Booking Terms

The following terms and conditions apply to all tours and events operated by Akeman Tours Ltd. (a company registered in England and Wales, reg. no. 11796983), trading as ‘Savouring Bath’. This document sets out the terms by which Akeman Tours Ltd. (‘Us’, ‘We’, or ‘Our’) provides a tour or event for the person or parties (‘you’, ‘your’, or ‘the group’) booking the tour.

You acknowledge & agree that by accessing our website, and/or ticking the ‘I accept all terms and conditions’ box, you and any other tour/event participants on whose behalf you are booking, will be bound by these terms and conditions as written.

General Booking and Cancellation/Exchange Information:

1. Payment terms vary according to the type of tour or event you are booking. Please check each category below for the relevant terms.
2. Payments for bookings made via our website are processed by Stripe Inc. Your statement will show that you have been charged by Akeman Tours Ltd.
3. We are not liable for any exchange rate fees or bank charges you incur as a result of making any payment to us.
4. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have correctly selected your required tour/event before making a payment. Refunds and exchanges will only be provided subject to the conditions below.
5. All cancellation/refund or exchange requests must be submitted by email to hello@savouringbath.com.
6. To avoid fraud, approved refunds will only be issued to the payment card used to pay for your booking and not by BACS, or to an alternative card. We are not able to issue refunds in cash or by cheque.
7. All refunds will be issued in GBP unless valid gift vouchers were used to pay for your tour, in which case you will be refunded with new vouchers.
8. For all bookings, without exception, we require a valid email address for one of the tour participants. Bookings completed without this will be cancelled without notice and are subject to our cancellation terms.
9. Your booking is subject to the terms shown here on the date shown on your booking confirmation email. These terms were last updated on 17th May 2024. If you would like to see older versions of these terms, please contact us with the relevant date.

Travel Trade and third-party bookings:

1. Bookings made by third parties MUST be completed with a valid email address for one of the tour participants without exception, to which we will transmit an automated booking confirmation, and a reminder at 2 days prior to the tour.
2. We are not able to provide booking confirmations without pricing information shown.
3. When booking on behalf of a third party, we can send an extra copy of the booking confirmation to you separately, on request.
4. Bookings made without an end-client email address may be cancelled by us, without notice. Any refund in these situations will be subject to an admin fee of £5 per ticket to cover our processing costs.
5. All third-party bookings are otherwise subject to our standard terms contained in this document.

Scheduled Tours and Events (including public Gin Tasting Masterclasses):

1. ‘Scheduled’ refers to tours or events which either occur on a regular basis or on specific dates, both of which are available to the general public.
2. Each ticket purchased permits the bearer 1 place on the tour/event described in the booking confirmation, at the time shown.
3. Each participant on any scheduled tour or event must have a valid ticket, which must have been purchased in advance via our website or an approved 3^rd party.
4. All tours operate only with a minimum of 2 participants. If booking via savouringbath.com, all time slots are restricted to 2 tickets for the first sale. Subsequent purchases can then be made for 1 or more tickets up to the capacity of the tour.
5. Public Gin Tasting Masterclasses only operate with a minimum of 6 participants. If this threshold has not been met by 3-5 days prior to the event, we will contact you to advise, and provide a full refund.

Cancellation, Refund and Exchange Requests for Scheduled Tours & Events

1. Cancellation or exchange requests made more than 1 week prior to the tour or event date are subject to an administration fee of up to £5 per ticket.
2. Cancellation or exchange requests made within 1 week of the tour or event date, are subject to a fee of 100% of the total cost.
3. For public/scheduled Gin Tasting Masterclasses the above cancellation terms only once your card has been charged.
4. If you have booked a public Gin Tasting Masterclass and we have not yet charged you for your booked tickets, and you wish to cancel your booking, please contact us with your Order ID number.

Private Tours and Events

Private tours and events are provided exclusively for a group of participants, at the request of a ‘Group Co-Ordinator’.

“Off-site” Private Gin Tasting Masterclasses & other private tasting events

An “off-site event” occurs when you provide the event venue. An extra fee may be applicable to your purchase for off-site events – we will specify details in our quote.

It is your responsibility to ensure the following when this has been agreed:

1. A parking space must be available for us to use from 1 hour prior to the event start time, until 1 hour after the event has ended.
2. The event space at the venue must be available to us privately for set up, from at least 1 hour prior to the event start time.

