The UK’s largest hotel brand has had to change its marketing after a complaint to the advertising regulator – removing claims which said buying early means getting the best price.
The complaint against Premier Inn was “informally resolved” by the advertising watchdog, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), meaning the hotel chain agreed to amend the communication and details of the issue were not made public.
No formal ruling was published but the ASA told Sky News a complaint had challenged Premier Inn’s claim that booking early gave the best deals on the basis the statement was misleading and could not be substantiated.
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What was the issue?
Premier Inn, which operates more than 800 hotels in the UK alone, agreed to amend the ad to include “significant information” about how hotel rates can change and remove the statement that suggested booking early means you get the best price, the ASA said.
The ad in question said: “Book early to secure your choice of hotel and dates for the best price!”
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Not the first complaint
Just a few months ago the company was banned from advertising rooms “from only £35 a night”, an offer that was “likely to mislead” viewers, the ASA said in May.
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Some grievances raised with the regulator can be resolved quickly by the ASA working with an advertiser to get an ad amended.
This means the complaint doesn’t go before the ASA council and no ruling is issued and publicly available, as was the case in the latest Premier Inn complaint.
Premier Inn’s owner Whitbread did not respond to a request for comment.
