The cost of staying away

[Slick]

It's not a shame having to go to Inveraray, there's a cracking whisky shop there! 🥃

Its a shame at having to pay tourist prices though.

 

[markemark]

My goodness, things have gone up since last year? Those clever money people should compare current prices to last year and come up with the percentage change. They should then release this magical number to the press so we can be told about it.

If only this would happen so we could know that prices have gone up so it’s not such a shock to us.

 

[slowmotion]

My best guess is that "hospitality" venues have hiked prices by about 35% in the last three years.

 

[markemark]

Hospitality’s main costs would be wages, seasonal workers, gas, electricity, food and interest rate linked loans (many independents would have had to take out such loans to survive the covid lock downs). I’d struggle to think of a sector more exposed to inflation.

Of course their prices are rising as they’re being hammered by increased costs.

 

[stephec]

15 to 20 years ago, in the good old days when nobody looked at your expenses too carefully, we used to use Posthouses which were around £90 per night, whilst at the time Premier Inns were still called Travel Inns and were around £50.

When the Posthouses changed to Holiday Inns we still used them as the loyalty card was the best one, with a Posthouse 6 or 7 nights away got you a free night, unlike Best Western which charged around £70 but you needed about 15 nights to get a free one.

Nowadays you're lucky to get a Premier Inn at short notice for less than £90, and that's without any refund or alteration policy which usually adds another £10 on, but the next class up like Holiday Inn or Novotel haven't risen as much in proportion, I stayed in the Novotel in the centre of Leicester for £110 a few weeks ago after only booking it 2 days before with a same day cancellation policy.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

Aye, I use Hotels.com which gives 1 night for every 10. Scary how quick they add up when you're regularly away 3 nights a week.

 

[Drago]

Came on this on the Isle of Harris page on FB. I cannot criticise really as I never used camp sites for many years with a variety on caravans and camper vans/ motorhomes. Did not really save much as too much money was spent buying different vehicles.

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Why do people bother with expensive barristers when Facebook can be relied upon for legal advice?

Even with the sharp increase I prices this year I calculated that for the 6 or 8 times we typically used it the camper was working out rather more expensive than moderately decent hotels. I must be getting old because aside from the 💰 saved and lack of aggravation from storing and maintaining the damn thing, the thrill of having a sheet in a room the size of a small tea chest had begun to wane somewhat.

 

[oldwheels]

Why do people bother with expensive barristers when Facebook can be relied upon for legal advice?

Even with the sharp increase I prices this year I calculated that for the 6 or 8 times we typically used it the camper was working out rather more expensive than moderately decent hotels. I must be getting old because aside from the 💰 saved and lack of aggravation from storing and maintaining the damn thing, the thrilled of having a sheet in a room the size of a small tea chest had begun to wane somewhat.

I no longer have a motorhome but I have considered converting my Peugeot Partner just for the convenience of always having somewhere to sleep lying down if ferries are off. Lochaline is the back end of nowhere with a long drive back to where there is probably no available accommodation anyway.
Problem is the rear is full of recumbent trike which I do not fancy leaving lying out overnight.
Just a factor of where I happen to live.
It is just accidental that the legal bit is on the Harris FB page where there is an increasing detestation of motorhomes. I have no doubt it is correct.

 

[Pale Rider]

Why do people bother with expensive barristers when Facebook can be relied upon for legal advice?

Or as the solicitors of my acquaint call it: Google Law.

They are plagued by punters who turn up after having filled their heads with a load of dross about their case from the internet.

15 to 20 years ago, in the good old days when nobody looked at your expenses too carefully, we used to use Posthouses which were around £90 per night, whilst at the time Premier Inns were still called Travel Inns and were around £50.

At that time I believe there was one chain who issued VAT receipts only with a head office address and branch number.

Handy for some because the employer didn't know where you were when you incurred the expense, unless the expenses clerk could be bothered to research it.

 

[stephec]

Or as the solicitors of my acquaint call it: Google Law.

They are plagued by punters who turn up after having filled their heads with a load of dross about their case from the internet.



At that time I believe there was one chain who issued VAT receipts only with a head office address and branch number.

Handy for some because the employer didn't know where you were when you incurred the expense, unless the expenses clerk could be bothered to research it.

And if you'd overindulged in the bar you could often get a hand written receipt that vaguely stated food and drink, rather than a computer printout with everything itemised.

 

[Pale Rider]

And if you'd overindulged in the bar you could often get a hand written receipt that vaguely stated food and drink, rather than a computer printout with everything itemised.

Just as I was startled by brother's hotel bill, I've been surprised by the amount some people claim on expenses.

It's also irritating, because the tales usually revolve around publicly funded bodies.

Thousands a month for taxis, food, drink, and hotels, very little of which is necessary to do the job, or could be done much more cost effectively.

The worst known offender must be that dreadful fellow Gary Verity who spunked up hundreds of thousands on expenses from the Welcome to Yorkshire tourism organisation, not to mention alleged bullying of female staff.

He got away with the lot by playing the mental health card.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

We had a guy paid for a lapdancer with his Company credit card. Got away with it the first time, not the second.

 

[Pale Rider]

We had a guy paid for a lapdancer with his Company credit card. Got away with it the first time, not the second.

Sunderland was once the ship building capital of the world.

The local paper's shipping correspondent used to claim for a new hat after every launch.

This was on the basis he was obliged to throw his hat in the air, as did all men at the time, when the ship slid down the ramp.

 

[Kingfisher101]

Just as I was startled by brother's hotel bill, I've been surprised by the amount some people claim on expenses.

It's also irritating, because the tales usually revolve around publicly funded bodies.

Thousands a month for taxis, food, drink, and hotels, very little of which is necessary to do the job, or could be done much more cost effectively.

The worst known offender must be that dreadful fellow Gary Verity who spunked up hundreds of thousands on expenses from the Welcome to Yorkshire tourism organisation, not to mention alleged bullying of female staff.

He got away with the lot by playing the mental health card.

He lost his job and was widely publicly humiliated as well. So I dont think he got away with it as such.

 

[stephec]

Just as I was startled by brother's hotel bill, I've been surprised by the amount some people claim on expenses.

It's also irritating, because the tales usually revolve around publicly funded bodies.

Thousands a month for taxis, food, drink, and hotels, very little of which is necessary to do the job, or could be done much more cost effectively.

The worst known offender must be that dreadful fellow Gary Verity who spunked up hundreds of thousands on expenses from the Welcome to Yorkshire tourism organisation, not to mention alleged bullying of female staff.

He got away with the lot by playing the mental health card.

Not many people who I know that work for private companies that can get away with those kind of expenses, unless you reach a certain level of management maybe.