HOW TO MAKE A RESERVATION

 
Phone 01202-399227 between 10am - 8pm
( staff and time permitting as I might be out walking my dog )

or e mail    This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

We need the following details: 

 PLEASE HAVE YOUR CREDIT / DEBIT CARD READY WHEN YOU CALL

Your name / Dates or Event required.  /  How many persons / Room type

We must have all the details listed below for a confirmed reservation. 

This is for your protection and that of everyone else - please respect this!
The card holder must be the person making the reservation.

1. Card number
2. Cardholders name as it appears on the card
3. Expiry date
4. Security number on the reverse of the card
5. Solo / Maestro/ Switch cards - the Issue Number or expiry date
6. Return billing address with your street number and postcode
7. Home / Mobile phone number
8. Details of your required reservation
9. Your email address to send a confirmation email to

If your card expires before the date of your actual reservation, we shall charge the full amount owed.

Please make sure you have enough credit on your card when offering it as deposit / payment  for any period at Hamilton Hall.  If the card does not clear and we have to phone you back and get another card details, we may charge you for our time.

When providing your card details to pay for and confirm a reservation, you are entering into a legally binding contract between yourself and Hamilton Hall. If you need to change and /or amend any details of your reservation, a charge may be added.  In case you need to cancel - please see our Cancellation Policy below.  We will confirm your reservation by e mail.  Please check all the details are correct and if there is an error, please notify us immediately and it will be corrected.  The reservation name and credit card name must be the same.

No wonder the kids of today have no manners - when big business acts in such an obnoxious manner.

Some people phone us to make a reservation and they have left their credit card upstairs and have to go and get it and I am left holding onto a dead phone  - then they cannot read it as they have not got their glassses on and need to find them ,-  and by this time I am ready to scream.
I am a very busy man and PLEASE - it really is not too much to ask - BE READY - ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE CALLING ME TO MAKE A RESERVATION and you then sound all surprised when I ask for your card details and I get ' Oh - er - I'm not sure where my card is. '

PLEASE - HELP US TO HELP YOU AND MAKE LIFE EASY.

 HAMILTON HALL - 1 CARYSFORT ROAD - BOURNEMOUTH - DORSET BH1 4EJ -   Tel:  01202-399227

We charge between 50-100% of the full amount at the time the reservation is made as confirmation of your booking, depending on the length of your stay.

All the details of the reservation will be confirmed either by email or in writing.

Any remaining amount owed for your stay is to be paid on arrival in cash please - as we are trying to cut down on our ever increasing bank charges.

If upon arrival you wish to pay the remainder on your credit / debit card,  we will add 5% to the remainder owed.  Many venues charge for credit / debit card transactions ( my local garage adds 5% whenever I have the car serviced ) and we do not do this.  With the current credit crunch and banks acting badly  towards small business, we cannot afford to pay these high banking costs especially where - with your assistance - we ask for cash.

PLEASE:  USE THE SAME E MAIL ADDRESS EVERY TIME.

Press RETURN when you reply to an e mail so we can scan what has been said before. 
We do not like searching through thousands of old e mails.  I DO NOT REMEMBER.

STATE YOUR SURNAME - EVENT DATE AND EVENT NAME  CLEARLY.

B&B - Between 11am and 1pm - and 6 - 8pm

Workshops - Between 4pm - 6.30pm

Please advise us in advance if you are going to arrive outside of these times and if convenient, we will be here with the kettle on..

WE DO NOT HAVE A MANNED RECEPTION.

Check Out is usually by 11am  -  and we can store your bags and look after them if you want to go to the beach or hang around until your train time.

LATE DEPARTURES CAN BE ARRANGED, JUST ASK.

We always suggest HOLIDAY INSURANCE in case of cancellation etc.

Please see our Cancellation Policy below.

Bed and Breakfast

Nothing is returned and the full amount is charged so we are fully paid.

We are a NOT FOR PROFIT VENUE and some people play financial games with us and we have had to learn to be firmer and more professional.   We ask our customers to please respect us as a business and act accordingly as you'd be gobsmacked how many unprofessional people expect us to remember them from one e mail a year ago,  or a phone call from a week ago when the truth is, we simply don't, and then they get all snitty with us.  We deal with hundreds of people and scores of different events throughout the year and your appreciation of this, and offering a courteous and thoughtful service in return is appreciated.

