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Advertising watchdog rejects Tui resort ‘suite’ complaint

A complaint over Tui’s description of resort accommodation as a ‘suite’ has been rejected as being misleading by the advertising watchdog.

The Advertising Standards Authority ruled against a complaint over the description of rooms on the operator’s website of the Sensatori Resort Riviera hotel in Cancun.

A consumer believed the accommodation included a living area as a separate room, but found that it consisted of just one room.

They challenged whether the description of the accommodation as a ‘suite’ was misleading.

However, the ASA considered that in the context of hotel accommodation “there was not one established definition of the word ‘suite’.”

Ruling against the compliant, the ASA said: “We therefore considered that consumers’ understanding of the word would likely depend on the particular type of accommodation and any information which accompanied the word in a room description.

“While we accepted that the word ‘suite’ could refer to more than one room, (such as a lounge or living room in addition to the bedroom), under one room number, we understood it could also be used to describe a larger than standard room, or one that had special or luxury features that distinguished it from other rooms that were available.

“We noted that although the accommodation listed in the ad was named differently, all the rooms were described as suites with the facilities that came with each type of suite being clearly stated.

“These included a private outdoor whirlpool, a private beach area accessible only from the room itself and a butler or concierge service, which were special amenities.

“We considered the term ‘suite’ was likely to be understood in that context as a reference to those amenities.

“We also noted that the ad contained detailed information about the features of the room such as the number of people who could sleep in it, the number of beds, whether it had a sliding partition wall, as well an image of the room.

“In that context, we considered the mention of a lounge area was unlikely to be understood to mean that a separate lounge room was included, because the ad contained sufficient detail which made clear of what the accommodation comprised.

“Because we considered the context of the ad made clear that the description of the accommodation as a suite was a reference to the room’s special features and amenities, rather than to being a suite of rooms, we concluded the ad was unlikely to mislead.”

Tui said that accommodation described as a suite may or may not have a separate living room, but if it did, that would be stated in the room description. It provided examples of accommodation described as suites that did and did not have a separate living area.

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