Payments for Private Tours and Events

1. Any quote for a private tour/event is valid for a maximum term (‘the holding period’), which we will specify to you in our quote, and would normally be no more than 1 week for provision of the quote.
2. If the date for your private tour/event is more than 6 weeks away, we require payment of a non-refundable 10% deposit within the holding period. The balance must be paid by 1 month prior to the tour (‘the payment deadline’).
3. If the date for your tour/event is less than 6 weeks away, we require full payment within the holding period.
4. If any remaining balance for your tour/event is not paid in full by the payment deadline, your tour/event will be cancelled, and any deposit will be forfeit.
5. If we do not receive any payment from you by the end of the holding period, your quote will expire. If you subsequently request a new quote for the same or similar product, a £10 admin fee will be added to your outstanding balance.
6. Your booking is not confirmed until your payment is received by us.
7. If the total number of participants changes from that in your original request, we reserve the right to change the format and/or nature of your tour/event. If you subsequently choose to cancel, the below cancellation terms apply.

Cancellations, Refund and Exchange Requests for Private Tours & Events

1. For cancellation requests received by us more than 1 month prior to the tour/event, we will provide a refund of the amount you have paid, less any costs we have incurred (which we will specify to you). This would normally be no more than £35 per ticket.
2. Requests to change the date/time of your tour, received by us more than 1 month prior to the tour/event, are subject to an admin fee of up to £60.
3. Cancellation or exchange requests received by us at less than 1 month prior to the tour/event date are subject to a fee of 100% of the total cost.

Tours cancelled by us:

1. In the unlikely event that we have to cancel a tour due to circumstances beyond our control, we will contact you at the earliest opportunity.
2. Your event/tour will be refunded to you in full or you can opt to reschedule your event/tour at no additional charge.

Gift Vouchers

1. Our gift voucher scheme was discontinued in December 2022, and we do not currently plan to sell gift vouchers in the future.
2. Gift vouchers which are still within their validity period are still valid for redemption. The validity period cannot be extended, and any vouchers not redeemed within their validity period are forfeit.
3. To redeem vouchers against the cost of a private tour, please complete the enquiry form on the private tours page of our website.
4. Vouchers cannot be exchanged in person and can only be redeemed against an advance booking.
5. Vouchers are non-refundable and are non-exchangeable.
6. Vouchers purchased via any source other than our website, are not valid for redemption against tickets for our tours/events.

The following terms apply to all tour/event participants regardless of where you purchased your tickets.

Code of Conduct and Liability:

1. We will not be held responsible for the loss or damage of any personal items, or personal injury incurred while participating in any tour or event with us.
2. All persons attending our tours/events are required to behave in a respectful manner towards each other, and towards our staff and suppliers.
3. If anyone joining the tour/event appears to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or if your behavior is deemed inappropriate at any point by our staff or suppliers, we reserve the right to terminate or refuse your participation in the tour or event, without refund.
4. We are not responsible for any damage done to our suppliers, their property, or any injury incurred as a result of your behavior. Should you be responsible for loss, damage or injury while attending one of our tours, you are liable for any charges due.

Health & Safety, and Special Dietary Requirements:

• By agreeing to these terms & conditions you also agree to comply with the guidance and terms included in the following documents:
  • Special Dietary Requirements Policy (https://savouringbath.com/special-diets/)
  • Health & Safety Guide (https://savouringbath.com/health-and-safety/)

Weather Conditions:

• Our tours/events take place regardless of weather conditions and if you choose to cancel due to inclement weather, your booking is subject to the relevant cancellation terms detailed above.
• On the very rare occasions we cancel a tour/event due to extreme weather conditions, we will contact you as soon as a decision regarding cancellation is made, to offer a refund equivalent to the remaining portion of your tour/event.

Alcohol included in your tour/event:

• Alcoholic beverages included in any tour/event will only be offered if you are of legal drinking age (i.e. 18+).
• Proof of your age may be required if you look under the age of 25.
• If alcohol is likely to be included in your tour, this will be detailed in the tour/event description on our website, or we will advise you by email.
• If you, or anyone in your party are not able to consume alcohol, we offer no alternative, compensation, or refund, in cases where this has been included in the tour.

Pets and Assistance Animals:

• We are not able to accommodate pets on our scheduled tours.
• With prior arrangement we may be able to accommodate pets on private tours/events if you inform us before completing your booking.
• Assistance animals are welcome on all our tours/events, although we would appreciate advance notice.