Workshops & Special Events

Bed and Breakfast:
~
£30 per person is kept by Hamilton Hall to cover our staff, admin. and exorbitant banking charges and the remainder is returned.

If you have a group booking then the amount retained against our costs will vary as to the size of your reservation and the amount so far charged against your credit / debit card.

Please ask for details.

Workshop & Special Event Cancellations:

More than 21 days notice of cancellation

We charge 50% of the full amount paid.  The remainder is returned to your credit /debit card.
If you do not have credit /  debit card and rely on cheques, we charge an extra £10.  Our banking system is paperless and working with cheques adds to our workload.

FACILITATORS FEE:  Our workshops work in pairs. If you cancel and your facilitator has to join in as well as facilitate, then you pay towards his extra workload.

You will also be charged a FACILITATORS FEE of £50.  If we can re sell your space, this will be refunded.

Christmas and New Year Cancellations:   Less than 28 days notice of cancellation - we charge the full amount . This is a very busy and very important time for us and a huge amount of work and preperation goes into this period and regardless of when you cancel, if you have paid and reserved a room,  we shall retain all monies paid and charge the full price,  as we cannot have empty spaces at a busy time and suggest you take out Holiday Insurance to cover all possibilities.

Please telephone Hamilton Hall on 01202-399227 and advise us, in person, of any cancellation or late arrival and please follow that up in writing, either through email or letter.

When you write or email us, please check within 5 days that your mail / email has been received if you have not heard from us in return.  If you do not and we have not received your email,  which can happen, we may charge you for your entire stay.

If you do not turn up on the day of arrival,  and we do not hear from you by phone or email on that day, we will telephone or e mail  to see if you are okay and to set a new arrival time and will charge an extra £25 for our time.    If we get your answer phone, we will  leave a discreet  message.  If we still do not  hear back from you within 24 hours - we will cancell the reservation and a full charge is made.

If you cancel a reservation with us because you have not planned your time off work correctly, or given enough notice at work,:- you cannot get a flight / train / coach as you didn't book it in time -  then the full amount is payable.  We ask that you are responsible with planning your vacation times as - would British Airways accept that you forgot to ask for time off work,  or that your work schedule has been changed and you cannot do anything about it ?  I  think not. 

We appreciate accidents and circumstances change  and we have been bullshitted too many times by people who assume I was born yesterday.  

Please be responsible and professional.

If you change the date of an event you are booked in for, less than 14 days prior to the event itself, this will be seen as a cancellation and the charges detailed above will apply.

If you allow more than 14 days notice, then a Date Change Fee is charged at £25 per person. If you change the dates a second time, we charge a further £50 per person. A third alteration will mean we keep all moneys paid and cancel the reservation.

All funds owed for a Date Change Fee are to be paid at the time the date is changed and not paid on arrival for the event.

For health and safety reasons, as a venue with naked men, we cater to the individual and we must always be conscious and aware of the group setting, and to this aim, if we refuse your reservation, please try and be understanding and respectful as no offense is meant.

DISCRIMINATION & THE LAW

With a few exceptions, it is unlawful to discriminate directly or indirectly on grounds of sex in the provision of goods, facilities or services to the public, or a section of the community on grounds of discrimination.

The main exceptions include:

Discrimination by non profit making voluntary bodies in restricting their membership to one sex or providing benefits to one sex only in accordance with their main object. Discrimination in the provision of facilities or services to avoid serious embarrassment to users which would be caused by the presence of members of the opposite sex. Communal accommodation - residential accommodation which includes dormitories or other shared sleeping accommodation, can be restricted to one sex only for reasons of privacy and decency or because of the nature of the sanitary facilities available. [S.46 SDA]

Hamilton Hall will always remain a MEN ONLY VENUE where naked men can feel free and relaxed and not worry about women being within the building causing serious emotional and physical embarrassment and confusion. We mean absolutely no offense to women;- while gay and bisexual men often love women's company, there are times when we need our own space to be free to say and act how we please without causing innocent offense or serious embarrassment on both sides. Sometimes mixing the sexes is just not appropriate, despite what the law and some individuals claim. Sometimes women are simply not welcome.

Hamilton Hall is a 'NOT FOR PROFIT' retreat style hotel where some accommodation and bathroom facilities are shared and as a retreat style hotel, this has always been the case. This helps us keep our prices down and a great deal more offered for the price you pay than is usually available.

