect of your booking, which shall be the full extent of our obligations to you. We will not compensate you for a Brexit Event.
For our customers who have already departed, clause 11 of these Booking Conditions shall apply to any Brexit Events concerning your booking.
20. Assignment of claims
In the event that you or any other individual on behalf of whom you have made a booking has a direct legal claim against a supplier, in connection with a Booking, for a refund, compensation or other loss or damage, and we agree to pay such sum to you (whether as a result of a concurrent legal obligation which we have to you or otherwise), you agree that upon such payment being made you shall assign your rights, title, interest, and benefit in and to such legal claims to us upon our request.
You agree that you will not assign or otherwise transfer any of your legal rights or claims against us which arise out of or are in connection with your booking or these Booking Conditions except as otherwise permitted in these Booking Conditions.
21. Prohibited Individuals
If you (or any other individual included in your Booking) is or becomes at any time a Sanctioned Person (as defined below) or is otherwise identified by a governmental authority or law enforcement organisation, having jurisdiction over properties owned and/or operated by the Belmond Group, as a person with whom the Belmond Group is prohibited from or advised against transacting business with, we shall have the right to cancel your Booking without incurring any liability to you (or any other individual included in your Booking). We will only be required to provide you with a refund where we are permitted to do so under applicable laws.
“Sanctioned Person” means a person or entity (a) included on any of the lists issued or maintained, amended, supplemented or substituted from time to time by the UK, US, EU, any EU Member State, the United Nations and/or any other government authority or law enforcement organisation (including INTERPOL) worldwide (and in each case their respective judicial or regulatory institutions, agencies, departments and authorities) designating or identifying persons or entities that are subject to sanctions or restrictive measures, or (b) otherwise identified by the UK, US or EU or EU Member State, United Nations and/or any other government authority or law enforcement organisation worldwide (and in each case their respective judicial or regulatory institutions, agencies, departments and authorities) as being subject to sanctions and/or restrictive measures.
22. General Terms and Information
The various paragraphs set out in these Booking Conditions operate separately to one another. If any court or any other relevant authority decides that any of these paragraphs (or part therein) are unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining paragraphs (and parts therein) will remain in full force and effect.
These Booking Conditions and the associated booking confirmation set out the entire agreement between us. You are not relying upon any other statement, promise or assurance in relation to your booking.
p These Booking Conditions are between you and us. No other person shall have any rights to enforce any of their terms and conditions.
If we do not insist immediately that you do anything you are required to do under these Booking Conditions, or if we delay in taking steps against you in respect of your breaking this contract, that will not mean that you do not have to do those things and it will not prevent us taking steps against you at a later date. For example, if you miss a payment and we do not chase you immediately, we can still require you to make the payment at a later date.
We may transfer our rights and obligations with you under these Booking Conditions to another organisation, and we will do our best to notify you if this happens, but this will not affect your rights or our obligations under the Booking Conditions.
If you have any queries about these terms, please contact our UK contact centre before placing a booking via the contact details shown below.
The marks/logos of Belmond, VSOE, Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, Les Bateaux Belmond, Eastern & Oriental Express, Belmond Royal Scotsman and Belmond British Pullman shown in this website have been registered in various countries. ‘Orient Express’ is a trade mark of SNCF.
© 2023 Venice Simplon-Orient-Express Limited whose registered and head office is at 4B Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square, London WC1B 4DA Telephone: (020) 3117 1300 Fax: (020) 7921 4777 Registered in England and Wales No 1551659
© 2023 Belmond Luxury Travel Limited whose registered address is at 13-18 City Quay, Dublin 2, Dublin, Ireland Telephone: (020) 3117 1300 Fax: (020) 7921 4777 Registered in Ireland No 538767
Holiday and Flight Information
PRICES: All prices and supplements shown (unless indicated otherwise) are per person based on shared accommodation. Please note, where your hotel stay covers two different price bands, the holiday price will be adjusted accordingly.
YOUR HOTEL(S): Every hotel has its own style and character. We offer a range of properties in most destinations which offer not only different room types but also prices. As a general rule, the price charged gives an indication of standard and therefore your expectation. Worldwide check in/out times are usually between 12 noon and 2pm and rooms cannot be guaranteed outside of these times, unless a supplement is paid to ensure immediate occupation on arrival or for late check-out.
YOUR TRANSFERS: Our itineraries include all transfers, which are either on a private basis, or shared when many passengers arrive/depart at the same time. This is particularly the case in our European programmes.