Age Restrictions:

• Babies, toddlers, and children under 8 years old are not permitted on our scheduled tours or events under any circumstances but may be permitted on privately booked tours or events, by prior arrangement.
• Participants on any tour/event aged between 8 and 18, must be accompanied by a responsible adult at a minimum ratio of 1 adult to 2 children, and must hold a valid ticket.
• Participants under 18 years of age are not permitted to join scheduled or private Gin Tasting Masterclasses.

Children aged under 8 years on privately booked tours:

• We can accommodate children under the age of 8, free of charge, on private tours only, though they will be included in the total head count in respect to the capacity for your tour, although samples will not be included for them.
• Samples can be included for your child under the age of 8, only if you purchase a standard priced ticket for them.
• If you are bringing a child under the age of 8 on a private tour you must inform us, regardless of whether you purchase a ticket for them.
• Accommodation of strollers/pushchairs and/or prams may be restricted on some tours. We can only make guarantees to accommodate these if you inform us in advance of booking your tour.

Tours provided in a language other than English:

• All our scheduled tours are delivered in English and all participants must have a reasonable understanding of English in order to participate.
• Interpreters/translators are not permitted to provide any form of interpretation during scheduled tours (this does not apply to sign language interpretation).
• Any participant arriving on any tour/event who does not have a reasonable command of the English language, may participate only at the guide’s discretion and is solely responsible for any risks resulting from not being able to understand instructions provided by our guide or suppliers.
• If you require a tour/event to be delivered in a language other than English, we may be able to accommodate this on a private tour/event, on request.
• Private tours/events delivered in a foreign language (either by us or by an interpreter you provide) incur a supplementary fee, details of which are available on request.

Data Protection & Photography:

• All personal data is processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
• Photographs and video footage may be taken by us during our tours for promotional or editorial purposes only, for use in online or printed matter.
• We will always ask your permission before we take any photos or video.
• If you do not want images of you, and/or your clients/group to be used by us, we respect this and will not do so if you tell us when we ask you.
• If we have used your image in marketing material and you subsequently decide that you no longer wish us to use your image in this or any other way, please let us know immediately by emailing hello@savouringbath.com. We will then remove your image as soon as possible. However, as the image(s) will have been in the public domain, we take no responsibility for copies used elsewhere or distributed by third parties without our permission.

Latecomers Policy:

• Please aim to arrive at the advertised meeting point for your tour/event 5-10 minutes in advance of advertised start time.
• We offer no alternative or refund for missed visits and/or samples if you arrive later than the advertised start time of your tour/event.
• If you know you are going to be late, please email us (hello@savouringbath.com).
• Our guide will try to contact you if you are not present at the advised meeting location/start time, using the contact details you provided when you booked.
• For scheduled tours/events:
  • If there are no other guests participating in the tour/event, our guide will only wait for you up to 30 mins after the advertised start time. If you we have not heard from you by this time, the tour/event will be cancelled, and our standard cancellation terms apply.
  • If there are other participants present at the advertised start time & location, the tour/event will start on time. Latecomers will then only be permitted to join the tour/event at the guide’s discretion.
• For private tours/events:
  • If all participants are not present at the advised start time and location, our guide/staff will try to contact you. If they are not able to reach you, they will wait a maximum of 30 mins before the tour/event will be cancelled, and our standard cancellation terms apply.
  • If there is 1 or more people present at the meeting time & location, but others are not, our guide/staff will discuss with the Group Coordinator or those present, as to how they would like to proceed. However, they will not commence the tour/event any later than 30 mins after the agreed start time, and any supplier visits/samples which were due during this time will be forfeit.
• For Gin Tasting Masterclasses:
  • Please call the distillery on 01225 635782 or email us at hello@savouringbath.com, to advise us if you expect to be late. All terms described above, apply to these events.
• We take no responsibility for any adverse effects resulting from you or members of your group missing any visit(s) and/or any information you miss, including health & safety information, due to lateness.

Complaints:

• Should you have a complaint about any aspect of the service provided by us or by our suppliers, please speak to our guide/team member on your tour/event who will do their best to rectify the problem.
• If we are not able to resolve your complaint at the time, or if you prefer not to discuss the issue with our guide/team member, please email us at hello@savouringbath.com, as soon as possible. We will always respond to you within 48 hours.