UK’s Largest Hotel Brand Changes Marketing After Complaint to Advertising Regulator
The UK’s largest hotel brand, Premier Inn, has recently made changes to its marketing strategy following a complaint to the advertising regulator. The complaint raised concerns about claims made by Premier Inn regarding their pricing and the necessity of booking early.
According to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the complaint was “informally resolved,” meaning that Premier Inn agreed to amend their communication without any formal ruling or public disclosure of the issue. The ASA explained that the complaint challenged Premier Inn’s statement that booking early guarantees the best price, as it was deemed misleading and lacked substantiation.
In response to the complaint, Premier Inn, which operates over 800 hotels in the UK, has agreed to include “significant information” about potential changes in hotel rates in their advertisements. They have also removed the statement that suggested booking early guarantees the best price.
This is not the first time Premier Inn has faced complaints regarding their advertising. In May, the company was banned from promoting rooms “from only £35 a night” as it was deemed likely to mislead viewers. This recent complaint adds to a growing list of grievances raised with the ASA against the hotel chain.
While some complaints may require the involvement of the ASA council and result in a formal ruling, others can be resolved more swiftly through collaboration between the ASA and the advertiser. In these cases, no ruling is issued and the details of the complaint are not made publicly available, as was the case with the latest complaint against Premier Inn.
Despite multiple attempts to reach them for comment, Premier Inn’s parent company, Whitbread, did not respond. This recent change in Premier Inn’s marketing strategy serves as a reminder to all companies to ensure that their claims are accurate and substantiated to avoid potential complaints and repercussions.
