The
Four Nations Chess League does not accept
responsibility for the content of other websites, to
which this site links.
This
website includes information on participants in the
Four Nations Chess League in respect of name, grade,
title, nationality and sex (team registration
lists), as well as telephone number(s), email
address(es) and postal address(es) in certain
circumstances (team captains/managers, management
board members, arbiters etc).
Participants wishing this information not to be
included on the website should contact the webmaster
to have it removed, but should be aware that in this
event they will not be permitted to play in the
league.
Puma Hotels have set up a bedroom booking
facility for the 4NCL on their website which, as
well as allowing captains/players to book online
rather than by telephone, also compares the
agreed 4NCL room rates with the currently best
available online rate. This will allow
captains/players to select the lower of the two
rates (although we are assured by Puma Hotels
that in the vast majority of cases the 4NCL rate
will be lower than the best available online
rate!).
To use this facility, please follow the
instructions below:
On the home page use the section titled
BOOK A HOTEL
Select hotel and arrival date, number of
rooms etc
In the box for the Promotional Code type in
CHESS
This will then give access to the 4NCL rates.
Follow the on-screen instructions for making
bedroom bookings. Please note that it is
important to use the Promotional Code for two
reasons: (a) The 4NCL rate will not be displayed
without the code (b) If the code is not used
bedroom bookings cannot be tracked back to
4NCL-related bookings, meaning that the 4NCL
will not receive the agreed commission on room
bookings.
FURTHER GUIDANCE:
All the hotels will expect to take credit
card details at the time rooms are booked,
in line with practice at most if not all
hotels in the UK.
Captains/managers/players booking rooms
should mention the 4NCL National Chess
League to the hotels' reservations staff.
This will ensure that the get the agreed
rates, and will also allow the hotels to
keep a record of rooms booked overall, which
is important because the commission the
league receives from the hotels is
calculated on the basis of rooms booked -
the more rooms are booked, the more
commission the league receives to e.g.
increase prize money and keep entry fee
increases down.
At the Puma Hotels, to make your room
reservation please call the numbers provided
above. Please quote CHESS when making your
booking. You can pay by Access/MasterCard,
Visa, Switch and all major credit cards. On
receipt of your booking you will be sent a
confirmation showing your reservation
details and amount payable at the host
hotel. All reservations must be made through
the numbers provided .
Please note that the 4NCL block booking will
be released four weeks before each weekend,
so people would be advised to book rooms
before this deadline if they want to avoid
taking pot luck with room availability
thereafter.
All the hotels will expect final lists of
room occupants no later than seven days
before the relevant weekend, failing which
there is a risk that the rooms will be let
go.
We have
evening buffet and mid-day packed lunch
arrangements with many of the
hotels/conference centres. In many cases,
however, these need to be booked beforehand
at the time rooms are booked to allow the
hotels/conference centres to plan ahead.
Players will not necessarily be able to turn
up on the day and expect to avail themselves
of the evening buffet or mid-day packed
lunch arrangements. We therefore recommend
that players check with the venues
beforehand as to whether special
arrangements are in place for evening
buffet/mid-day packed lunch arrangements
and, if so, whether pre-booking is necessary
or not.
At Puma Hotels venues the pre-booked dinner
rate is £13.00 (see DBB rates above).
Otherwise the rate is £15.00.
The hotel websites all give details of how
to get to the venues.
None of the hotels allow food or drink to be
brought in for personal consumption, and in
practice take a very dim view if this
happens. Such behaviour threatens the
league's relationship with the hotels.
PUMA:
Bedrooms which have been booked on an
individual basis may be cancelled up to
2.00pm on the day before the weekend.
Different arrangements apply for block
bookings - see below.
De VERE:If the
booking is cancelled within seven days
of the day of arrival 100% cancellation
charge will apply unless the
accommodation can be resold.
Different arrangements apply for block
bookings - see below.
And finally, you’ll like this one, ... All
players are expected to be ambassadors for
chess and to behave in an appropriate manner
in the hotels. Again, poor behaviour
threatens the league's relationship with the
hotels.
When captains call or email venues
with their room requests, they will
be expected to provide a telephone
number, email address and credit
card details. Fourteen days before
the weekend in question the number
of rooms being held at that point
will be treated as the definitive
booking for billing
purposes (fourteen days has been
chosen as a compromise between
giving the captains a fair chance of
finalising their teams and the
venues a fair chance of reselling
the rooms in the event of
cancellation). Any shortfall between
the rooms held fourteen days out and
the rooms paid for at the weekend
itself will be charged to the credit
card at or shortly after the
weekend.
Captains can reduce or increase the
number of rooms they require at any
point before the fourteen day
deadline, and of course can confirm
the rooms at any time before the
deadline.
Should a cancellation need to be
made at short notice through
illness, bereavement or similar
circumstances venues will apply
discretion when considering whether
cancellation charges should apply
(and I am always happy to be
involved in any conversations where
captains feel that a sensible
outcome has not resulted).
Captains who block book 10 rooms or
more have the right to cancel one
room without penalty so long as this
is done by the Thursday before the
weekend.
Venues will endeavour to send out a
reminder to block bookers in advance
of the two week deadline that they
need to finalise their room numbers,
and Neville and/or I will try to do
the same.
The
above arrangements will apply to
bookings of more than
four bedrooms.
As
regards the 4NCL's bedroom allocation at
weekends, both De Vere and Puma Hotels
have confirmed that even once any
balance on the allocation has been
released back to the general public, any
4NCL room bookings made after that date
will still receive the discounted 4NCL
room rates so long as there are still
rooms available.