An internet advertisement from November that said, “Premier Inn Edinburgh – rooms from only £35 per night” was deemed “likely to mislead” by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
After a year of the advertisement running, Whitbread, the owner of Premier Inn, revealed the watchdog that 377 rooms in the Scottish city were available for £35 per night.
Customers would, however, interpret the advertisement to suggest that a sizable block of rooms were offered at that rate in the upcoming year, according to the ASA. Actually, just a tiny portion was offered for £35.
A reader complained to the ASA that they were unable to locate any rooms for £35.
The regulator stated that the advertisement cannot be shown in its current form again.
The ASA stated: We instructed Premier Inn to make sure that a sizable percentage of the offered rooms were accessible at the advertised price in the future when utilizing ‘from’ price claims.