YOUR FLIGHTS: Please note that the airlines do not open bookings for flights until 10-11 months prior to travel and we cannot book flights without a deposit and they are subject to availability until confirmed in writing. Note that all air tickets (including Club Europe or Club World etc) are issued at contract rates and once booked cannot be changed in any way. European flights: all flights are with British Airways in Euro Traveller class and upgrades to Club Europe are available, subject to subject to availability (price available on request). Holiday itineraries and prices to/from all European Destinations are based on flights to/from a London airport. Please note that British Airways levies a charge to pre-assign seats more than 24 hours prior to departure, if you would like to do this, please ask for details. Business class lounges are available in most airports, but where space is restricted, this may be limited to the airline’s executive club members. South-East Asian flights: The itineraries shown for South-East Asia do not include flights from the UK to Bangkok or Singapore as appropriate. However we are able to reserve flights (in all travel classes) with British Airways, Thai Airways and Singapore Airlines from London Heathrow. Due to the constant fluctuations in long-haul flight prices, these will be quoted at time of booking. Various itineraries have regional economy flights included. Unless indicated otherwise, these are with Bangkok Airways, except for flights to/from Yangon which may also be with Thai Airways International. Other flight information: Connecting regional British Airways flights are available for a supplement from selected UK regional airports to/from Heathrow or Gatwick provided you are also booking your international flight with them. Note that connecting flights do not include the transfer between Victoria Station and the airport or vice versa where applicable.
The carrier(s), flight timings and types of aircraft shown on this website or in our brochure and detailed on your confirmation invoice are for guidance only and are subject to alteration and confirmation. Should there be any change we shall inform you of the identity of the actual carrier(s) as soon as we become aware of it. The latest flight timings will be shown on your e-tickets, which will be dispatched to you, approximately two weeks before departure. You should check these very carefully immediately on receipt to ensure you have the correct flight times. If flight times change after e-tickets have been dispatched we will contact you as soon as we can to let you know. Please note the existence of a ‘Community list’ for EEA Customers (available for inspection at https://ec.europa.eu/transport/sites/transport/files/air-safety-list_en.pdf, and for UK Customers, please see the Civil Aviation Authority list at https://www.caa.co.uk/Data-and-analysis/Safety-and-security/Banned-airlines-list/) detailing air carriers that are subject to an operating ban with the EU and UK. Under EU Law, you have rights in some circumstances to refunds and/or compensation from the airline in cases of denied boarding, cancellation or delay to flights. Full details of these rights will be publicised at EU airports and will also be available from airlines. Reimbursement in such cases is the responsibility of the airline and will not automatically entitle you to a refund of your holiday price from us. If the airline does not comply with these rules UK Customers should complain to CAA’s Passenger Advice and Complaints Team. This website is not issued on behalf of, and does not commit, the airlines mentioned herein or any airline whose services are used in the course of your travel arrangements. Please note that in accordance with Air Navigation Orders, in order to qualify for infant status a child must be under two years of age on the date of its return flight.
PASSPORT, VISA AND IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS AND HEALTH FORMALITIES:
It is your responsibility to check and fulfil the passport, visa, health (including vaccinations) and immigration requirements applicable to your itinerary. We can only provide general information about such requirements. You must check the 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. UK Customers should visit the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office for more specific information at www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. Most countries now require passports to be valid for at least six 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 Identity and Passport Service on 0300 222 0000 or visit www.direct.gov.uk. If you are a national of an EU country and your trip includes a trip to another EU country you are advised to obtain a European Health Insurance Card (‘EHIC’) prior to departure. For UK Customers, up-to-date travel advice can be obtained from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, visit www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-office. 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.
Brexit: If you are a British passport holder and are due to travel with us after the United Kingdom ceases to be a member of the European Union, you should check with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (or visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice) to get the latest advice on visa requirements for your journey.
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 on demand 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. We shall have the right to inspect your passport, visas and travel documents/permissions to travel to ensure that you fulfil all entry requirements for any country in or through which your trip is to take place. If you are unable to fulfil any such requirements, then we shall have the right to refuse you carriage and you will not be entitled to any refund in respect of any unused services. No visas are required for EU Nationals to any of our destinations in Europe and South-East Asia EXCEPT for passengers travelling to/from Istanbul, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam. A visa on arrival is available for Istanbul, Cambodia and Laos, but a visa in advance must be arranged for Myanmar (Burma) and Vietnam. Passengers to these destinations will be given further information on booking.
TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: These are valid only for the passenger(s) named, will be issued after receipt by us of full payment for your reservation and not normally later than 10 days (seven days in the case of journeys within the United Kingdom) prior to departure. Please take your confirmation of booking and (if applicable) ATOL Certificate with you on departure.