As usual, we have heard absolutely nothing at all from the government concerning the Equality Law and it is not easy to find information on the web sites, but the above information seems to cover what we need and states we can limit our guests to men only to stop any embarrassment and unease. If anyone can point me in the right direction for more detailed information, I would be grateful as I do not wish to cause offense or hurt to anyone.
If any womens group would like to rent the entire venue to facilitate a workshop / party / retreat or other event, we would be delighted to assist and offer as much help and assistance as we can. Some venues claim to be Gay Owned and Run, but are not gay venues and this is deceiving.

With the gay culture homogonizing with the straight world in the UK, we are close to loosing our gay identity. With more gay bars, clubs and hotels closing - partly because of the Equality Law and partly because of the Credit Crunch and lack of income, and the smoking ban, we urge you to support your local gay venue, as once they closed, our gay community will have no venues, no places to meet and while we are now supposedly more accepted in all venues, by law, we all know what a load of bollocks that is in many parts of the country. We do need gay owned and run venues, exclusively for our community, to help foster understanding and compassion in a world that is still, regardless of what the law now states, homophobic and bigoted. Just look at what the Pope recently stated about the Equality Laws of the UK ?

If after you have make a reservation you forget to turn up, we bill you for the full cost of the boked period. 

If you have booked a workshop period we then charge the remainder due plus  the Facilitator Fee of £50.

If we have arranged an arrival time and you are hours late because you chose the beach first and didn't bother to notify us and we have stayed in waiting for your arrival,  then we may charge a 'Time Wasters Fee' of £25 per hour.  We have arrival times advertised and will willingly wait in if you wish for a different arrival time and we will be here with the kettle on. 

One year I wasted a whole day - with a friend whom I was going out for a picnic with after the customer arrived at the arranged time of 11am.  He didn't show - his mobile was switched off and he never turned up and our whole day was wasted.   It was the last day of my friends holiday and this tosser  had completely ruined it for us both. 

If cancellation is because of adverse weather conditions - making the journey impossible or dangerous, please understand that Hamilton Hall's ongoing costs and outgoings do not stop because the weather restricts how our guests get here, or not.

If you have booked for a period at Hamilton Hall and the weather / trains / motorways - in some manner - restricts your travel plans, our cancellation policy above still stands firm and charges will be levied.

We completely appreciate how this may seem unfair under certain conditions and understand how frustrating this may be and as we still have to heat and maintain Hamilton Hall, especially during adverse weather conditions,  and when we have  prepared the venue.  Your appreciation of our position is welcome.

As reported in the media, the price of our gas and electricity has sky rocketed.    In 2009 our gas supplier increased its charges by 48% - and our electricity by 38% - garbage collection by 33% and water / sewage by 18%.     Our utilities are then taxed with Climate Levy Tax which then has VAT charged against the tax. 

Although we keep Hamilton Hall toasty warm with our central heating,  some of the bedrooms may appear cooler or some people may feel the cold easier than others and we now offer extra electric radiators for the rooms at £10 per night.

It is our intention to keep the ambient temperature  warm and comfortable, BUT: where weather conditions are severe and the threat of power cuts, fuel shortages etc. hit us all, we will do what we can to keep the venue warm and the rest is up to you.

This comes about because some people have badly abused our kind offer and good will with supplying extra heaters and have left them on full,  all day, even when not in the hotel let alone not in their room and the room has been like a sauna,  and this is thoughtless.  Our prices are extremely good value and taking advantage in this manner spoils it for others, so we have introduced this charge and taken the extra heaters out until requested and paid for.

If costs keep spiralling beyond the rate of inflation and beyond our control, we shall add a surcharge to the winter weekend workshops to help offset these outrageous  price hikes and if you want to complain then do so to the government who caused these middle east wars and so causing chaos in the utility markets - or maybe it's because the utility companies enjoy making billions in profits...  British Airways sometimes adds a fuel surcharge and no-one says a word and if we have to do the same,  your appreciation and payment towards this, is appreciated.

We maintain our prices and offer special deals for bed and breakfast and our charges are extremely low for what you get in return.

If the weather is adversely hot and you require a fan in your room, we charge £5 a day .

All discounts are discretionary and if you give us a hard time, then the discount will be stopped and the price will revert to the full price and no discount will be offered.

