Bookings Terms & Conditions

These Booking Conditions, together with our Security Policy, Website Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and any other written information we brought to your attention before we confirmed your booking, form the basis of your contract with Osprey Holidays Ltd t/a PowderBeds (“we” or “us”). Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations. In these Booking Conditions references to "you" and "your" include the first named person on the booking and all persons on whose behalf a booking is made or any other person to whom a booking is added or transferred.

>> PowderBeds Covid-19 Policy - click here to view

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

1. He/she has read these terms and conditions and our Covid-19 Policy and has the authority to and does agree to be bound by them;

2. He/she consents to our use of information in accordance with our Privacy Policy

3. He/she is over 18 years of age and where placing an order for services with age restrictions declares that he/she and all members of the party are of the appropriate age to purchase those services.

Getting a price and making a booking  

To get a price for your ski accommodation, perform a search using the search box. In the search results the prices shown are per unit per night, and are guide prices only. The final price may change depending on the allocation of guests into each room. The final price will be shown at the booking confirmation stage.

Alternatively you call or email us to get a price and make a booking.

We reserve the right to amend the price of unsold holidays at any time and correct errors in the prices of confirmed holidays.

Deposit Terms & Conditions

If you book more than 10 weeks in advance you may be given the option to book with a deposit. The deposit amount payable can vary and represents a percentage of the overall cost of your hotel or apartment booking. By agreeing to book with a deposit you are agreeing to pay the balance of the total cost 10 weeks from the arrival date.

Payment for your holiday is due no later than 10 weeks prior to arrival. This date will be shown on your confirmation email and you will receive a reminder a week before your balance is due and again on the day that it is due. If you would like to settle your balance at any point before your balance due date then this can be done by clicking on the link to your account on your confirmation email and your reminder email or by calling us on 0131 240 3300 during normal working hours. In the case of bookings made within ten weeks of the arrival date, full payment must be made at the time of booking.

If we do not receive all payments due in full and on time, we are entitled to assume that you wish to cancel your booking and are entitled to keep all deposits paid or due at that date. If we do not cancel straight away because payment has been promised, you must pay the cancellation charges detailed in our terms and conditions depending on the date we reasonably treat your booking as cancelled.

Changes to Price, Website Details

 We reserve the right to make changes to and correct errors in advertised prices and other information at any time before your accommodation is confirmed. We’ll advise you of any error of which we are aware and of the then applicable price at the time of booking. You must therefore check all details of your chosen accommodation (including the price) at the time of booking.

Insurance

You must have adequate travel insurance at the time of booking. Under no circumstances should you travel without comprehensive travel insurance which includes the necessary ski cover. We are not able to provide winter sports travel insurance. If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, we will not be liable for any losses whatsoever arising, in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.

Your Contract

A binding contract between us comes into existence when we issue our booking confirmation by e-mail to the party leader. This contract and all matters arising out of it are governed by Scottish law. If you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, proceedings may be brought in the Courts of your home country and in this event you may choose to have your contract governed by the law of England or Wales/Northern Ireland as applicable. In all cases, any dispute, claim or other matter which arises out of or in connection with this contract or your accommodation may be dealt with under the ABTA Arbitration Scheme (see below).

Feefo Reviews

PowderBeds is alway seeking to improve our website and customer service. If you book with us, you will receive a review form from Feefo on behalf of PowderBeds so that you can provide an honest review of your booking experience, which will us deliver the best possible service. The review will also be published on our website to help other customers make informed choices about booking with PowderBeds. You can choose to remain anonymous when leaving your review so that only PowderBeds know who you are, and your name is not published alongside your review. Leaving a review is not mandatory, and you can opt out of receiving future review forms from Feefo by clicking the relevant link in the email sent to you. 

 Amendments and Cancellations

1. By Us

Whilst we always endeavour to avoid changes and cancellations to confirmed accommodation, we must reserve the right to do so. Most changes are minor. Occasionally, we have to make a ‘significant change’. If we have to make a significant change or cancel, we’ll tell you as soon as possible. If there is time to do so before departure, we’ll offer you the choice of the following options:
  a. accepting the changed arrangements.
  b. purchasing alternative accommodation from us of the same standard to that originally booked if available. If the only alternatives available are at a higher cost than originally booked then we’ll require payment of the additional costs. If this accommodation is cheaper than the original one, we’ll refund the price difference.
   c. cancelling or accepting the cancellation in which case you will receive a full and quick refund of all monies you have paid to us. Please note, the above options are not available where any change made is a minor one. If we have to make a significant change or cancel, we’ll pay you the compensation set out below subject to the following exceptions. Compensation or a refund will not be payable and no liability beyond offering the above mentioned choices can be accepted where we are forced to make a change or cancel as a result of unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which we could not have avoided even with all due care. No compensation will be payable and the above options will not be available if we cancel as a result of your failure to comply with any requirement of these booking conditions entitling us to cancel (such as paying on time) or if the change made is a minor one.

Period of notification Compensation before departure per adult:
More than 8 weeks Nil
  Within 8 weeks £10
  Within 6 weeks £15
  Within 4 weeks £20
  Within 2 weeks £25

Unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances
Except where otherwise expressly stated in these booking conditions we will not be liable or pay you a price reduction or compensation if our contractual obligations to you are affected by unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances beyond the control of the party who seeks to rely on them which we or the supplier(s) of the service(s) in question could not avoid even if all reasonable measures had been taken. These events can include, but are not limited to war, threat of war, civil strife, terrorist activity and its consequences or the threat of such activity, riot, the act of any government or other national or local authority including port or river authorities, industrial dispute, lock closure, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, chemical or biological disaster, virus outbreak, and adverse weather, sea, ice and river conditions and all similar events outside our or the supplier’s control. Advice from the Foreign Office to avoid or leave a particular country may constitute unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances.

