The authorities will legalize non-refundable tariffs for hotels. As early as March, the State Duma will consider the relevant draft law, which was supported by the President's Civil Law Department. The initiative was authored by the Ministry of Economic Development. Against was Rospotrebnadzor, which believes that the buyer has the right to refuse at any time. What the new rules will lead to - in the material "Izvestia".
Why Russia needs non-refundable tariffs for hotels
The government at the end of 2024 introduced a bill in the State Duma, which assigns the Cabinet a new right - to establish in Russia non-refundable rates for hotels. The project is being prepared for the first reading, it should be held in March, the base of the lower house of parliament said. Duma committees and other experts should submit their feedback to it by February 11. This follows from the documents in the base of the State Duma.
In practice, hotels will be able to provide guests with different types of reservations, including cheaper non-refundable ones. As a result, people will be able to choose to stay in hotels at low prices compared to refundable rates. This approach will allow businesses to plan their activities more carefully, the explanatory note to the document says.
The State Legal Department of the President has already considered the bill and has not made any conceptual comments. Moreover, the PGO recommended the document for adoption in the first reading, the department's papers, which were read by the editorial board , said.
The main author of the project - the Ministry of Economic Development - confirmed to Izvestia that the document is being prepared for the first reading, which will be held in the spring session.
- Non-refundable reservations are proposed to be introduced in Russian hotels on a par with refundable ones. This will allow the tourist to choose based on his preferences and situation. For example, this approach will save on the cost of accommodation, if the trip will definitely take place, or book a room at a higher price, but understand that the booking can be canceled, - explained in the Ministry. - The rights of tourists who chose a non-refundable tariff are protected: if the trip is canceled due to force majeure, the funds are returned.
The ministry added that for the hotel business non-refundable tariffs will increase the utilization and profitability of hotels. The fact is that now tourists often book several hotels at once, and then choose a more convenient option, without notifying other hotels about cancelation, they explained. The Ministry of Economic Affairs emphasized that the new approach was proposed by entrepreneurs themselves, who face such a problem.
What rates hotels have now
The main goal of this project is to make vacations in Russia more affordable for tourists, Sangadzhi Tarbayev, head of the State Duma Committee on Tourism and Tourism Infrastructure Development, told Izvestia.
- Along with the growing demand for tourist services, vacation prices are also increasing. The adoption of the law will reduce the risks of their unreasonable rise in price, as well as guarantee the transparency of the process of providing services," he said. - The practice of fixed fares has long been used in air and rail transportation, as well as implemented and tested by aggregators. Tourists willingly use the offered options: to rent a room or buy tickets at reduced rates, if they are sure that their vacation plans will remain unchanged.
In this case, the business receives guarantees of room capacity and occupancy of trains, planes, which allows to expand the planning horizon and offer people options for vacation at reduced prices, for example, in the off-season. Consideration of the bill in the first reading is a discussion of the concept of the initiative, in the long term it will have to satisfy both tourists and business, he said.
The use of non-refundable rates is a long-established practice for hotels around the world, including in Russia, Denis Drozdovsky, head of the travel planning service OneTwoTrip, told Izvestia. Full legalization and regulation of non-refundable booking conditions from the point of view of hotel and consumer rights is a long-needed measure, "so the cost of hotel accommodation after the emergence of such a law is unlikely to significantly reduce."
- Now there are enough hotels on the market, which work on the principle of non-refundable tariff, travelers use it when making reservations. This way you can really save up to 30%. It is not necessary to pay 100% of the cost of accommodation at the time of booking. Each hotel sets restrictions individually: it can be a full or partial prepayment or payment on the spot with a card guarantee. There are no reasons for the appearance of noticeably lower prices when the market is saturated with hotels, including those with non-refundable rates, - said the expert.
Why non-refundable tariffs should not be introduced
The approach when hotels charge non-refundable rates is illegal and can be challenged in court, emphasized Oleg Pavlov, head of "Public Consumer Initiative". Thus, the law on consumer protection and other documents provide that a person can refuse to fulfill the contract for services at any time. However, this is possible only if the consumer pays the actual costs incurred by the other party, which are related to the fulfillment of this contract. This rule, for example, is actively applied in air transportation, he emphasized.
- The Ministry of Economic Development has not proposed a mechanism and norms for determining what share of rooms a hotel will be able to offer at non-refundable rates. There is a risk that all hotel rates will become non-refundable, and the consumer will have no choice, - explained the expert. - There is no mechanism to control prices for hotel services and verify the discount for non-refundable tariff, that it is real, and not as during mass sales, when prices are first inflated, and then offer a discount from the original inflated cost.
These issues are especially relevant today, because Russia is actively developing domestic tourism, the flow of traveling people is increasing, and hotels are becoming more numerous, he said. Earlier a similar position was expressed in Rospotrebnadzor, they criticized the proposal of colleagues from the Ministry of Economic Development. It was not possible to get a comment from the service.
Roman Bobylev, chairman of the board of the All-Russian Association of Tourists, stressed to Izvestia that such an initiative formalizes illegal practices - withholding money from guests, as well as defends only the financial interests of hoteliers. When the project is implemented, there will be conflicts between the current rules of law, which will mislead guests and hotels about their rights to each other.
- It is better to reconsider the system of compensation of guests to the hotel, for example, to take into account the terms of advance cancellation, the time of expected stay and the real damage caused to the hotel due to the idle room, - he emphasized.
The introduction of non-refundable rates for hotel accommodation is very relevant, it is important for the hotel business, it takes into account the rights of hotels and tourists, the head of the All-National Union of Hospitality Industry (OSIG) Alexei Volkov told "Izvestia".
- The experts of the association do not agree with the position that this project limits the rights of the consumer, because he will still have the opportunity to cancel the trip, to get money in case of force majeure, and to save money, because the business is ready to give preferences to those who buy a non-refundable ticket, - he explained. - This approach has been working for a long time in railway transportation and aviation, and it is successful and profitable for all market participants.
The expert said that when tourists unilaterally cancel check-in without a valid reason, and a day or two in advance, it turns into losses for hoteliers. If the case comes to court, the consumer always wins, the business has no grounds to withhold funds or losses, which is unfair, he said.
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