(As experienced with a guest who was attending the Conservative Party Conference - October 2004 )

As a busy venue throughout the year, we offer discounts in order that everyone can enjoy our facilities regardless of financial ability.

We also offer FREE  BREAKS  to guys with HIV who are unable to afford a break / or to OAP's we feel are worthy of a few days away as our guests. Not everyone has enough money but benefits from a few days by the sea and we offer this from the heart.  Unfortunately - some people have taken advantage of this and abused our generosity and I will ask for evidence of benefits etc. to protect myself from those who will spoil it for others.

If a single person has a twin room and uses both beds, then we charge for the second bed as if two people were using the room.. This will automatically be charged against your credit card and an explanation will be posted with the credit card receipt. All staff members within Hamilton Hall at the time will be asked to witness the fact that more that one bed has been used.

• People who are blind or partially sighted - or who are deaf or hard of hearing
• People who have heart conditions - and those with Epilepsy
• People who have problems with continence - and people who have insulin dependent diabetes
• People with Downs Syndrome - Dyslexia - and those who have Arthritis
• People who are wheelchair users
• People who have experienced mental health problems and those who have learning disabilities.

Hamilton Hall does not have a Hearing Loop. We also do not have disabled toilet facilities or a ground floor bedroom.

According to the law, introduced on 1st October 2004, we are suppose to ask and evaluate every single customer if they have special needs / a disability and to be honest, I find this law, as usual, to be an ass.    EVERYBODY - according to this law, is disabled, as EVERYONE has had a mental disability at some time or another (depressed, mood swings, bereavement, broken heart - are all mental health issues...) so what is the point in this neurotic law ? ( do you get the joke there...???  )

All it does is cost businesses like mine more money and makes for more jobs for civil servants and gives us all something else to worry about and another silly little label to wear and pin on ourselves and for what... Nothing. They claim it's because of discrimination,- well how about the man whose business has to close because he hasn't got wheelchair access and the building is an historic one and cannot be altered and he is now forced to close because one of the 640,000 people in wheelchairs in the UK wants to buy a 80p ice cream and cannot gain access.

I am often asked by short elderly ladies in Tesco's to reach for something on a high shelf - which I do with pleasure and a laugh - and are we now to make legislation lowering the height of shelves and then have people complaining that Top Shelf Magazines are now too low and children will get hold of them and because everything is lower, the shop is twice the size and prices will reflect this ???

You can't win.    As usual, what probably started as a good idea has grown into an unworkable situation for councils and officials to monitor and where hundreds of thousands of business properties will not / cannot adapt their properties for various logistical as well as financial reasons and they will either be forced to close or the authorities will evaluate each venue on its own merit and act accordingly. In that case hundreds of thousands of venues will simply not bother and this makes an ass out of the law.

If you are a vegetarian,  please inform us at the time you make the reservation or at least 4 days  in advance of your stay , as we can offer  alternatives.

Our Breakfast and Dinner Menu has several vegetarian alternatives.

If you require Gluten Free or Vagan meals,  then these are not normally available and we will  charge an extra £25 per day  - if attending an event where meals are included -  towards the huge expense and time in purchasing expensive products and cooking a separate meal.  This is time consuming and as a venue with limited staffing levels and where all the catering is done 'in house' -by me - there simply is little time.

If you surprise us at the last minute by stating you need a special diet, then the food supplied will not be the best we could have offered and if you do not make advance arrangements you might not be offered anything other than the standard food available.

We do not shop once a weekend workshop has commenced.

I was on a strict diet myself some years ago, for health reasons, and it was bloody hard.  I would get fed up ( pun pun )  when meeting friends out as there was very little I could eat and shopping in Tesco was a nightmare, it took me AGES checking all the ingredience and putting 90% of the stuff back on the shelves because it had stuff that was banned from my diet.  It lasted a long 6 months and eventually I returned to my normal diet, which I am still careful with ( I don't like too many chemicals and crap in my food )  and I have full sympathies for those on special diets,  but not for those who just do it for attention or because it is a fad.

Any thoughtless damage or accident where our property is damagd -   is to be paid for by the person responsible or whoever has paid for their visit.

If you wet or soil the bed, be prepared to pay for a new mattress and bedding. If you spill your coffee all over the beige carpet, then a cleaning machine and labor will be charged. We expect you to respect our facilities as if they were your own.