YOUR PROTECTION: For UK Customers only, some of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. This website shows you the protection that applies in the case of each holiday and travel service offered before you make your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.caa.co.uk
TRAVEL INSURANCE: Adequate travel insurance is vital. Details of a policy suitable to cover the arrangements you book are available from an advisor at RHG Insurance Brokers on +44 (0)1438 345714 or +44 (0)1438 345719 (please quote ‘VSOE Travel’ when calling). If requested, you must provide details of your policy to us before you travel. Any liability which we may have to you (whether under these Booking Conditions or otherwise) shall not be increased as a result of your choice to travel without adequate insurance cover.
ADVANCE PASSENGER INFORMATION: A number of Governments are introducing new requirements for air carriers to provide personal information about all travellers on their aircraft to the Authorities before the aircraft leaves the UK. The data will be collected either at the airport when you check in or in some circumstances when, or after, you make your booking. Accordingly, you are advised to allow extra time to check in for your flight. These requirements may be broadened to apply to international train travel. We will notify you at the time of booking if we need to collect any information to pass to rail companies or Authorities. Where we collect this data, we will treat it in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
DELAY: Our journeys and holidays operate within the constraints of national and international railways and scheduled air travel. Please bear this in mind when arranging your own onward connections. We regret we are unable to offer you any assistance should a delay disrupt your itinerary. Any airline or other transport provider concerned may however provide refreshments and/or appropriate accommodation.
Appendix
Insurance Policy Information for UK and EEA Customers
PASSENGER PROTECTION POLICY FOR INSOLVENCY COVER IN RESPECT OF THE PACKAGE TRAVEL REGULATIONS
If you have booked Package Travel then an insurance policy has been arranged by the relevant Policyholder (as described in the table below) at their expense in the event of their insolvency.
The person(s) named on the booking confirmation and Deposit Receipt will be reimbursed subject to Policy and Conditions in respect of their net ascertained financial loss sustained arising from cancellation or curtailment of their travel arrangements that constitute a Package Holiday due to the insolvency of the Policyholder.
The Insurer (see the table below) will reimburse the Insured Person(s) (i.e. the EEA Customers or UK Customers) in respect of:
1. Loss of deposit(s) or charge(s) paid in advance by the Insured Person(s) to the Policyholder
or
2. Additional costs reasonably and necessarily incurred following curtailment of the travel arrangements to enable the Insured Person(s) to either:
a. Continue with and complete the Scheduled Travel Arrangements. Liability hereunder is limited to the additional cost incurred by the Insured Person(s) in securing accommodation of the same or similar standard as enjoyed prior to the curtailment of the travel arrangements.
and
b. Return to their original contracted country of departure. Liability hereunder limited to the additional cost incurred by the Insured Person(s) in respect of the same or similar standard of transportation as enjoyed prior to the curtailment of the travel arrangements.
HOW TO MAKE A CLAIM – ONLY IN RESPECT OF INSOLVENCY OF THE POLICYHOLDER
Things you must do
You must comply with the following conditions. If you fail to do so, the Insurer may not pay your claim, or any payment could be reduced.
1. You must notify IPP as soon as practically possible using the details below:
| UK Customers | EEA Customers | |
|---|---|---|
| Policyholder | Venice Simplon Orient Express Ltd | Belmond Luxury Travel Limited |
| Insurer | Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe SE (LMIE) trading as Liberty Specialty Markets, a member of the Liberty Mutual Insurance Group. LMIE's registered office: 5-7 rue Leon Laval, L-3372, Leudelange, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Registered Number B232280 (Registre de Commerce et des Sociétés). LMIE is a European public limited liability company and is supervised by the Commissariat aux Assurances and licensed by the Luxembourg Minister of Finance as an insurance and reinsurance company. |
|
| DETAILS FOR MAKING CLAIMS | ||
| Address: | IPP Claims at Sedgwick Oakleigh House 14-15 Park Place Cardiff CF10 3DQ. United Kingdom |
IPP Claims at Sedgwick Postbus 23212 3001 KE Rotterdam The Netherlands |
| Telephone number: | +44 (0)345 266 1872 | +31 103120666 |
| Email address: | Insolvency-claims@ipplondon.co.uk | ippclaims@nl.sedgwick.com |
| Website: | www.ipplondon.co.uk/claims.asp | https://www.ippmalta.com/claims.asp |
| Reference Number: | IPP UK TOFI V1 22 | TOFI CAR IRELAND V4-21 |
You must give full details of what has happened, quoting the name of the Policyholder and the relevant Reference Number above.
