A standing agreement

These are the standing terms of Thornveil House Hotel and Casino Resort, kept by the Thornveil Trust as the working agreement between the hotel and its guests. The terms are reviewed each January and rewritten when an answer changes. They do not in any way alter or limit the rights a guest has under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 or under any other consumer-protection law of England.

How a stay is held

Bookings are held by deposit at one-third of the total, payable on confirmation by bank transfer or by sterling cheque to the Thornveil Trust. The balance is settled at check-out, in person, by card or by transfer. The Trust does not accept payment for play, does not accept payment in respect of the Observatory, and does not hold accounts of any kind for any guest.

Cancellations made up to seventy-two hours before the day of arrival are returned in full. Within seventy-two hours, the first night is held against the deposit; the balance of the deposit is returned. Bookings made within seventy-two hours of arrival are pre-paid in full and are non-refundable, save by exception at the duty observer’s discretion (illness, bereavement, weather closing the road).

The house dress and the standing word

The house dress is quiet, considered, and unhurried. A jacket is preferred at dinner; athletic wear is asked to be set aside after six. The standing word in the Observatory is the duty observer’s; the observer will close the room at any time and will not be argued with. The Trust will, where conduct is gravely out of keeping with the house, ask a guest to leave; in that case the night’s room is held against the deposit and the balance is returned.

A feature of the hotel

The Observatory is opened by the duty observer as a feature of the hotel, on terms set out in full at /responsible-gaming/. The Trust does not host wagers, does not hold accounts, does not operate a gambling platform, and does not take consideration in respect of play. Guests of the hotel who choose to play in the room do so among themselves and at their own pace; the observer is not a party to play and is not the bank.

What the Trust will and will not be answerable for

The Trust will be answerable for loss caused by the Trust’s negligence, for any failing under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and for the safe-keeping of any guest’s belongings deposited at reception against a written receipt. The Trust will not be answerable for loss caused by the actions of other guests in the Observatory, by the chalk path or the star-platform in heavy weather, or by any matter outside the Trust’s reasonable control. Any dispute is to be brought before the courts of England, and the law of England governs these terms.