We respect that accidents happen and make allowances for this but where stupidity or thoughtless behavior has meant that Hamilton Hall's property is damaged, we will make a charge for repair / cleaning, replacement etc.

Someone balanced a glass of red wine on the arm of the pale beige couch and forgot it was there and got up to go to the loo and it went all over the couch.  It cost just over £50 to dry clean and a further £15 in staff time getting the cover off and taking it down to the cleaners - and he was billed.  His entire weekend cost for B&B at that time was £60 and I am not in business to loose money.  We are a NOT FOR PROFIT VENUE and as much as I hated having to charge him,  I was not about to foot the bill for his brain dead actions. 

Sadly we have had those who have abused and stolen from us here at Hamilton Hall and we have to have this in place to protect ourselves.

If after you have checked out from Hamilton Hall we discover items missing from your room, we charge 'new for old' plus a 25% surcharge, against your credit card for a replacement item. We will send you the credit card receipt and inform you of why we have done this. You are welcome to enter into dialogue concerning the missing items but if items are missing, the charge will stand.

Our rooms have that very special 'home from home' feel and have many of the finishing touches not usually found and we ask that this is respected.

All rooms are inspected before and after a customer arrives and leaves and anything missing is noted.

When I first mooted around to my friends that I was going to open a gay mens retreat,  one friend said that gay men were the worst at expecting everything for nothing, they took advantage, they abused facilities and acted often like kids and that after 10 years running his own gay B&B he was sick of it. 

I can honestly say that he was right - on occasions we have been abused - badly - by some who have taken advantage, been obnoxious and rude, sent hate mail, and generally been a pain in the ass ( but not in a pleasant way ) and even left badly soiled bedding that had to be thrown away... but it has been rare - very rare - for we get a wonderful load of men staying here who appreciate, value and respect us and Hamilton Hall and after 10 years here myself ( We opened March 2000 )  I still love it and love those who visit and REALLY have a laugh and a good time with everyone.  Every summer we get one - one asshole, and I see this as his need for friends - or therapy - or maybe he needs to get a life of his own and he is envious and jealous of others and I feel for them,  but will not alow bad and rude attitude to spoil it for others staying.

There is a sign as you enter Hamilton Hall that was shown on the world news in 2009 which says - BE NICE - OR LEAVE, and I am glad to say that 99.9% of people are nice.

 If you leave items here when you leave, please e mail or phone and we will keep it for you for 6 weeks. If you send a pre paid envelope, we can get it in the post.

If you smoke in the bedrooms we will bill you for the cleaning involved as the smell of smoke can linger and as non smoking rooms, please do not assume we cannot tell as soon as we walk in the room.

If we have to wash curtains, bedding, cushion covers and wash down windows to rid the room of the smell of smoke, then we will bill you a minimum of £50 for the cost as all rooms are NON SMOKING AND ALWAYS HAVE BEEN.

We had a very pleasant smoking area inside Hamilton Hall whichbwas the mosty sociable part of the venue,  but sadly is now illegal. We now have a SMOKING GARDEN and you are welcome to smoke whatever you like and we do not judge you accordingly. 

If you should get us on a bad day, when we are rushed, panicked, stressed or simply distracted by thought, our apologies if we are a little short. This is called 'being human' and no-one regrets it more than we do. In defense - we get a great many time wasters who seem to think it funny to waste our time over and over again and as a venue with HUGE overheads, we cannot afford extra staff to cope with this and - at times - it does annoy us, just as it would any of you.

We try our very best and if that is not good enough for you, then find another venue.

We offer a very laid back - relaxed and friendly environment and ask that you respect this and hope you will chill out and enjoy your stay here.We will do whatever we can to make you happy and enjoy your time with us an experience to remember. Hamilton Hall has certain legal responsibilities and moral guidelines to adhere to and if in any doubt, just ask.

Hamilton Hall is a  sexual, self and spiritual development retreat for gay and bisexual men and is the only such venue in Europe.

We do not tolerate racism, elitist behavior, ageism, arrogance, intellectual and educational snobbery, homophobic or heterophobic behavior, brutish behavior, intolerance, bigotry of any kind or anything which may cause annoyance or offense to anyone present.  If you insist on Political Correctness, you may be told to bog off.  Please - just like most people who visit,  be nice, be fun to be with and leave your shit at home.

Laugh and the world laughs with you.

Laugh and the healing begins.

Laugh and you'll live for ever.