2. You must provide IPP with any other information it may require.
3. You must take all reasonable care to limit any loss.
Defence of claims
The Insurer may, at its discretion:
• take full responsibility for conducting, defending, or settling any claim in your name; and
• take any action it considers necessary to enforce your rights or its rights under this insurance.
Fraudulent claims
1. If you make a fraudulent claim under this insurance, the Insurer:
(a) is not liable to pay the claim; and
(b) may recover from you any sums paid by the Insurer to you in respect of the claim; and
(c) may by notice to you treat this insurance as having been terminated with effect from the time of the fraudulent act.
2. If the Insurer exercises its right under clause 1. (c) above:
(a) The Insurer shall not be liable to you in respect of a relevant event occurring after the time of the fraudulent act. A relevant event is whatever gives rise to the Insurer’s liability under this insurance (such as the occurrence of a loss, the making of a claim, or the notification of a potential claim); and
(b) the Insurer need not return any of the premiums paid.
HOW TO MAKE A COMPLAINT
For UK Customers and EEA Customers:
| Insurer’s Compliance Officer | Compliance Officer Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe SE 20 Fenchurch Street London EC3M 3AW Tel: +44 (0) 20 3758 0840 or Compliance Officer Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe SE 5-7 rue Léon Laval, L-3372 Leudelange, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Tel: +352 28 99 13 00 or Email: complaints@libertyglobalgroup.com |
|---|
Please quote your policy and/or claim number.
If after making a complaint you are still not satisfied you may be entitled to refer the dispute to an independent organisation. This will depend on where you are based, please see below.
For Policyholders and Insured Persons based in the UK
The Financial Ombudsman Service
The Financial Ombudsman Service is a free and impartial service, who may be contacted at:
Exchange Tower,
Harbour Exchange,
London, E14 9SR
Tel: 0800 023 4567
Website: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
To confirm whether you are eligible to ask the Financial Ombudsman Service to review your complaint find out more at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk
For Policyholders and Insured Persons based in the EU
ODR Complaints Service
If you were sold this product online or by other electronic means and within the European Union (EU) you may refer your complaint to the EU Online dispute Resolution (ODR) platform.
Upon receipt of your complaint the ODR will escalate your complaint to your local dispute resolution service – this process is free and conducted entirely online. You can access the ODR platform on http://ec.europa.eu/od
For Policyholders and Insured Persons based in Switzerland
The Swiss Ombudsman of Insurance, who may be contacted at:
Ombudsman of Private Insurance and of Suva
Postfach 1063,
CH-8024 Zurich,
Switzerland
Tel: 044 211 30 90
Website: www.ombudsman-assurance.ch
To confirm whether you are eligible to ask The Swiss Ombudsman of Insurance to review your complaint find out more at www.ombudsman-assurance.ch
Alternatively, as Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe SE is a Luxembourg insurance company, all Insured Persons and Policyholders are also entitled to refer the dispute to any of the following dispute resolution bodies in Luxembourg:
Commissariat aux Assurances, who may be contacted at:
7, boulevard Joseph II,
L-1840 Luxembourg
Tel: (+352) 22 69 11 – 1
Email: caa@caa.lu - www.caa.lu
or
Service national du Médiateur de la consommation (this is for individual consumers only), who may be contacted at:
Ancien Hôtel de la Monnaie,
6, rue du Palais de Justice,
L-1841 Luxembourg
Tel: (+352) 46 13 11
Email: info@mediateurconsommation.lu - www.mediateurconsommation.lu
or
Médiateur en Assurances, who may be contacted at:
ACA,
12, rue Erasme,
L-1468 Luxembourg
Tel: (+352) 44 21 44 1
Email: mediateur@aca.lu
Website: https://www.ulc.lu/fr/organes/detail.asp?T=2&D=descr&ID=6
Data Protection
Any information you have provided will be dealt with by the Insurer in compliance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. For the purposes of providing this insurance and the handling of any claims or complaints, IPP may need to transfer certain information which you have provided to other parties.
Sanctions
The Insurer will not provide any benefit under this insurance to the extent of providing cover, payment of any claim or the provision of any benefit where doing so would breach any sanction, prohibition or restriction imposed by law or regulation.
Non-Assignment
No title right or interest under this policy may be assigned, transferred, conveyed, or otherwise disposed of without the Insurer’s consent in writing. Any attempt to assign rights of interest without the Insurer’s written consent is null and void.