Terms and Conditions 2018

Company refers to the World Boutique Hotel Awards Limited with its registered address at 47 Thornbury Gardens, Borehamwood, London, WD6 1RB. (Company number 06908460); Nominations Committee refers to the collection of industry experts chosen by BHA to cast nominations of Nominees into the BHA. BHA refers to the Company’s evaluation process, award issuing, book publication and online booking platform; Member refers to a hotel establishment entering in the BHA;

Nominee refers to a hotel establishment or private villa that has been selected by the Company and/or its Nominations Committee to become a Member;

Winner refers to a hotel establishment or private villa that has been selected as an award winner in its category from the pool of Nominees by the Company;

Review Dates refers to the dates over which the BHA Review Stays are scheduled, namely 1st December 2017 to 26th September 2018;

1. Dates for the BHA 2018 1.1.1. Deadline for the hotel nominations made by the Nominations

Committee in to the BHA: 15th May 2018. 1.1.2. Deadline for the administration form submission by Members: 30th

June 2018. 1.1.3. BHA Review dates: 15th December 2017 to 26th September 2018

1.1.4. Winners announced at BHA Awards Ceremony in London on 8th November 2018.

2. BHA Entry Requirements 2.1. All luxury boutique hotels and unique small hotels are eligible for nomination

by the Nominations Committee and self nomination into the BHA providing they possess no more than 85 rooms/suites, though typical entrants possess far fewer than this number of rooms. In rare instances a hotel with greater than 85 rooms/suites may be granted entry by BHA.

2.2. Whether a given hotel is considered to be eligible to become a Member is entirely at the Company’s discretion.

2.3. The Company retains the right to disqualify Members at any time and at its sole discretion.

2.4. Each Nominee will be researched by our Awards Judges with the help of various industry contacts. For non-Nominations Committee nominations, tailored interviews shall then be conducted with a member of the hotel's managerial staff. Interviews shall be conducted by an Award Judge in person or by telephone. The interview will assess whether the nominated hotel is suitable to contend in the World Boutique Hotel Awards. Questions shall not be disclosed prior to interview.

2.5. Nominations Committee Nominees and non-Nominations Committee Nominees successful in interview will be invited to enter in an agreed category. Members are required to pay an annual fee to enter the BHA process. Payment must be made upon submission of the annual form.

2.6. Entry into future World Boutique Hotel Awards is granted to all hotels that reach the membership stage in any previous BHA year without interview/repeat nomination.

3. BHA Evaluation

3.1. Members are evaluated by BHA staff following an interview to select Nominees within six global regions for each of the categories.

The categories are: • Beach or Coastal • City Explorer • Classic Elegance • Culinary Excellence • Honeymoon Hideaway • Inspired Design • Newcomer • Private Villa • Relaxation Retreat • Romantic • Wellness Spa • Sustainability

The global regions are: • Africa • The Americas • Southeast Asia • Asia • Australasia • Europe

3.2.A site visit shall typically be made to a Nominee personally by BHA judge/judges and evaluated according to an internally-derived scoring method. The success of each Nominee will depend on the Company’s evaluation of its strength in the following criteria of hoteliering excellence:

• Design and concept • Dining • Facilities • Location • Service • Staff emotional connection and impact

Although these broad areas will be assessed, the BHA evaluation shall place particular emphasis on the Member’s unique flair and character.

3.3. Evaluation and scoring of Nominees in the criteria specified in 3.2 will be conducted exclusively by the Company judges.

3.4. A site visit made by BHA judge is not obligatory but a visit must be facilitated by the nominee if requested by BHA.

3.5. One regional Winner per category shall be chosen in each of the global regions specified in 3.1. One overall World’s Best shall be chosen in each

category. One World’s Best Boutique Hotel shall also be chosen from all Members. World’s Best awards are awarded at no additional cost.

3.6. The Company’s choice of Nominees and Winners is final. No correspondence will be entered into in respect of the Company’s evaluation, scoring or decisions.

3.7. For new members, a feature in the publication and a place on the booking site is subject to a positive evaluation from a judge following the site visit.

4. Obligations on Members

4.1. A Member may not appeal The Company decisions of Winners. 4.2. A Member hotel is required to provide a complementary stay lasting 1-2

nights for 1-2 adult/s as part of the BHA personal evaluation process. A Member hotel may choose the rooms or suites used for their evaluation stay from any of those that are available. The date of this evaluation will fall within the Review Dates and every effort will be made by the Company to schedule the review at a convenient time for the Member hotel.

4.3 A Member hotel is expected to enter into a sales agreement, under competitive rates and conditions, with the Company’s reservation system provider to allow online booking reservations at the Member Hotel on the BHA website.

5. Costs for Members 5.1. Members are required to pay to the Company an annual fee at a rate

depending on their entry package: £790 for Standard membership (1 x award entry), £990 for Standard Plus membership (2 x award entries), £1490 for Gold Membership (2 x award entries, 2 page feature in publication) and £1990 for Platinum membership (3 x awards entry, 4 page feature in publication). These fees are to be paid upon submission of the entry form.

5.2. All fee payments are preferably made in GB Pounds Sterling but payments can also be accepted in US Dollars or Euros at rates specified in entry form.

5.3. All Members are invited to attend the annual BHA Ceremony. Tickets to the event are sold to Members at £230 + VAT per ticket.

5.4 All Members selected as Winners are required to purchase at least one ceremony ticket (£230 + VAT) to allow for their representation at the awards ceremony.

5.5. Administration fees must be paid using one of the following methods, though a bank transfer is preferable:

5.4.1. Bank account transfer to: Bank Name: Santander Bank Account Name: World Boutique Hotel Awards

Ltd Bank Account Number: 87309850 Account Type: Business Current Account Sort Code: 09-01-27 International Bank Account Number (IBAN): GB64ABBY09012787309850 Bank Identifier Code (BIC): ABBYGB2LXXX VAT Registration Number: 235 5757 87

5.5.2. Cheque made payable to ‘World Boutique Hotel Awards Ltd’. Cheque to be sent (via post) to the following address: World Boutique Hotel Awards, 47 Thornbury Gardens, Borehamwood, London, WD6 1RB.

5.5.3. Credit/debit card or PayPal payment to the company’s PayPal account: accounts@boutiquehotelawards.com. Payment made via PayPal incur a 4% transaction fee.

6. Cancellation

6.1. Administration fees are non-refundable. 6.2. No cancellations will be accepted.

6.3. A hotel will only be considered for an award after the annual fee has been paid.

6.4. If a member cannot be visited by our judges due to extreme weather incidents or judge availability issues outside BHA’s control, the member will receive free entry and membership for the following year.

7. Entry

7.1. Entry in the BHA is at the sole risk of Members. The Company accepts no liability whatsoever for entry or exclusion from entry of any nominee or any Member.

7.2. By entering, Members agree that the Company’s processes and decision-making are confidential to the Company and consent to the Company publicising the BHA, Members, Nominee and Winners in any way that the Company in its sole discretion may see fit.