Premier Inn’s advertising has come under scrutiny following a misleading room rate claim.
- The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld a complaint against Premier Inn.
- A customer could not find advertised £35 rooms in Edinburgh last November.
- The ASA found the claim misleading, citing insufficient available room data.
- Premier Inn has since withdrawn the advertisement and is re-evaluating its approach.
Premier Inn, the UK’s largest budget hotel chain, has been reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) after a complaint was filed regarding a misleading advertisement. The advert in question boasted room rates of £35 per night in Edinburgh, a claim that was called into question when a customer failed to secure a room at that price during November of the previous year.
The complaint highlighted a significant issue of consumer expectation, with the ASA ruling that the advert’s claim of ‘Rooms From Only £35 Per Night’ was misleading. The ASA noted that consumers would reasonably interpret the claim to mean that a significant proportion of rooms over the year would be available at the advertised rate. However, the data provided by Premier Inn suggested otherwise, showing that only a minor percentage of the advertised rate was available.
Upon investigation, the ASA found that out of the year, there were only 377 nights when the £35 rate was available. Premier Inn’s parent company, Whitbread, argued that this represented a ‘significant spread’ across the year, but the ASA disagreed, resulting in the decision that the advertisement had breached their regulations.
Following the ruling, Premier Inn acknowledged the oversight and removed the advertisement from circulation. The company asserted its commitment to responsible advertising and stated that it would enhance its staff training to prevent future occurrences. The ASA mandated that any future ‘from’ price claims must ensure a significant proportion of available rooms at the advertised rate to be considered non-misleading.
Premier Inn must ensure future advertisements reflect the actual availability of advertised room rates to maintain consumer trust.