2. By You

Should you decide to alter your booking after our confirmation has been issued we’ll do our best to accommodate you. If any member of your party is prevented from travelling, that person may transfer their place to someone else (introduced by you) providing we are notified not less than two weeks before departure and the change is allowed by our supplier. Where a transfer to a person of your choice can be made, or where we are able to make an alteration at your request, all costs and charges incurred by us and/or incurred or imposed by any of our suppliers as a result must be paid before the transfer or alteration can be effected.

We reserve the right to treat your accommodation as cancelled by you at 100% cancellation cost if you do not show for the commencement of your stay. I.e. a 'no-show' for the first night of your stay in the accommodation you have booked with us.

If you cancel your booking prior to departure then the following charges will apply*:

  70 or more days before check-in – loss of deposit
  From 69 to 46 days before check-in –25% of accommodation cost
  From 45 to 31 days before check-in – 50% of accommodation cost
  From 30 to 15 days before check-in – 75% of accommodation cost
  14 days or less before check-in –100% of accommodation cost

*There are certain exceptions - please check with us at time of booking. For all accommodations managed by Pierre & Vacances the cancellation cost is 100% if cancelled 31 days or before departure. For all accommodations managed by Chalet Des Neiges and Les Etincelles, if a booking includes the Early Booking Offer then from 61 days before check-in the cancellation charge is 100% of the accommodation cost.

Where the cancellation charge is shown as a percentage, this is calculated on the basis of the total cost payable by the person(s) cancelling excluding insurance premiums and any amendment charges. Insurance premiums and any amendment fees are not refundable in the event of the person(s) to whom they apply cancelling. Notice of cancellation must be received in writing and will be effective when it is received by us. Clients are strongly recommended to take out travel insurance offering protection against cancellation.

Complaints and Disputes

In the unlikely event that you have any reason to complain or experience any problems with your accommodation whilst away, you must immediately inform the supplier of the service(s) in question, or PowderBeds within 24hours of arrival. You should then follow up any complaint in writing to us within 28 days of your return to the UK. Failure to do so will affect ours and the applicable supplier’s ability to investigate your complaint, and will affect your rights under this contract.

We are a Member of ABTA, membership number [V3690https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="text-rendering: geometricprecision; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; color: rgb(32, 27, 85); text-decoration: none;">https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france.

Accommodation Facilities and Services

Access to hotel pools and spa services, if previously featured, may be restricted or unavailable because of Covid-19.

The restaurant or food delivery services in your accommodation or resort may have changed and restaurants may be using menu choices instead of a buffet; we cannot guarantee which at the time of booking. Restaurants at some accommodations and resorts may require tables to be pre-booked instead of a walk-in service. Some accommodations may be operating a take-away breakfast or delivering breakfast to your room.

There may be other unexpected changes to accommodation facilities or services because of Covid-19. These may be unable to operate or will operate in a way that complies with local or national Covid-19 requirements.

Special Conditions

By agreeing to book with PowderBeds during the current Covid-19 pandemic you agree and accept there may be restrictions and legal requirements around Vaccinations, negative Covid-19 tests and the requirement for a Health Pass because of Coronavirus and PowderBeds cannot be held responsible for the following:

• Being unable to travel because of a failed Covid-19 test or not having the correct/required Covid-19 test or vaccine documentation prior to travel or at any point in your itinerary including return travel. Or not having the correct documentation to be able to access the French Health Pass.

• Any loss or damage suffered including curtailment or cancellation to any aspect of the booking.
• Any restrictions put in place by the country’s government or local authority where you are traveling to.
• Any local lockdown put in place either in your country of origin or in any country you travel to.
• Any restrictions in place in your accommodation, resort or on any means of transportation.
• Any restrictions in place with ski school, lift operations or on mountain restaurants.

Your travel insurance must include cover against any Covid-19 issues or incidents which may affect your booking and including having to cancel because you or someone in your party contracts Covid-19 or has to isolate because of Covid-19. If you choose to travel without adequate insurance cover, we will not be liable for any of your losses howsoever arising, in respect of which insurance cover would otherwise have been available.

Vaccinations & Proof of Recovery

It should be noted that PowderBeds cannot refund or be held liable where client(s) of any age cannot travel or have to quarantine at their arrival destination or on return to the UK if client(s) have chosen not to have a full course of Covid vaccines (including boosters) or have, for whatever reason, missed vaccine appointments. Or if the client(s)’ age means they have not yet been invited for their first, second, third or fourth vaccination or if client(s) have not done everything reasonable to be fully vaccinated in advance of 14 days before departure (or matching the requirements for entry to their destination country). It is also the client(s)’ responsibility to provide proof of full vaccination in paper format and/or via the NHS app, as required by the destination country. If ‘Proof of Recovery’ from Covid-19 is essential to enter a destination for either adults or children it is the responsibility of the client to provide this proof in the format required by the destination and also within the required timescale.

We will endeavour to contact you with any known changes before you travel. This is a fast-moving situation so this may not always be possible. Please do not hesitate to ask if there are any aspects of your holiday you have concerns about and would like us to check in advance.

For the latest travel advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office click here.